A periodic Letter to my Friends / 28 October 2009 A Periodic Letter to my friends 28 October 2009

To my Friends...
Beloved,
Grace and peace to you thro’ Christ Jesus!

I feel so bad that I’ve not sent this periodical Newsletter for about six months now. As most of you know, I was rather too busy with my Bible Teaching ministry inland and overseas. I thank everyone of you who uphold me in your regular prayers on the basis of the SMS messages sent then and there about my programmes. If you send your mobile number to Brother Ruso, Madurai (98423 68424) or Brother Ezekiel, Chennai (94444 47744), you will also receive one or two sentence messages of my programmes instantly. Every minute you spend for me on your knees will be gains to the Kingdom of God.

On the basis of the promise the Lord gave in October 1970, namely “There shall be Showers of Blessing,” with the fellowship of a few brothers, as per the Lord’s leading, I founded the Blessing Youth Mission (BYM) in 1971. After fulfilling the ministerial and leadership responsibilities of this Mission for 33 years, 1971-2003, I retired in 2003. It was a retirement from an organisation only; but the ministerial load has only increased! Where is retirement in God’s work? After my open heart surgery in 1996, I am surprised how I am able to take up so much of journeying and work in this 13th year!

It’s grace hath brought me safe thus far;
And grace will lead me Home!

As I was sharing in a family chat about the fast-expanding ministry, our 37-year old daughter Evangeline suddenly asked me, “Dad, shall I resign my job and join you to help you?” It was to me like bolt from the blue. I replied her, “The love between the father and the daughter is one thing; but the guidance of the Lord is quite another. Wait on the Lord for atleast three months. I shall also enquire of the Lord. If both of us get the leading, we will consider this matter.” When, in course of time, the leading of the Lord became clear to both of us, she resigned her job from the Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, where she worked for seven years as a Psychologist, and she has joined me to assist in my post-retirement Bible Teaching ministry known as StanleyOnBible. Besides helping me, she would continue her Counseling ministry under the name, Better Everyday Counseling. Being trained as a Christian Counselor in England for two years, 1993-1995, Evangeline worked in the Blessing Youth Mission as a Missionary Counselor for six years, 1996-2002. After marriage she was working in the CMC for the last seven years. The family background, ministerial training and experiences, which she has had over the years, have become handy for her Counseling ministry today. Enclosed please find a brochure about her ministry. Do contact her at 98430 11943 for your psychological problems. After talking to you, if she feels that you need clinical psychiatric help as well, she would duly connect you to the doctors in CMC, Vellore. Please read the brochure for the other details. The Bible-based psychological counseling has become an absolute necessity for several individuals, families and ministers of God. Take advantage of this facility. If the snake is small, a small stick is good enough to kill it!

The Sound Doctrine Telecast which was launched on 20 November last year is glorifying God and exalting His Word. This programme that’s telecast on Thursdays, 9.30 to 10 pm, is opening the eyes of many all over the world to see the things of God more clearly. So far I have presented 50 lessons, one lesson per Telecast, on the topics of How not to Pray, How not to Meditate, How not to Give, How not to Worship and How not to Battle. These Talks, English to Tamil, are released as DVDs then and there. As we were burdened to bring these enlightening Talks in bookform also, our daughter is working on it. The 10 Talks of the first topic, How not to Pray, is now available in English as a book of 72 pages. It’s getting ready in Tamil also. The cost of one copy is Rs. 10/- only. Buy in quantities to distribute to Christians in order to spread sound doctrine against the floods of false doctrine. Each one of you can buy atleast 10 copies for your friends. Without including the other expenses the printing cost alone is Rs. 7.50. If the Lord prompts you to help in the printing of the other titles in this Series, you are welcome to send me your contributions. The printing cost for 1000 copies is Rs. 7500/- only. Besides English and Tamil, we are desirous of bringing out these titles in the other vernaculars also. Help!

