Walking by Sight and Living by Faith

Carnal Christians Vs. Kernel Christians

Philipose Vaidyar

We use words like grace, faith, and trust almost every day. Everyone has some belief and faith in something. Anyone at a religious gathering or sect can be called a believer. All the members of a Church are Bible believers too and all have some faith as well. But all of them are unable to practice the belief, and not all can live by faith. We don’t need to judge anyone about their faith but we need to discern people by what they believe and practice to draw implications for ourselves and be able to make the right associations. 

That’s what Jesus taught through several parables and as reiterated by the apostles. We have two kinds of people everywhere- the righteous and the wicked- the wheat and the weed; the seed and the chaff; the sheep and the goats; the ordinary and the spiritual; and the Kernal Christians and the Carnal Christians. Like in a home there can be obedient and disobedient children, so it is in any human organization including the Church. 

Wheat and Weeds

In Church, we have two kinds of believers even while all of them recite the same liturgy, read the same Bible, participate in the same sacraments, or observe the same practices. The parables of the sower, seeds, and the weeds explain this. Not all seeds grow and give yields. Not all plants are wheat; some are weeds. Both grow together but the harvest, on the final day, will only separate them. Jesus said this parable about the two kinds of people in Christendom and about the judgment that will eventually separate them. Jesus said, “the sons of the evil one will perish and the sons of righteousness will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father”. The parable talks about the righteous and the unrighteous, how they live together for a time. 

Seed and Chaff

In Psalm 1, the righteous are compared to the seed that will grow to a tree that is planted by streams of water, which will not wither but give its fruits in season, and their way will succeed and be watched over by the Lord. The chaff is called to be wicked; like the chaff, they will be driven by wind; shall not stand in the judgment, and in the assembly of the righteous, but their way will perish. 

Sheep and Goats

Jesus compared his followers to sheep and goats. Some Christians are sheep while others are goats. Both these Christians co-exist but at the time of judgment, the sheep, who know the voice of Jesus (John 10:25-30), will be separated from the goats (Matthew 25:31-46)

Ordinary Children and Spiritual Children

Children naturally born can only live by sight; children born by the flesh can only think of the flesh. Many attend churches for physical blessings. Healing, success, admissions, promotions, sustenance, assets, and artifacts are their goals. They are happy with God if their prayers for all these are answered the way they want. Many even teach this gospel. “When you worship, your bondages will fall apart, your sickness will be healed”. They preach that ‘chains fell off the apostles when they sang and worshipped in the jail’. Peter was delivered twice by an Angel but the Bible does not say that he was delivered because he was singing and praising in prison, even if he did. Some worship God to get blessings and get deliverance from debt; while others worship God because they are delivered people and blessed by the saving experience of God.  

Paul talks about these two kinds of believers in Galatians 4:21ff. - The ordinary Christians and the Promise Christians. “For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by a free woman. One was born ordinarily and the other was born as the result of a promise. “Now you brothers, like Isaac are children of promise. The slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son. Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but the free woman”. 

This is not to judge anybody else in the Church, but for us to judge ourselves. The slave-son could not become a promise-son. But because of Christ’s saving work, a slave can become free and become a promise-child. The external difference can be too little to recognize. In Churches, we have Kernel Christians and Carnal Christians. Both of them may go to church, pray, read the Bible, and give charity. But there is an invisible difference in both of them. 

Carnal Christians and Kernel Christians

Carnal Christians live by natural principles and by the trends and standards of the world. They want to be achievers; they love God, church, and religious gatherings and their prayers often will be for success, health, and wealth. They would like to gain more to possess the best. They would work and live as per the standards of a consumerist society. Their ultimate goal may be to climb up the social ladder and live with at most comforts and facilities. They will be more concerned about status symbols and go by brands of assets rather than its usefulness. They would be willing to bribe for getting things done and may buy any admission for a profession of their choice even if they are not eligible. Believers, Evangelists, Pastors, Social or Christian workers too can be carnal Christians. They will be more concerned about the transformation of their lifestyle. They may pursue theology or the Christian profession, but their ultimate goal will be to settle down in an affluent country someday. They would make preaching tours to the Arabian countries but not to any of the African countries. 

Carnal means ‘fleshly’. Bible has references to living in the flesh or by the lust of the flesh: 

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” Colossians 2:8

“Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not mere human beings?”1 Corinthians 3:1-8 

A carnal Christian is still a believer in Jesus, may have accepted the gift of salvation, but not the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit and transformation of the inner man. Carnal living satisfies the flesh rather than honoring and pleasing God.

The spirit of a carnal Christian has not the capacity to respond to the work of the Holy Spirit but seek blessings of God; may know Bible but may not know God in a personal relationship. He can be a legalistic Christian like the Pharisees, and not know God intimately (Titus 1:16). God looks at the heart, searching for His love working in and through His children (1 Peter 1:1-8).  

