Commonly asked questions

I know Jesus is God, but I am afraid of family and friends!

I know that Lord Jesus Christ is the living God. I have experienced His prayer answering power too; but I cannot make a commitment to follow Him. What will my family say? What about my friends, colleagues and relatives?deep_thinking

Yes. It seems difficult to take this decision when we see it from religion point of view. But if we can see it at personal level, you will realize that we are simply believing in God and loving Him, nothing else (not conversion of religion at all). Moreover, if you start loving God and all ungodly, selfish and evil (to whatever degree) are gone, and you start leading a noble and blessed life, then how and who would object?

I want to tell you two things here.

First, that salvation is a personal choice, as much as our choice of eating some particular food or choosing some particular colour dresses. Our own decision in this regard is terminal.

Trust me, neither anybody is going to die with you nor is anyone going to stand before judgment throne to answer on your behalf. We all will do it individually.
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Are we supposed to change our names?

Are we supposed to change our name after believing in Jesus Christ?

NO! God is not interested in unnecessarily changing our names.

We did not change our names. My name is Brijesh, my wife is Prerna, my son is Pranjal and daughter Yeshanshi.

Though Bible has some references where God changed the names of some people; however, those were in certain specific cases to impart a particular teaching. He did it in several cases like Abram renamed to Abraham, Sarai renamed to Sarah, Simon renamed to Peter and Jacob renamed to Isreal. This was essentially to lay foundation of biblical principle about faith that how it brings a transition between old and new, past and present. Continue Reading →

What about our festivals?

festival

What about festivals? Can we not celebrate our religious festivals?

I feel this is a subjective question and must be dealt case by case. Instead of proposing a solution here, I would rather tell you the framework, base on which you can understand how we should deal with such situation.

Primarily I feel celebrate and not celebrate should not be our question. We must ask ourselves, why do we want to celebrate or why this festival is being celebrated. Once you see the reason behind it, probably you will automatically cease celebrating it without my explaining.

However, if you are genuinely looking for a solution, follow this principle –

“Refrain from all such activities which do not give glory to the true and living God.”

You may enjoy the fellowship with your family and other relatives though. Completely alienating ourselves from rest of the family, friends and society at large is not the teaching of the Bible and it does not make us good witness of His love too. Continue Reading →

What about our traditions and culture?

And what about other traditions? Can we not respect our elders by touching their feet?

This is again a subjective question and above principle can explain this. However, to answer it specifically, I would recommend that we must ask wisdom from God to differentiate between culture and religious rituals. In general, you may touch the feet of elders, but we ought to understand that it is ensured that we would not compromise with the glory of God in anyway. Continue Reading →

How marriage and other ceremonies will happen?

What about marriage and other ceremonies? Our rest of the families are yet following old religious traditions? So are we supposed to oppose them?

 

This is another subjective question in this series. I must admit, you have to take your own decision and deal with it based on the leading of the Holy Spirit of God.

You will find people on both extremes – those who totally revolt and go against their families and relatives and eventually loose the opportunity to share the gospel forever or those who totally surrender themselves to idol worship and other customs and do not give any glory to true and living God. In both the cases, probably they have not understood the spirit of the Word of God but the letter. Continue Reading →

I love an unbeliever, may be I can save him along!

But I love a non-believer and I am sure I will be able to bring him or her to my faith after marriage. Probably God wants to save one soul by this.

May be, but to me the probability looks very less.

We must understand that it could be a deception of devil to take us away from God than our genuine effort to save the soul. God wants to save souls, this is His agenda but he would not compromise on the way it should be done. When He asks not to be unequally yoked with unbeliever, He means it.

If you are unable to witness the love of Jesus to this person before marriage, there is hardly a chance that you would be able to do it after it. Especially for girls in Indian society, it could be even harder to persuade her spouse to believe in what she believes. This may rather affect her own spiritual growth and draw her away from fellowship and eventually from God Himself. Think! Are you not bringing obstacles in your own spiritual growth? Decision is all yours.

Is the news of forceful religious conversion true?

I have heard that Christians do religious conversions forcefully or by luring poor people through money or other benefits like education or medical facilities. Is this true?I have heard that Christians do religious conversions forcefully or by luring poor people through money or other benefits like education or medical facilities. Is this true?

Bible does not teach so. The real Christianity would not suggest anything like this and if it has happened in past and present, it is regrettable. From my experience I can firmly say that it did not happen with me and I have not seen it happening so far. Probably I would be the first person to object if I see so.

Our God is not religious, but He is a spiritual being and He is interested in saving souls from hell and bringing them in His kingdom (heaven) to have fellowship with them because He loves them. So for Him as well His real disciple, religion is of least concern.

“God is Spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

[John 4:24]

If we are true disciples of Christ, religious conversion is out of picture. It is a deception, a show-off which does not have any substance in it. Change of the inner man is the true transformation from darkness to light and from death to life.

Jesus did not initiate any religion and hence not even once in the Bible, he mentioned to do religious conversion. He rather asked to witness His love and salvation to the ends of the earth so that peoples from all nations may receive salvation of their souls.

Is it true that Christians eat human flesh?

Hah! This statement is not true.

The only mention in this context is the statement of Jesus spoken to His disciples regarding His own body and blood.

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.”

[John 6:51-56]

Jesus in the above verses was talking something deeper than mere flesh and blood, he was talking about His suffering, death, life and resurrection through which He was about to pay the price of sins so that putting faith in His sacrifice we could be saved by His grace (and no works attached).

Apart from this, there is no mention of eating human flesh or drinking human blood. Rather, Bible in Old Testament asked to abstain from certain kind of meats and any kind of allowed meat with blood.

My wife Prerna is vegetarian and she has not eaten even any kind of meat in last 7 years of her devoted faith life in following Jesus Christ.

I am vegetarian, will I be forced to eat non-veg?

No. This is a myth. This is not true.

Bible does not endorse anything related to eating any particular food – vegetarian or non-vegetarian. My last statement about Prerna must answer this question already.

Paul explains in the Bible that eating or not eating anything does not matter because kingdom of God is not about eating or not eating some particular foods. He rather exhorts not to eat a particular food for the sake of a brother or sister of weaker faith who may stumble because of our eating of particular food. Continue Reading →