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Contents Baptist News A quarterly news letter of the COUNCIL OF BAPTIST CHURCHES IN NORTH EAST INDIA Editorial 2 The Council comprises Assam Love for Perfect Unity 4 Baptist Convention, Arunachal Put on Love for Perfect 8 Baptist Church Council, Garo Unity in Mission Baptist Convention, Karbi Anglong Baptist Convention, Leaders & Pastors 10 Manipur Baptist Convention Conference and Nagaland Baptist Church The Book of Luke: 15 Council. Hope, Purpose, Redemption EDITORIAL BOARD The first Woman Pastor 25 Editor: Rev Dr A. K. Lama Installed in the Church Assistant Editor: Ms Kaholi Zhimomi in Assam Sub-Editors: News Clippings 27 Dr Asangla Ao Mr Atungo Shitri A Memorable Picnic 39 Design & Layout: Siamliana Khiangte Former CBCNEI 42 Circulation: Missionary & Staff Jatin Gogoi “Can We Imagine A 44 Jinoy G. Sangma World Without Books” Babul Boro In His Footsteps 47 Subscription: CBCNEI Archive and 53 One Year ` 150 (US$20) Library Two Years ` 250 (US$35) Three Years ` 400 (US$50) Naga Christian 55 Five Years ` 600 (US$80) Fellowship, Chennai Contact information: From the Assistant 60 CBCNEI, Mission Compound Editor Panbazar, Guwahati, Assam-781001 Phone: +91-361-2515 829 (O) Fax: +91-361-2544 447 eMail: [email protected] website: www.cbcnei.in Baptist News, JanuarFacebook:y - March 2013 facebook.com/cbcnei 1 from the desk of editor Dear friend, The theme of the year 2013 for CBCNEI family is Put on Love for the perfect unity (Col 3:14). As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to be the people of the BOOK but we are also called to be the people of the LOVE. Love is often misunderstood and misrepresented. It is frequently used synonymously with feelings of lust, emotions, affinity, often mingled with the desires of personal pleasures. Love is often triggered, for good reason or bad, by our selfish interest. Love, we know, is often limited in its scope and its impact. However, the persons who are regenerated by the new birth and who claim themselves to be the children of God are called for the LOVE that is not merely a feeling but an action based on the facts given in the BOOK. The BOOK tells us that God so loved the world that he gave us his only Son (Jn 316). That LOVE is an action, broad in scope for all humanity, and of course is self-less. St Paul re- minds us that God has poured in us that same LOVE by the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5) and those of us who are indwelt by this Holy Spirit has its first gift: LOVE (Gal 5:22). Children of God have this LOVE that controls, guides, and influences their attitude and actions. This LOVE leads them first of all to LOVE their Saviour and Lord supremely. Secondly, it enables them to forgive their offenders and love in action even when they are not worthy of it. This second action, in fact, insures the unity within the family empowering them to Witness and Serve. The wisdom writer wrote, Love covers all transgressions (Pro 10:12), not condoning them but by forgiving them. We must allow God to deal with those transgressions, while we focus on 2 Baptist News, January - March 2013 to love and live in harmony with each other. Yes, we are called to Put on Love for the perfect unity within the family, Church, Associations, and Conventions. We must reflect and ask what is keeping us divided, segregated, and separated from our fellow Bap- tists? Can we put on Love to forget and forgive the past and unite for the future? For the sake of our posterity, our children and our grandchildren, can we put on that LOVE? This issue of Baptist News is intended to address the theme from vari- ous perspectives. We are glad to include here Rev Zhabu Terhuza and Dr Jolly Rimai’s perspectives on the theme. We welcome any other perspectives on the theme to be published in the consecutive issues of the Baptist News. Please send your article to us. I am glad to introduce Ms Kaholi Zhimomi, our new Assistant Editor. She is well trained in English literature and theology. This is her first issue in the making. We hope that the content and the quality of the Baptist News shall improve. Please uphold her in your prayers and help her out in improving this magazine. Through the Baptist News, we desire to connect Baptist family with one other. It will happen when Churches, Associations, Convention would begin sharing their news and pictures with the editorial team. We also desire to encourage our members to think, reflect, articulate their Christian