Kernel Christians live by faith and by the Word of God. The kernel is a seed and they have the potential to sprout and grow. They may not be great achievers; they may live in poverty and may struggle to live. All their prayers and wishes may not be answered or provided with. They may go through discouragements and challenges of different kinds. But they will press on in faith with hope; they will endure hardships. Sicknesses or failures will not sweep them away as their spiritual life is hidden in Christ. Their joy is not just in financial gains, wealth, possessions of property, luxurious lifestyles, or societal success. They will work and live in the world in the light of eternal principles. For them, food, clothing, housing, education, and infrastructure facilities are ‘means’, not the ‘end’. They are concerned about the transformation of people and their prayers are not limited just for health, wealth, and success but also for the spiritual transformation of people across their borders. 

Carnal Christian vs. Kernel Christian

A Carnal Christian can become a Kernel Christian.  All Christians can have some area of their lives where they live carnally. As a Carnal Christian, we are potential of being perfect, but not yet perfected. (2 Corinthians 12:1). Kernel Christians are Spirit-led beings. As a Kernal Christian, we will exhibit the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). A tree can be known by its fruits. If Spirit-led we cannot remain carnal; we will grow and mature because of God’s work in our lives (Hebrew 12:5-11, Romans 12:1, Ephesians 2:8-10, James 2). Jesus said he has chosen us to bear fruit that will last eternally (John 15:16).

Committed Christian by growing spiritually, gains the power to forsake earthly pleasures, and live a fruitful life that God has planned. The carnal Christians live in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life that is from the world (1 John 2:15-17). The Word of God says that not everyone who seems to be a Christian is a Christian (1 John 2:18-19). If the Carnal Christians become truly saved, they are assured that they will not perish (1 Corinthians 3:10-15, John 3:16). 

The choice is ours, to stay carnal or be a kernel of wheat to grow towards spiritual maturity to bear fruit in multiple folds; to walk by the sight of the world, or to live by faith through the Word of God and in complete dependence on the Spirit of God. And this is possible by intimacy with Christ through meditation and practice of the Word of God. Which group do you belong to, Carnel or Kernal; Living by sight or by faith? 

 (This article was first published in the Light of Life Magazine, November 2019)

Personal Profile: 

https://sites.google.com/view/philipose-vaidyar 

The Lily on Kolli Hills

 

Lilies are in the field and also seen on hills. These lilies on the Kolli Hills had caught my attention for some reason. That afternoon when I reached Kolli Hills, the sun was shining above our heads. When I captured these lilies on my Lumia Mobile, I never knew a woman who lived on this hill 100 years ago uttered a prayer out of the dryness of her heart, at the sight of these flowers that bloomed brilliantly in that dry season! 

She said, 

"Let me be like that, Lord, flowering best when life seems most dry and dead."

Evelyn Brand, fondly called later as Mother Brand had come over to these hills from England 100 years ago to live and die here, only lead at least some from death to life!  

As I stood in awe before the God who created the mountains and called people to go to the ends of the earth I was perplexed at the paradox of mission-immigration today for better prospects of life in the west! 

I have found the following beautiful piece about Mother Brand and sharing it here in continuation to my earlier post (https://pvarticles.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-mann-on-mountains-of-death.html) for those who did not have a chance to hear about her. (The source is acknowledged)

- Philipose Vaidyar

The Lily on Kolli Hills: Mother Brand 

“Evie Brand burst into tears. She pleaded with the mission board, but its leaders would not yield. Rules were rules, they said. She was too old to go back to India. She must retire.

The decision was hard for the board. Evie had long sacrificed comforts and family to the mission. Year after year, she had lived entirely on a small inheritance and set aside her official salary to buy land for the mission. But ever since her husband Jesse died of fever, pioneering with her in the Mountains of Death, the mission had not been sure what to do with her. The one task she wanted--to open new work in the mountains--was denied her because she was elderly, single...and opinionated.

From the board's point of view, it was senseless to appoint a 68-year-old woman to another five-year term. But years before, Jesse and Evie had vowed to reach five mountain ranges with the Gospel. Four still had to be reached. Evie felt God was calling her to fulfill that vow.

Evie grasped at one last straw. "Please just send me back for one year," she pleaded. "I promise not to make any more trouble. At the end of one year, I will retire." Reluctantly, the board agreed. Had they known the secret plan that Evie had confided to her daughter, they surely would have refused permission.

Then Came the Shocker
Evie said goodbye to friends and relatives in England and was back in India by January 1947. The mission appointed her to the plains. Evie did not mind much. It was only for a year!

Camping in the Kalrayan range on every holiday, she plotted her next move. Her son designed a little house for her, and she scrounged building materials and organized it into loads light enough for helpers to tote uphill.

Her year with the mission ended. Fellow missionaries gathered to wish her a tearful goodbye and presented her with a parting present: a lovely lamp.

Evie informed them gleefully that she was retiring from the mission--retiring to take up independent work in the mountains, to fulfill the commission that she and Jesse had undertaken years before. Her colleagues' protests and warnings fell on deaf ears. As far as Evie was concerned, life begins at 70.

