Father GB’s song: Ini Oru Bodhe-u Baiyam Veyndaam

[My father, feeling that Tamil hymns and lyrics, generally, do not have the depth that English hymns have, has for his church hymnal, identified some good hymns, translated many hymns and choruses from English, and composed some lyrics. He has recorded the accompaniment for all the songs in the hymnal, and these are available in MP3 format. I will try to showcase some of them in this blog from time to time. All recordings have been done at home using very simple equipment. These songs may not be copied without permission.]

 

Song composed by Gnana Bhaktamitran in August 2004

(Hymn 109 in our hymnal)

Here is a recording of this song Ini Oru Bodhe-u Baiyam Veyndaam sung by Mrs. Rani George and accompanied by GB himself.

Father GB’s song: Yesuvae Neer-dhaam

An old Lutheran song in GB’s hymnal (by Nicolaus L. von Zinzendorf, first published in 1778 )

[My father, feeling that Tamil hymns and lyrics, generally, do not have the depth that English hymns have, has for his church hymnal, identified some good hymns, translated many hymns and choruses from English, and composed some lyrics. He has recorded the accompaniment for all the songs in the hymnal, and these are available in MP3 format. I will try to showcase some of them in this blog from time to time. All recordings have been done at home using very simple equipment. These songs may not be copied without permission.]

Here is a recording of the song Yesuvae Neer-dhaam sung by GB himself.

Father GB’s song: Sabaiyum Peruganum

Song composed by Gnana Bhaktamitran.

[My father, feeling that Tamil hymns and lyrics, generally, do not have the depth that English hymns have, has for his church hymnal, identified some good hymns, translated many hymns and choruses from English, and composed some lyrics. He has recorded the accompaniment for all the songs in the hymnal, and these are available in MP3 format. I will try to showcase some of them in this blog from time to time. All recordings have been done at home using very simple equipment. These songs may not be copied without permission.]

Here is a recording of the song Sabaiyum Peruganum sung by Prathiba Surendar and Amala George (members of EBA in Madurai) and accompanied by GB himself.

Baptism in Conversion

My father Gnana Bhaktamitran speaking to the church after a baptism (Madurai India)

Wrong practices are often born when good men overreact to other wrong practices. That is how, perhaps, was born the notion that baptism is dispensable.

At the outset, please allow me to confess that I am not a theologian, but how can any Christian escape theology; our lives are worked around growing in the knowledge of God and delighting in Him.

Baptismal regeneration must have been the heresy that led to the error of baptism being treated so lightly. It is fairly easy to prove that baptism is not dispensable. But my fear is that we have perhaps over shot the right position in the matter of baptism out of a genuine desire to avoid the heresy of baptismal regeneration.

I lament the relegation of baptism to the status of a good-to-do option—almost dispensable. I think this is unbiblical.

• Baptism was the culmination of the conversion experience as we see in the book of Acts and served as an initiation into the church, the people of God.
• Baptism is a command of Jesus
• Jesus, our greatest Example, was baptised.

The latter two points are easy to understand and should suffice, even if the first point were not true, to make baptism mandatory in the life of a Christian.

The first point needs some explanation.

Christmas–to celebrate or not

A young brother from EBA, the independent church that my father GB pastors, was taken aback when he realised that John Piper celebrates Good Friday, Easter, and Christmas. I wish to answer him in such a way that he is encouraged and God is glorified.

I have so much to say on this matter, and my mind is jammed up like a typewriter when you press several keys all at once. Let me start by stating the bad news and the good news.

The bad news is that:

• the devil, let’s give him his due, has succeeded in bringing in the most convolutely interwoven confusions into the kingdom of God on earth, and
• over the ages, we Christians have messed up every single doctrine that was ours to preach or practice, every single one.

The good news is that

• God has done everything right to save those whom He has set apart for Himself, and
• Satan cannot thwart the purposes of God; the gates of Hades will not prevail over the true church of God.

So we can approach any subject of difficulty with boldness and joy.

The world celebrates Christmas as a holiday to spend with family. It is a time of much commercial activity. Christmas balls, alcohol, gifts, family, Santa clause, Christmas trees, decorations, snow, carols, music, laughter, feasts, mistletoe, heartache, nostalgia, excitement, and Christmas cards; some of these things are good. In south India, the list must include late-night carol singing, achu-muruku, Kanchipuram silk, kal-kals, plum cake, lighted cardboard stars hanging outside houses and on trees, and biriyani. From what I remember of Christmas in Delhi, Chrysanthemums play a big part. In Auckland, Christmas in The Park is a big event, and Christmas parades on the streets are not uncommon. Somewhere in all this commotion, some remember that Jesus, the God of the Christians, was born in Bethlehem in a stable and laid in a manger.

Christians deal with Christmas in one of the following ways:

a. Participating in worldly x-mas celebrations in every way like their non Christian counterparts, attending balls and enjoying drinks with their mates and so on.

b. Very devoutly, for the most part, remembering the nativity part of the redemption story– how God came to live among us and died to redeem us.

c. Celebrating it as a cultural occasion to spend with family. Christmas brings with it many family traditions, memories, feelings of nostalgia, etc.

d. Lamenting the terrible affront the celebration of Christmas has become to the name of Christ. Sometimes using this as an occasion to shake traditional people to take a look at their commitment to the Lord.

e. Realising the great potential this season affords for evangelisation and sharing the gospel with non Christian friends.

Godly people have taken positions b, c, d, or e or a combination of these.

Below are the views of my father GB, John MacArthur, and John Piper. All these men think differently and they all want to do what brings glory to the Lord.