views, write, and publish. The Christian Literature Center of CBCNEI with the help of Asia Theological Association (NZ) shall host a Writers’ workshop from August 7-10, 2013. If you are interested to be a writer, please register yourself at the earliest. We look forward to hearing from you. Blessings. Rev. Dr. A. K. Lama General Secretary. Baptist News, January - March 2013 3 Love for Perfect Unity Rev. Zhabu Terhuja, President, Eastern Theological College, Jorhat world. But , selfishness, indif- Introduction ferent attitude, insensitivity, There are many books on ‘love’ stubbornness, etc are antonyms and we might have read most of love we talk about. Although of them. We may ask, why ask it is, instead of calling it divine why write again ? Nevertheless, love or biblical love I prefer call- love being the essential char- ing it Christian love to mean acter of a Christian, it is good that it is a duty of all Christians. to keep reminding ourselves Almost every moment of our again and again of its impor- life demands that we live with tance. Assuming all the readers love. Love is something easy to agree on the kind of love we talk about but we often ignored mean, defining the word is in practice. Away from the pul- avoided. Rev Keviyiekielie said pit those who preach, “Jesus at the Nagaland Baptist Church says we must love our ene- Council Annual Conference, mies” might like to avoid peo- “The opposite of love is not ple who oppose them. To love hate, but complacency.” Yes, is a commandment. Jesus said, hate is a term used by the “Love one another (John 13:34, 4 Baptist News, January - March 2013 15:17).” Loving one another is our interpersonal relationship, the way others can know we are then all the good works are for- Jesus’ disciples. feited.” Without love our ex- The Great Commandments penses and sacrifices can end up in unprofitable conscience I guess our congregations have pleasing exercises. heard sermons on the Great Commission more than the The Great Commandment says, Great Commandment. The pos- “You shall love the LORD your itive impact of the Great Com- God with all your heart, with all mission is that it has spurred your soul, and with your entire many churches to actively en- mind;” followed by “You shall gage in missional works. And, love your neighbor as yourself.” how effectively is our sermon It is difficult to love deeply on the Great Commandment someone you do not know. impacting Christians for the Therefore, to love God with all Kingdom of God? The Great our heart and soul, we must Commandment must grease the have intimate knowledge of wheel of the Great Commission. God. In Rom 10:2, Paul spoke For Christians, love is the basis about the the great zeal of the of doing. Jews in meticulous observation of the law, yet he said their zeal In I Cor 13:1-3, Paul said, “Even was not based on the right if I have all the spiritual gifts to knowledge of God. A.W. Tozer perform great miracles, or to said, “What comes into our fathom all knowledge and mys- minds when we think about God teries, or give away all that I is the most important thing have to the poor, or even offer about us. For this reason the myself a martyr for Christ, if I gravest question before the have not love, I gained nothing.” Church is always God himself.” It is the same to say, “even if I The bottom line question is how or my family or my church in- big you see your God. Our view volves a lot in missional activi- of God, our understanding of ties, if I have not genuine love Him affects all our actions. And, for God, or if there is no love in God is much bigger than we find Baptist News, January - March 2013 5 Him in our mind box. 5:22). Christian love is not only Do we all have the same de- for those who do good to us. It gree of love? seeks the welfare of all (Rom 15:2), and works no ill to any Describing the member parts of (13:8-10). It seeks opportunity the Body of Christ, Paul says to do good to all people and some are more honorable and especially toward them that some are less; some parts are are of the household of the faith more prominent and some less. (Gal 6:10). The look and function of all these parts also differ from one We say and sing we love God. another. Likewise, the intensity The litmus test of that confes- of love of all members also is sion is how you react to the different in degree. It depends people you live with. I John on 1) how much we know God, 20&21 says, “…for he who does and 2) how intimately we are not love his brother whom he related to Him.