Frilly Dresses
Strictly speaking, life begins a little sooner. Evelyn was born in England in 1879. Her father was a well-to-do merchant; as a young woman, Evie cut a fine figure in plumed hats and frilly dresses. Her family was involved in missions, street work, and charities. Her father protected his daughters, even trying to dissuade them from marriages that would take them away from him, but one by one they started families.

Evie learned to paint. Her idol was John Joseph Turner, who seemed able to capture light on canvas. To the end of her days, she sketched and painted with gusto. But when she entered her 20s, she found that art did not feed her soul.

Evie was 30 when she spent a few weeks in Australia, helping a sister. Sailing home, she sensed a divine calling to be a missionary. Yet how was she to break the news to Father? The arrival of a young missionary from India helped. Evie found Jesse Brand too intense for her taste. But at a missionary meeting, he seemed to look directly at her as he described the filth and squalor on the mission field. She heard an unspoken question in his words: could she, a fashionable girl, handle such things? Resolve rose within her. Yes, with God's help, she could! And she was riled up enough to tell her father so.

He took her announcement hard. A missionary? Aren't there enough lost souls in London? Evie insisted that she had to obey God's call. Finally, her father yielded. She could go, but she must allow him to provide her entire support. At her farewell party, she wore her usual finery. "She looks more like an actress than a missionary," said someone.

Wedding Bells in Madras
Assigned to Madras in the plains of India, Evie discovered that Jesse Brand had been transferred there too. She fell in love with him and with his vision for the people of the Mountains of Death. Then she found out that Jesse was engaged. Hot and shaking, she fled to her bathroom and poured cold water over herself. She had made a fool of herself!

Her heart grew dry. Looking at India's flowers, blooming brilliantly in the dry season, she prayed, "Let me be like that, Lord, flowering best when life seems most dry and dead."

Language study took her to the hills. Jesse contacted her. His engagement was off. Would Evie marry him? They would work the mountains together.

Evie's honeymoon was a "perfect" introduction to life in the hills. Dressed in wedding white, she joined Jesse in the canvas dholi (carrier). Her bearers had gone off to hunt a wild pig. New men were found, but thunder rumbled in the sky. Heat wilted her dress. She tried not to give way to terror as the men lurched along steep precipices. Thorns caught her clothes. Rain drenched the carrier. When she dismounted to walk, she sank deep into mud holes. They lost their way in the dark.

Mountains of Death
That was the beginning of their work in the mountains. It was not glamorous. At the start, a dying man gave his heart to Christ. It was seven years before they saw another convert on the Kolli range. Because Hindu priests feared losing their influence and revenue, they opposed the Gospel. People wanted to follow Jesus because God enabled Jesse to heal many of their diseases, but the priests frightened the people away from the new faith.

Jesse taught them better farming methods, treated their sickness, built houses, and fought their tax battles. He showed Evie the five ranges of hills he hoped to win for Christ: their own Kolli, and beyond it Pachais, Kalrayan, Peria Malai, and Chitteris.

The two went from village to village preaching the Gospel and tending the sick. Yet the people always pulled back from Christianity for fear of their Hindu priests. A breakthrough came when a priest caught the fever. Jesse hurried to his aid. As he died, the priest entrusted his children to the Brands. The Jesus God must be the true one, he said, because the Brands alone had helped him in his hour of death.

The people marveled at a God who made Jesse care for an enemy's orphaned children. Evie eventually became a mother to many abandoned Indian children. Through her motherly love, a small Christian community was born.

Still, the progress of the Gospel remained painfully slow. Painful also was the need for Jesse and Evie to leave their two children, Paul and Connie, in England for schooling. Evie said that something "just died in me" the day she had to say goodbye to them. It was the hardest test of loyalty God asked of her.

Widowed by Blackwater Fever
In England, Paul and Connie learned that their father was dead. He had contracted blackwater fever. Although Evie felt hollow, she prayed that the Lord would allow Jesse's death to win more souls than his life had. Hindu and Christian alike mourned the man who had poured out love to them, and they vied with each other for the usually contemptible job of digging a grave and lowering a dead body into it. Evie struggled on in the work alone until a replacement was found. Jesse had promised to show her a shortcut to one village. "Now he'll not be able to," she lamented. She was wrong. Riding his horse one day, it remembered the new path and carried her along it.

After a visit with her children in England, Evie was determined to return to the Kolli hills. Mission leaders were uneasy. Would it work?

They were right to ask. Evie expected co-workers to do as Jesse would have. When they didn't, she spoke up and tension resulted. She pleaded to be allowed to start new work on one of the other ranges. Mission leaders refused. Mountain work did not show good returns. They transferred Evie to the plains. At times she considered leaving the mission to strike out on her own, but circumstances always held her back...until she retired.