We never thought that the 432-page daily devotional, Better Everyday, prepared so quietly and humbly in 2004, would be used of the Lord so extensively. So far, 12 editions in English, 12 in Tamil, and several editions in Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Oriya have come out. The Bengali edition rolled off the press last month. We are planning to distribute it not only in West Bengal but also in Bangladesh. The Marathi edition will be released in a month or two. The Gujarathi edition is in the final stage of editing. We fall prostrate before the Lord who has enabled us to bring out this book in 10 languages in six years’ time! I’m reminded of a specific promise the Lord gave me in 1963 while I was in the College: Zechariah 8:23, “Thus says the Lord of Hosts: In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of Jewish man, saying let’s go with you; for we have heard that God is with you!”

The Lord is burdening us next to make this daily devotional available in the Chinese language. We have started to contact the translators in China. The fast-growing Church in China needs this supply of sound doctrine daily. Otherwise they will be washed off by the sweeping floods of false doctrines. Let each copy of Better Everyday in Chinese go as a missionary from India to China. This work is not easy. But is there anything too hard for the Lord?

November and December being the last months of the year, a few of our friends have decided to sell Better Everyday in Tamil house to house. Brother Johnson of Theni is coordinating this programme. We have prepared a special edition for this, reducing just the length and breadth of the book by less than 1 cm all round. Otherwise the number of pages and the quality of paper are just the same. As against the price of Rs. 200/- per copy of the regular edition this promotional edition is sold for Rs. 100/- only. Just half the price! Join this campaign with a determination not to leave a single Christian home. 20% discount for 10 copies and more; 25% for over 25 copies. For your requirements, please contact Brother Johnson, Theni (94430 62266) or Brother Sathiyarajan, Sivakasi (94433 52378). If possible, we will bring out this promotional edition in English also.

The daily devotions of Better Everyday are also available online. If you register your e-mail id on my website (stanleyonbible.com), the daily messages will reach you each morning. Introduce this facility to your friends also. We are doing all that’s possible for us to reach people with the truth of God’s Word. If a particular day’s devotional appeals to you very much, you can also forward it to your friends.

As most of you know, the daily devotional book, Better Everyday is of materials picked out from what I’ve written since 1968. More than half is still remaining. Preparations have started to construct these materials also as daily devotionals for another book titled, Brighter Everyday, with 432 pages. Twelve brothers and sisters are involved in this work. Pray fervently for them. God willing, this book will be ready by November 2010. As God is using “Better Everyday” much more than what we ever imagined, let Him do so and even more with “Brighter Everyday” also. May the hand of God be on this endeavour to sanctify, edify and equip His people all over the world.

Praise God for the Study Bibles that have been published so far. Some of them are by Bible Scholars as “individuals.” The Scofield Reference Bible, Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible, Ryrie Study Bible and MacArthur Study Bible belong to this category. The other category is of Study Bibles prepared by “groups” of Bible Scholars. The Study Notes of groups of Bible Scholars representing various nations and denominations are always safer than views and opinions of individuals, isn’t it? The outstanding Study Bibles in this second category have been NIV Study Bible (Zondervan Publishers) and NKJV Study Bible (Nelson Publishers). The latest one in this category, known as the ESV Study Bible (English Standard Version), published in 2008, has excelled the above two! It contains more of solid study notes and devotional stuff. Do buy one for you! A superb creation! Another outstanding feature of this ESV Study Bible is that with an exclusive number that appears on each copy, you can bring this entire Bible online in your laptop. Another person cannot use this number. Not only that, as and when the ESV Study Bible Committee updates the notes, the same will come to you free online. The Bible Society of India in distributing this Bible on a large scale. This was earlier sold for Rs. 2000/-. Now you get it for Rs. 700/- to Rs.1000/-. You can make your purchase directly from the Bible Society of India. If you want to get it from me, please send Rs.1000/- plus Rs.100/- for forwarding. An unusual Study Bible indeed! The ESV is a word-for-word translation, quite reliable.

