Loving And Giving

By Lunminthang Haokip *

Sunday School children; CCpur LEF

Imphal, the 19th September, 2011:

Meeting at LEF, Churachandpur: It was a Youth Sunday service at Laymen's Evangelical Fellowship, Churachandpur in Manipur on 18 September, 2011. At the stroke of 9:30 in the morning, Brother Ninghor and his wife, Sis Salomi, a revived couple of LEF, Langol, Imphal, dropped in at my Old Lambulane residence.

Together we hit the road to CCpur on my official Bolero to be there in time for the 12 00 noon Sunday meeting. Bro Ninghor was behind the wheels driving like a pro while me and Sister had a round prayer session as we cruised along the smooth Teddim road southwards .

The Youth Service: LEF, CCpur has Bro Israel and Sis Boishi as the centre-in-charge couple. Of late, Bro Atong, the HIV-positive case survivor, had been sent to assist in the activities of the growing evangelical centre. Atong took the prelims that day. Bro Lulun led the chorus singing with the boys' band and Sis Kyin Kyin May, a half-Kachin half Chinese M. Div student of ECT, CCpur presented a soulful Burmese hymn after the Sunday School children enlivened the service with an amazing action song.

Kyin; CCpur LEF

Message 1: Bro Ninghor was in his elements. In a Joyce Meyer type of preaching replete with homiletic action and body movement to match the tone of the sermon line, the drug-addict-turned-Word-addict waxed eloquent on his pet topic – fashion. The gen-next sitting on the pew lapped up every word he spoke on the varied fashion statements folks in the West and the East cannot do without.

"Western beach-culture shocks with a fashion that covers only the eyes with goggles and bares the rest while Arab fashion covers every part of the body except the eyes", Ninghor amused his audience with weird truths about dressing and otherwise and continued, "Both cultures go to the extreme. We should follow neither because such ultra-mod fads contradict the Scriptural counsel given in 1 Thessalonians 5:22: 'Abstain from all appearance of evil'. Tattoos too are devilish taboos.

More Nuggets From Ninghor: An anecdote that the lanky preacher used to illustrate the vanity and unpredictability of carnal romantic love, that young boys and girls often promise to each other, sent the congregation in pleasant splits. It so happened, Ninghor said, that a young lad and lass fell madly in love with each other.

But, as in dramas and films, the parents of both the puppy-lovers put their foot down that the marriage of the two could only take place over their dead bodies. Driven against the wall, with no other option left to consummate their love, the love-maddened twosome decided to commit suicide.

The Anti-Climax: High on emotion, and in suicide mode, the lovers climbed atop the tallest building in their neighbourhood, held each other's hands and jumped down. The girl was true to her profession but the boy had an ace up his sleeve.

Midway in their downward fall from the high-rise tower, the boy pressed the button of the parachute he secretly fastened on his back. Before she slid further down earthwards, the lady-lover could mutter in agony, "How dare you do this to me? You deceived me!" The fake suitor, in bidding farewell to his cheated partner, cried aloud, "I did not deceive you. Yours is a dying love but mine is undying love. Bye". The message of the tragedy of unreliability was driven home.

Message 2: In true LEF-style, another short message was given by this blogger. It was on another type of love altogether. My text was taken from 1 John 3:1, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God; therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not".

Poverty Of Love: We Christians were bought with a price that the love of God paid. In return, we were commanded to love one another. John 13:34 says, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another". When we look at the world around us, we can see more of hatred than divine love. The only love we come across is calculating one; that of appearing to seemingly love others, but in actuality, loving oneself through others.

The Newspaper leads in our midst are dominated by land issues. The Creator of heaven and earth is forgotten. Claims and counter-claims on ownership of land that man cannot create are made on the basis of human knowledge. Believers who otherwise sincerely hope to populate heaven together in the life thereafter are the key players in this endless mental tug-of-war of a tussle over a stretch of land that the Almighty gifted for all his children to dwell in unison of mind.

Lunminthang interoreted by Ngamboi

The Abrahamic Bent-of-Mind: Abraham was called a friend of God for nothing. At times, he deviated a bit from the perfect will of God but when elbowed back to sense, unlike Cain, he humbled himself to "walk with God". When there was a strife between his own herd-men and that of his covetous nephew, Lot, Abraham said in Genesis 13:9, "Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou will take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left:"

Curse Of Greed?: Lot did not have the scruples to be grateful to his uncle who brought him to that region by mistake. His desire went beyond his need to land into the territory of greed. Genesis 13: 11 says, "Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other". But the choice of greed did not serve Lot's need for long. The coveted land became a curse called "Sodom the men of which were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly (Gen.13:13)."

Blessing In Giving: There is a God who rules over the affairs of men (Daniel 5:21) and seest us and everything that is happening here (Gen 16:13). Abraham gave away what his younger relative wanted. God saw his generosity and gave him a better land with blessing, "Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: (Gen. 13:14)".

The land gifted from above became Israel. Despite temporary pull-ups for sin, Israel, throughout the centuries and decades, enjoyed divine protection. The choice is ours. Grabbing or giving? Curse or blessing? For all I know, loving never empties the heart; giving never empties the purse.

Attached hereunder is a poem of mine written in the shade of moments to appeal to the poetic streak of all dear readers:

C4B: CHRIST FOR CHRISTIANS

1. Where there's no vision, people perish,
Where there's no will-of-God, widows increase;
My own folks, you love one another,
Says our good Lord and God the father;
Love of land, tribe and self is greater,
Among the nations, we are smaller.

In a bid to build Church of own choice,
Coz each wants to lead own fold's sad voice;
Church-folks who once sang in one accord,
Are now split followers of one Lord;
That we may regain spiritual strength,
The binding brotherhood let's all make ours.

2. We may be parted by land borders,
Maybe we're bound by rules and orders;
But, like the trees, our roots of origin
And branches, in Christ are enjoined;
That the poor and deprived may get well,
Let's put to use might of the Gospel.

3. To be stewards, on earth we were kept,
To be honoured in God, we were left;
But we swap His will with vain passions,
We're below our due among nations,
Wake up, let's cease to for Christ eye land,
Let Christ for Christians be the peace-chant.

Lunminthang Haokip

* Lunminthang Haokip, a resident of Old Lambulane, Imphal and posted at Moreh, Manipur is a regular contributor to e-pao.net. He can be contacted at lunminthang(dot)haokip(at)gmail(dot)com or his blog here
This article was webcasted on September 24, 2011.