Fulfilling Jesse's Dream
At 70, she began to fulfill Jesse's dream. Everyone called her "Granny," but she felt young. Just as in the old times, she traveled from village to village riding a hill pony, camping, teaching, and dispensing medicine. She rescued abandoned children. The work was harder now and she was thin. Carriers whacked her head on a rock. She never got her balance back after that and walked with bamboo canes. Yet she was full of joy and laughter. "Praise God!" she exclaimed continually.

Despite broken bones, fevers, and infirmities, she labored on. In fifteen years, she almost eradicated the Guinea worm from the Kalrayan range. Through her efforts, the five ranges were evangelized, and a mission work was planted on each. She added two more ranges to her plans. Granny insisted this extraordinary accomplishment was God's doing, not hers.

Wherever she was, she proclaimed Christ. In the hospital with a broken hip, she wheeled herself from room to room (or scooted on a carpet!) and talked to the other patients. She painted landscapes for them. Her bones knit in record time, and back she went to the mountains to fight marijuana growers.

When her son, Paul, visited her in the mountains, he found her looking younger. Her smile, brighter than ever, made the difference. "This is how to grow old," he wrote. "Allow everything else to fall away, until those around you see just love."

Granny tore some ligaments and had to go to the plains for treatment. Before she could return to her beloved mountains, her speech became jumbled and her memory failed. Seven days later, on December 18, 1974, she died. The next day her body was taken back to the hills and laid beside Jesse's as a multitude wept. The woman who had been declared too old for India had carried on for 24 more years, working almost to her day of death.

About Paul Brand
Evie's son, Paul Brand, became a famous surgeon. He also developed new ways of treating leprosy. With Philip Yancey, he wrote Fearfully and Wonderfully Made and In His Image, two books that compare the body of Christ with the human body. He also wrote The Gift of Pain and God's Forever Feast.

_____________

Courtesy: https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1901-2000/evelyn-granny-brand-11630789.html   

Read more on the Brands with more visuals at The Mann on the Mountains of Death

The Mann on the Mountains of Death!

The Mann on the Mountains of Death

 Philipose Vaidyar

Kolli Hills, known as ‘Kolli Malai” on the Eastern Ghats, is not much widely known for tourism. But people and tourists do go there. It’s a small mountain range located in the Namakkal District of Tamil Nadu with heights up to 1300 meters above the mean sea level. It is 90 kilometers away from Salem, the nearest railway station on the main railway line. People go there with different interests -the old Ghats road is steep with 70 hairpin curves. It interests the motorists. The hills are scenic with tropical evergreen, rich, diverse, and large and wide stretches of forests. There are rare species of trees and plants which are also protected here. There are silver oak, coffee, and fruit plantations on these hill ranges. 

 

But I had a different reason to visit these hills. I had heard about Mother Brand who worked on the Eastern Ghats, who used to go around challenging people into missions. When I lived in Salem for some time, the long desire of having a peep into this 'tribalscape' was coming true. 

Part I

Kollimalai means Hill of Death! so-called because of the widespread diseases in the area, and particularly that deadly malaria that took the life of the inhabitants here. But that did not stop Jesse Mann Brand to come to these interior mountains to help the helpless people.

Just before World War-I, 108 years ago, Jesse Mann & Evelyn Brand as newly wedded couples came over here by horseback and walking hills and jungles when there were no roads. They came here to serve the people with healthcare, education, and to enlighten their life by sharing the love of God who created these mountains. Their vision also stretched to three more hill ranges Kalrayan, Javari, and Yercaud hills.

 

Jesse Mann Brand, the all-rounder man

Jesse Man Brand was born in July 1885 - Guildford, Surrey, England to Henry Brand and Lydia Mann. At the young age of 22 in 1907 Jesse reached India as a missionary after a long voyage. He worked in the plains around Madras, presently known as Chennai. During his stay at different mission stations in Tamil Nadu, he had heard about Kolli Hills- the mountains of death, where native tribes lived in ignorance and were affected by various sicknesses with no cure or health facility to access. He longed to go and serve those hill people. The terrain was difficult to reach with no roads to travel. 

 

He used to write about the plight of the people and it was published in the mission newsletters in England. During his next vacation, he was speaking at a Baptist Church in England and shared about the darkness that pervaded the hills in those South Indian hills. 

The Woman who became Mother Brand

Evelyn Constance Harris was born in England in 1879 as the daughter of a well-to-do merchant. She grew up in a strict Baptist home in the fashionable St. John's Wood area of London. Her father saw that she had the best of education suitable to young ladies of that age and station in life she accepted Christ as a young girl and was baptized at eleven years of age. Young Evelyn was very fond of artwork and painting. But after 20 years she began to turn her attention to missions which became her passion. 

 

Her family was also involved in ministries to street and slum dwellers. In the home and at church she was exposed to missions, particularly those in India. As a young lady, she would at times break out of the protection of her home, going into the London slums on missions of mercy. As a young adult, she was challenged by the letters published in a missionary journal written by a missionary to the hill people of south India. 