Don’t buy immediately whatever Study Bible or Study Aids you see in a Bookshop. Several Indian Christian Booksellers are known for importing materials, from America and other countries, which are cleared with huge discounts because they are not in demand. Not all Study Aids are safe. Before purchasing any Study Aid, do consult a mature Bible Teacher who has been teaching Sound Doctrine all along. If you don’t get such a person to help you where you are, I’m ready to help you in whatever way I can. This is a service I’ve been doing for over 30 years. Whenever a Study Bible or Study Aid is released anywhere in the world, I immediately pick up a copy to browse through it. This is something I enjoy doing. Otherwise how can I identify safe and standard materials and recommend them to people? This is why I can unapologetically say that the missionaries of the Blessing Youth Mission on the average will always possess more standard Bible Study aids than the staff of other missionary organisations.

Parents, whether or not you save money for your children, do buy for them good Study Bibles and Study Aids. This alone is nonperishable treasure!

Pastors, introduce to your congregational members safe Study Bibles, Bible Dictionaries, Concordances, Bible Commentaries and Bible Encyclopedia; help them buy these; teach them how to use these materials. Only then you will be able to raise good nextline leadership for the Church.

People of God, you yourselves approach and ask your pastor, “Pastor, which are the Study Aids you use? Which are all good for us?” If he answers, “I don’t use all these Study Aids; I get everything directly from Heaven,” either he is bluffing, or you will not grow sufficiently in his pastorate. Only to Paul the “revelations” concerning the basic doctrines will come directly (Gal 1:11-17). All of us as the next leaders and believers are only Timothys and Tituses. We are to pass on to others only what Paul has passed on to us (2 Tim 2:2).

In my last Newsletter of April 7, I had requested your prayers for my programmes of April-May-June. In the Tamilnadu Christian Police Fellowship meet at Palayamkottai on the 12th April, there were about 500 policemen with their families. It was really encouraging to see so many believers in the Police department. I was reminded of what the Policemen of those days, with spiritual hunger and thirst, asked John the Baptist, “What must we do?” (Lk 3:14). The youth programme in Trivandrum, April 25-29, was organised by the Pentecostal Young People Association (PYPA) which is the youth wing of the Indian Pentecostal Church (IPC). I was greatly encouraged when the senior Pastors told me that those were the kind of Bible Talks that their youngsters needed to listen.

In the Faithful Life Camp of the Blessing Youth Mission in Danishpet, 8-10 May, the Lord enabled me to deliver three main Talks titled, Faithfulness of God, Paul & Faithfulness and Faithfulness in Witnessing. These talks in DVDs will be released in course of time. In the Sound Doctrine Seminar, Hubli, 27-29 May, almost all the local Pastors participated and gave full support. It was an eyeopening experience for the 350 delegates. The meetings in Dublin, Ireland, 5-14 June, were a means of edification for various Churches. Several of the Nigerian Christian Community settled here were greatly encouraged. God willing, we would have a programme next year exclusively for these black friends. There has always been a burden in my heart from my student days for the African Continent. I seek your intercessory help for this endeavour.

In July 9-11, I addressed the combined gathering of seven Methodist Churches in Singapore. The Pastors are lamenting, “Only shouting and shaking has increased in our meetings, but where is solid Bible Teaching?” The devil is quite satisfied with anything that takes the place of God’s Word! In the meetings in Chicago, Aug 28-Sept 2, the Name of the Lord was extolled and the Word of the Lord exalted (Psa 138:2b).

Last year I addressed the Regional Convention of the Gideons International in Chennai. The message I delivered there has already been released in DVD titled, How to be Bountiful in God’s Work. This year, in Sept 11-12, I preached in their National Convention in Vijayawada. The Lord then enabled me to preach in various Churches for revival, in Brunei, from the 15th to the 28th. The King of Brunei, supposed to be the richest man in the world, along with the natives, treat the expatriats with respect whichever nation they might belong to. This is not so in the Arab countries of the Middle East.

This month from the 7th to the 11th, I addressed the Pastors of the Indian Pentecostal Church, Northern Region, in New Delhi. Over 300 Pastors had come from 14 States. “Please come often to speak to us,” was the repeated request of these Pastors to me. The Enemy’s strategy has always been, “Strike the shepherd; the sheep will be scattered” (Zech 13:7b). Apostle Paul spent sufficient time with the Shepherds of various congregations. For example, with the Shepherds of Ephesus alone he spent three full years (Acts 20:17,27-31). If the Pastors are not frequently ministered to like this, their growth also will be stunted. After all, the shepherds are also sheep! The moment we talk about a Pastors Conference, we must not immediately think of inviting a preacher from the West. Such preachers, because of their affluence, may pay for the travel, boarding and lodging of the delegates, and gift a shoulder bag to each of them! But they are no match for the seasoned Indian Christian leaders who have had rich experiences of labouring in various States of India in diverse cultural situations. As long as we believe the lie that all that’s from the West is the best, the ministries of our Churches and para-church organisations will only be limping!

I was there in Bahrain this month from the 21st to preach in the weekend meetings organised by five Churches over there. Two other Churches also cancelled their meetings and joined this programme. I returned just yesterday after a fruitful ministry. It was comforting to find that there are still many Berean-like Christians in this country, and not just the Thessalonian type! (Acts 17:11).

Programmes of November—

6-8
Hubli, Karnataka
11
Bangalore
17,18
Cuttack, Orissa
20-22
Kharagpur, West Bengal

That’s all as my outstation programmes for the year. December is for my family! May the good Lord who has begun a good work in you continue doing it to bring it to perfection till the Day of Christ!


Better Everyday Counseling


The Better Everyday Counseling is the ministry of Evangeline Jonas, a Christian Psychologist, dedicated to those in need of professional help to handle psychological problems, and to train mature Christian believers to be barefoot Counselors.

Mrs. Evangeline Jonas is the daughter of Dr. R. Stanley, a widely known Indian Bible Teacher, formerly a Building Engineer, and Dr. Lilian Stanley, a Paediatrician turned Medical Missionary.

After her graduation from the Women’s Christian College, Chennai, in 1993, Evangeline underwent a 2-year (1993-1995) advanced training in the UK, with Youth With A Mission (YWAM), leading to her Diploma in Christian Counseling. On return she joined the Blessing Youth Mission (BYM) as a fulltime staff and worked for 6 years as a Missionary Counselor. The BYM, a nationwide Revival-cum-Missionary movement, was founded by her Dad in 1971. She then joined the Christian Medical College & Hospital in 2002 and worked till 2009 as a Lecturer in Psychology. She holds a Master’s degree in Psychology. Now in 2009, with her 13 years of experience in Biblical and Clinical Counseling, she has launched this ministry as a freelance Counselor. She has the covering of her experienced and mature parents whose ministry in pulpit and print has impacted thousands around the world.

Evangeline offers help in the areas of Abuse, Addiction, Adolescence Issues, Anger, Anxiety, Crises, Depression, Grief, Identity Issues, Marital and Parental Guidance, Mental Disorders, Premarital Issues, Relationship Problems, Singleness, etc. Strict confidentiality is maintained.

Besides counseling individuals on the above issues, Evangeline is also available to conduct Counseling Classes, Seminars and Group Therapy. Missions and Churches would benefit from her experience in the Mission set-up working with fulltime Christian workers. She can connect cases to Psychiatrists where further clinical help is necessary.

Evangeline’s ministry is so named after her Dad’s world-renowned daily devotional, BETTER EVERYDAY. She also assists him in his post-retirement ministry known as StanleyOnBible. She lives in Vellore with her husband and their little daughter.

The Better Everyday Counseling is a non-profit Service to people of all faiths. A nominal fee is collected from counselees towards maintenance costs. Voluntary contributions accepted.

Contact Address for appointment and other details—
Evangeline Jonas
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
Tel: 00 91 98430 11943
<Evangeline@StanleyOnBible.com>