 

At the age of 30, she had an opportunity to visit and help her sister in Australia for a few weeks. As she sailed back she felt a strong call to missions among unreached places. 

Evelyn was deeply moved by the stories of the church bulletin about the tribes in Kolli Hills and their plights. She could also attend the meeting at the Baptist Church where Jesse Mann Brand was sharing. While she spoke, she realized that it was he who had written about the Mountains of Death in the pamphlet that thrilled her. At the mission challenge, she answered silently, “Here am I. Send me!” From that day her heart began to long for India. When she expressed her desire to go to India, her father exclaimed: “A missionary? Aren't there enough lost souls in London?” But at her persistence to obey God’s call, her father had to yield.  

 

As much as her parents hated to see her leave home, they recognized that the hand of God was on her and that she must be obedient to the call of God. After a short course of missionary medicine, she proceeded to India in 1912. Her first task was to learn the difficult Tamil language. The hot, humid climate of Madras was depressing as well. Here again, she met Jesse Brand, who spoke Tamil like a native speaker. It was first as a language instructor, encourager, friend, and subsequently beloved that the relationship grew rapidly. For some time due to sickness, she had to move to a healthier hill station to recover. Later she joyfully accepted Jesse’s proposal of marriage.

 

The Wedding Bells

Jesse went up to the mountains to build a very simple three-room house with a small outhouse for cooking. They were married on 27 August 1913 and the same day, they both moved to Kolli hills. She was carried by men in cane woven basket through the forest hills and she was drenched in the wedding dress in the downpour. 

(On mobile, you can click open the  following images for a better view or to read the captions)

Part II 

“Together Jesse and Evelyn ministered to the people around the hills. They trekked all over the mountains on foot or hill pony. Jesse was a man with many talents—doctor, dentist, preacher, teacher, counselor, agronomist, builder, and much more - all things to all men. His medical skills, which he had learned in England, broke down barriers. Their first convert was a lad whose salvation brought great joy to their hearts. But he died very soon of pneumonia. It was six more long years until the next fruit was realized from their labors. Over the years, the work among the hill people progressed. A church with outstations was established. 

Two children were born to the Brands: Paul and Connie. They trekked with their parents and were a part of the team. In due time they were left with family in England to pursue their education. 

Strong, energetic Jesse was rarely ill; but in July of 1929, he was affected severely with malaria that soon turned into black water fever—one of the most toxic complications of that disease. He died on July 15, 1929. There was a simple service, and his body was buried there on the "mountains of death."

Evelyn was devastated, alone there in the mountains. The sooner a niece, Ruth, who was in her last year of medical training, dropped out of her college and came to be with her aunt in India. Some three months later she accompanied her back to England. By this time Paul was 15 and his sister 13. After a long gap of years, they met their mother again. A year later she returned to her beloved mountains. It was hard without Jesse, but she was soon into the routine of medical clinics, teaching, disciplining, correcting, and exhorting people all over the range of mountains for the next five years.  

It was a turbulent time in India with the war years; the political unrest on the division of India and Pakistan and years of bloodshed. The mission board would not let her go back to the mountains. They thought it would be too dangerous for her to be alone in the mountains. She served reluctantly on the plains, but she was always persisting the board to allow her to return to the mountains. Finally, in 1947, there was a new India, now an independent nation. Paul, now a medical doctor, returned to India as a missionary to the Vellore Christian Medical College. Evelyn, at almost 70, went to a new range of mountains. She built a small wattle-and-mud hut for home and tirelessly ministered to the neglected people.

Paul was gaining a reputation for his work in leprosy. In 1953 Granny fell in her home in the mountains and fractured her hip. She was carried down out of the mountains to Vellore to be with Paul and his family. At 74 years of age, Granny was a feisty old lady, very dedicated to the task to which God had called her. Paul and his family were trying to persuade her to retire from the rigors of mountain life and come live with them in a comfortable home. She would have none of it. She said, “Since no man was willing to go to these people, live under these conditions, and tell the people of Jesus, I would go back”. And she did.

In 1963, at the age of 84, she moved to the third range of mountains. Again, she had the same pattern of extensive trekking on a small hill pony, walking with two bamboo poles for support, and living in very simple conditions. She had an utter lack of dependence on things.

In 1965, after working alone in the mountains for almost 35 years, a missionary nurse was assigned to work with her as her companion and continued until the time of her death. In a letter to Paul, Granny wrote that she would soon have her 95th birthday. She was sure a lot of kindly people would write and praise her and say how wonderful she was to be working still at 95 years of age. She said, "I am not wonderful. I am just a poor, old, frail, and weak woman. God has taken hold of me and gives me the strength I need each day. He uses me just because I know that I have no strength of my own. Please tell the people to praise God, not me." Her memory was beginning to fail, and so was her eyesight. In October she came out of the mountains to Karigiri near Vellore to see Paul who was on a brief visit to India. Here again, she fell, injuring her knee. There was no fracture, but the injury was very painful. She slowly went down following that injury and quietly slipped into the presence of her Lord on December 18, 1974, at the age of 95. Her frail, wasted body was carried back and buried beside her beloved husband Jesse there on the "mountains of death."

A few years earlier, she had written this free verse:

“Why did You have to break me first,

Why did You take my all away

Before You satisfied my thirst?

Why must I sink in deepest deep

Before the promises to know?

I realize now it had to be

Before He taught my soul to pray,

Before the glory, I could see,

The glory that He promised me”.

 Isaiah 52:7  

- Dr. John A. Dresibach

________________ 

Acknowledgments: 

Part II of the narrative is taken from the writing of  Dr. John A. Dresibach, published on the Gospel Fellowship Association website. Used with permission.

All photographs used inside (except the last one) are taken by Philipose Vaidyar during a visit to the hill and the mission base of the Brands in 2013.  

Photo courtesy of the last picture of the renovated tomb: Jayaprakash, Salem

Also, read more about Mother Brand  The Lily on Kolli Hills 

Coming shortly...

• The New Beginnings from where the Brands Left

How beautiful on the mountains

     are the feet of those who bring good news,

 who proclaim peace,

     who bring good tidings,

     who proclaim salvation,

 who says to Zion,

     “Your God reigns!     (Isaiah 52:7)  

Mission: Rural or Urban

Mission, Ministry, and Christian Witness:

 Rural or Urban

Inventions of technology led to industrial and agricultural revolutions, and it developed more cities and made life in the villages better, adding buses and cars on mud roads along with the bullock carts. It brought tractors to farms, refrigerators to kitchens, and typewriters to offices. Communication and information revolution further enhanced our learning, acquiring knowledge, and the ability to communicate and move distances in a short time. It brought in new devices, some stayed and others were replaced, changing our lives and cultures and impacting our work situations. People do migrate to places, cities, and countries for better jobs and life! 

 As technology advances and the economy continue to improve or collapse, rural and urban concepts continue to change. One’s 'urban' may be another’s 'rural' and vice versa. So what is the relevance of ‘urban mission’? The proponents of the ‘urban mission’ say mission in the Bible always started in the cities. Indeed, Babel was a city under construction. Sodom and Gomorrah were cities. Apostle Paul traveled and ministered in cities. Of course, Jesus preached in villages, towns, and the city! The person relieved of the legion of demons, went around sharing the gospel in Decapolis- i.e. ten cities. Were those ten cities bigger than Jericho or Jerusalem? So what’s the debate? Let us follow the models to witness and minister to the people around us. As individuals and churches, let us reach out to our neighbors with the love of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ in deed and word whether we live in a village, town, or city. 

(This is neither a biblical study on urban vs. rural missions nor an academic paper on the subject. This is not to challenge anyone towards ministry or mission but to discuss a few challenges around the topic.  This is a small random piece culled out from personal observations and real-life reflections on the topic with practical illustrations and special reference to Episcopal Church settings. So if it does not interest you, it’s here you can stop reading further. The word 'priest' is used also to mean pastor and presbyter).

 

The urban-rural divide

Automobiles work better in cities. A bus service has no difference as to its functioning whether city or village but works better on good roads. Cell phones and computers work well in urban places than in rural but it is now essential everywhere! Average common people know that everything does not work in the same way everywhere. Farming and rearing livestock are not feasible in the center of cities while a superstore is not a wise idea in a rural village. However, certain things work everywhere. The construction process of a house and the operation of a flour mill will not have many differences whether in a city or in a village. 

Christian’s witnessing in the neighborhood or at the workplace - Urban and Rural

People know what works better and how in each of their settings, so should be our mission! Being a witness and sharing the gospel is the responsibility of every Christian but the methods and styles followed by each may vary. Certain methods of ministries work differently in cities (urban) and villages (rural). Rural or urban, only those with a passion for sharing the gospel will share it wherever they are. People working in urban offices have different lifestyles and communication technologies and they will know how to communicate the gospel to their peers if only they want to. People with a deep desire for reaching out to a lost soul will always look for opportunities wherever they live. They know their situations and what methods work better in their contexts. So what matters is one's desire for witnessing and reaching out to others in word and deed.

THE MINISTRY OR MISSION OF A CONGREGATION/CHURCH

Now the focus here is not on workplace evangelism or the neighborhood witnessing by the members of a church but on the unified effort of a church or a congregation in its ministry of reaching people around to see most of those seekers coming into the congregation. In achieving this goal, the evangelists/missionaries/ priest of the congregation have important roles (whether they are full-timers or not). In the case of Episcopal churches, these roles are expected to be handled by the full-timers appointed for the purpose. 

For example, an evangelist should be a driving force in helping congregation members (or vice versa) to start neighborhood gatherings regularly to reach others. Depending on the scope, an evangelist can handle at least 5 areas gathering every week arranged by a church member or by a few of them at a location. He also will be able to participate in the cottage meetings of the church, if there are any, mostly happening for “fellowship”. Hardly any evangelism or mission happens through such cottage meetings.

A priest/pastor of the congregation will be able to build on the ministry of the evangelist or members by ministering to the seekers and visitors who come to the Church for meetings and worship. There may be several other methods relevant to each context.

Though it is the intended design, most congregations fail in reaching out effectively to the people outside. Often evangelists and priests assume the responsibility of managing the church by attending the regular programs of the church or visiting its members, making these means the end.

Since evangelism or witnessing among the communities around is often un-attempted by most congregations, it is constantly a topic for discussions and consultations at wider forums of the church, led by those who can practice it in some way and facilitated by the leadership. Those congregations, that are actively involved in the mission, will continue to strive to inspire and influence other passive congregations to follow their models. Some who get excited will talk about various scopes of outreach ministries but eventually will fail to see any initiatives moving forward until yet another consultation. What will be some of the reasons for this vicious cycle of inspiration-failure-inspiration?  

CHALLENGES

The most important problem in certain cases may be that we have the right people in the wrong places and the wrong people in the right places. Urban-originated churches know their people and they do their ministry and mission relevantly. Rural churches know their context and do well if they have a will. Non-denominational and autonomous churches in cities can do effectively what they want to do. But urban mission as a topic for discussion is mostly for Episcopal Churches because of its own identity crisis on its natures, formats, and layers of cultures within. The leadership of such churches will struggle to make choices between the old and the new or to have a combination of both. The result of trying to stitch the old and new together can tear the whole piece. 

Let us examine some common problems or felt needs we observe among Episcopal churches as to Christian witness and mission in single or multi-cultures. (The listed points are not exhaustive).

1. When a congregation meets, what do they pray together for?

I have observed, in most churches, that the intercessory prayers are around the health, wellness, and physical needs of the members, their relatives, or friends. Our physical needs are certainly prime without which we can not even pray for others. But if the specific spiritual needs of individuals are never our concern, the church has no ministry. Those who are in evangelism or ministry may share about the spiritual needs of the people they serve or work with. Even for churches that may have many mission fields, the field missions and the congregation may function in two compartments. If spiritual concerns of people from the neighborhood or mission fields are hardly heard in the intercessory prayers of a congregation, it is a critical sign to know if the Church has a mission. If Christian witness (evangelism) is the life breath of a church, testimonies of spiritual ministries and specific spiritual concerns of the needy people will be heard all the time in its gatherings.    

2. Does every congregation have a passion for ministry to its neighborhood?

It may start with an individual in the church but ultimately the church/congregation should own it up. It should be an initiative of a team and it should be the culture of the congregation. The congregation’s vision and mission should never be dependent on a “pastor” or a “priest” who comes on rotation for a limited period of a term. 

The committee members of a congregation may have different ideas. Some are for social work and charity. Some will be comfortable supporting anything but don’t want to be disturbed by new converts joining the congregation, spoiling culture and identity! Some may say, “We can have a separate congregation for them, they will be comfortable that way. They should not grow more than us that they will overtake us!”  (These are not assumptions but realities faced by several congregations, especially in bilingual situations or cities). 

3. The Church’s passion should be the mission and the intention right

Several Churches initiate mission activities to say that they have a mission field and to show that they are involved in cross-cultural missions. This is not to discount the mission of any churches that are doing good and great. To illustrate, I would briefly mention an interaction that I have had with a travel-mate over a while during the year 2004. He belonged to an Episcopal church’s local congregation in Kerala.

The congregation wanted to start a mission field in Madurai. 

“Can you guide us to locate a missionary?”

“How about supporting a mission organization in Kerala by adopting a missionary couple in a mission field?”

“No, we would like to have our mission field.”

“Ok why Madurai, why not a nearby place to you in Kerala?”

“It should be another language and place outside but close to Kerala. Madurai is not very far from Kerala, we can visit any time, or conduct mission tours!”

 (Maybe good for social distancing!)

“How much are you prepared to pay a salary for a missionary couple?”

“See, at Madurai, in Tamil Nadu, the cost of living will not be much. Maybe 2,000 Rupees will be fine.”

“Sir, you work at a University. Are you prepared to pay a missionary family at least a salary equal to the least of the last-grade employee in your University- a peon or a sweeper on your campus? If not, are you willing to take a month’s leave, go there and live for a month to see how much it can cost the living?

Needless to say, that was the end of our long conversations and possibly of that mission initiative too. 

 4. All evangelists and priests may not fit into every particular ministry/mission

Each one has a different passion; understanding of ministry and goals based on their upbringing, training, or a personal call. Studying in the same Bible College or seminary will not make everyone carry the same mission. (Many theological graduates and teachers pursue to land up in affluent countries and many who join Bible colleges carry those personal aspirations).

The pastor who comes on a transfer may have his own goals, styles, or agendas. He may have a ministry goal or aim to keep up the status quo. Even if he has a passion for ministry and witnessing outside of the church, he will be limited by many factors and fears. Some priests with mission fervor have reflected: “Why should I start something new and go away with none to attend?” 

Some priests also may have an agenda to start a mission field during their term. Many such mission fields had been started, closed down, or died off. The next priest who comes to the place may have some other plans or personal family preferences. There may be priests who will not be interested in house visiting, interpersonal communications, and outreaches. Such people should be rehabilitated to other secretarial ministries of the Church.

5. Posting and transfers of priests/evangelists/missionaries

The posting of mission personnel should be strictly according to the need of the context and the person’s flavor for witnessing or fervor for missions. Recruitment of personnel for the mission should be according to the real need and nature of the ministry. It is important to have the right persons for the place and postings to be discussed mutually. It should not be assumed that everyone can be effective in every kind of work and that everyone is teachable or trainable for every specific ministry. The mission and ministry of a congregation should be defined and not assumed, it should be understood well by the personnel. A congregation in a city with a scope and need for multilingual ministries should get such a priest with that enthusiasm and taste for learning new languages. For a congregation where youngsters are comfortable speaking Hindi, a person brought up in North India or fluent in Hindi will only be ideal. So similar is the case of city congregations where English is spoken at least by its youth and children. This does not discredit the fact that there are more cross-cultural missionaries to the northern part of India from the south. But a three-year term is too short a time for a pastor to make that effort. If the Congregation is aspiring to start some new mission initiative, only a priest prepared for that should be placed there. Placements and appointments should not be to motivate, reward, or reprove one. For continuity and consistency of the mission work, workers especially evangelists and missionaries should be placed in the long term and not be transferred from time to time without valid reasons. It may be OK for managers, secretaries, and accountants. To engage people on a post you can place them anywhere, but not for ministry and missions.  

6. Training in Missions or Ministry

Missionaries need Mission Training, not just Bible college degrees. The trainers should be missionaries who are practitioners and actively involved in ministry or mission. The cross-cultural mission needs relevant training or orientation by those who practically know it.

7.  A Church can have its own mission organization

More than a department or a board that posts officers on rotation, the church or its congregation can have autonomous mission organizations. To illustrate, CSI has several mission organizations. The Indian Missionary Society (IMS) is the first indigenous missionary movement in India started by the Tirunelveli Diocese in 1903 to minister to the most oppressed and downtrodden communities in the Tribal Belts of India. The Diocesan Missionary Prayer Band (DMPB) is a mission society started by the CSI Kanyakumari Diocese to reach the tribes on the hills and interiors of Tamil Nadu. Urban or rural, for mission initiatives you need the right people from the leaders to the team on the field who are equipped for it. 

8. Traditional worship liturgy

A church with a traditional ritual liturgy without openness to be adaptive to have a new worship form for its new believers befitting to their linguistic culture will struggle with its identity crisis and may not effectively attract seekers. It will not meaningfully engage with another people group. A seeker or a new believer from a different faith background will be confused to make the right choice of a church to join among many diverse denominations with a wide range of teachings and practices on the forms of worship and observation of sacraments. It will be a conflict among the leadership as to which form of worship to adapt to such a new situation. 

There seemed to be a myth among the Episcopal Church leaders (who believe or have to believe in the liturgy as a great infallible tool) ‘that worship without a liturgy is a chaos’ and ‘the service, a performance’. It is not so. Having order in worship is not necessarily a written liturgy to recite. Free worship is not just the property of Pentecostals. The Baptists, Brethren, and several older churches do have orderly worship without written liturgies to repeat. Given a chance a new believer will always be comfortable with a non-denominational form of worship rather than a written liturgy recited week after week. That’s the same reason for youngsters in Episcopal churches with too few forums for expression, being passive in the church if at all they remain there. 

Not to conclude but to sum up for more discussions...

Without a passion for witnessing and mission, a church only strives to manage and exist socially with the use of spiritual vocabularies and formats. In the case of congregational churches - democratic in nature, new initiatives of its mission should always be owned by the congregation. Their mission or witnessing around can be autonomous, not dependent on every pastor who comes and goes on an appointment. 

The posting of pastors, priests, and evangelists to mission churches and new stations should be well thought through. They should be posted to help the congregation grow and to assist the mission of the church among its communities if there are any. The traditional liturgy of a church can become a hindrance in welcoming new seekers and believers. The programs of a church, its content, communications, and the format of its worship should be ‘target-oriented rather than ‘sender’ oriented, be it urban or rural. 

(The writer of this post is open for comments and invites feedback; please feel free to comment in the comment section below)

Photos used for illustration: 1. Fishermen back at the harbor, Kasimedu, Chennai. 2,3. Men and women tend cattle and follow a particular time for grazing them.  It is a semi-urban town- Kandukur, in the Prakasam District of Andhra Pradesh. 

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