Hope International Ministry

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2012-02-17T00:44:00.000-08:00

HOPE INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY

NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2012

Charitable Work

1. We continue helping people in financial need. Currently we assist a number of families with children in purchasing groceries every month. In addition, we provide funds to people in medical emergencies, others in paying rent, repairing homes, etc.

Ministry Activities

Television Ministry. Soon after we returned to India, Lord sent the right people to us to produce and telecast Bible classes over cable television outlets; we have been doing this without interruption since 2005. Our program went on a Christian satellite television network and now the half-hour weekly television message in Malayalam is telecast all over Asia and parts of Europe and America on Powervision channel. Every week we get a number of calls from viewers in India and the Middle East whose spiritual needs are met and who request prayer for many needs. The Lord has helped us pay for the production charges and airtime so far, and we believe that He will supply the needs as long as He wants us to continue this ministry. The program can be viewed on http://www.powervisiontv.com/

Fellowship and Prayer Meetings. Every Thursday a few people gather under the leadership of Celia for intercessory prayer. The group intercedes for this local area and for various needs mentioned by our television viewers. We get many calls from people who report that their needs have been met as a result of these prayers. In addition, we conduct a worship and fellowship meeting every Sunday afternoon. People who attend different churches and some who have no regular churches come and listen to the word of God and are edified.

Travels. C.T. Luiskutty (Tom) and Celia traveled to different parts of Kerala State to preach and teach the Word of God. Also they had opportunity to minister in Bihar, Nepal, Malaysia and the U.S. in 2010. Recently they had the opportunity to minister in Goa. Both Tom and Celia have been burdened by the Lord to speak to believers about repentance and return to biblical holiness and integrity. Tom spent a week in Bihar in April and spoke in the graduation service of Nav Bharat Bible Institute.

Finances

The Lord has provided for all our needs so far. Most of the finances are provided by close personal friends, immediate family, and our personal resources. Because of IRS requirements, we would like to see the support basis broadened so that funds (even small amounts) will come from more individuals. U.S. contributions to Hope International Ministry are tax-deductible.

Personal

Thank you all for your prayers. Our health is in reasonably good condition, though Celia is on regular pain medication for back pain. Please continue to pray for our health, for the ministry, and for God’s guidance in everything we do.

Last summer we visited some family members and friends in different parts of the U.S.A. We plan to spend a few weeks in May-June in the United States, mainly visiting immediate family. If you would like us to visit you or minister in your place, please inform us early so that we can arrange our itinerary accordingly. Also we enjoyed and appreciated visits from family and friends living in India and abroad.

Let us continue to uphold one another in prayer.

In Christ’s service,

C.T. and Celiamma Luiskutty

Thought for the Time by C. T. Luiskutty

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His Own Special People

In the Old Testament, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Jewish people were called God’s chosen people or His own people. But the New Testament shows people from all different background are made God’s own special people. Apostle Paul refers to our Lord as “our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:13-14 ESV). Thus a great price has been paid by Jesus Christ to purchase us and make us His very own people. He redeemed us from all lawlessness and purified us to make us acceptable to Him. He had a purpose for doing this—we must be zealous of good works. Peter wrote: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9 NKJV). The purpose for making us “His own special people” is that we should proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Many people rejoice in the fact that Christ paid such a great price to give us such a wonderful position. But often we forget who we are when it comes to our responsibility in fulfilling His purpose for us.

Toward the end of Jesus’ earthly life different religious groups came to Him and asked various questions with the aim of entrapping Him. They were looking for statements from His mouth that can be used against Him in imminent trials. One such incident is given in Matthew 22: 15-22. Some disciples of the Pharisees approached Jesus and asked Him whether it was alright to pay taxes to Caesar. If Jesus answered “Yes”, it could offend the nationalistic Jews under the Roman rule; if his answer was “No”, it could be interpreted as treason. The Lord asked them to show Him a coin that was in circulation. Then He asks a question, “Whose image and inscription is this?" Then He added, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

There is a question and a command here. I believe we should apply this question to every one of us and then pay attention to the command. The question is “Whose image and inscription is on us?” We were made in the image of God (Gen 1:27). Because of sin, we lost that image to a great extent. But Jesus gave Himself for us to redeem us form sin and bring us in to His likeness (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18) so that we will be His very own. He purchased us to put His seal of ownership upon us (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:14). Are we thankful for what Christ has done? Are we fulfilling our role to conform to His image? (Romans 12:2) Then remember the command, “Render to God the things that are God's." Every Christian has a responsibility to give Himself completely to the service of the Master whose very own he is. This is the true test of Christian discipleship (Luke 9:23).

Update

2012-02-17T00:38:00.000-08:00

Our charitable work, TV ministry, weekly prayer meeting and Bible study are progressing well with the help of our Lord. We are seeking the Lord's guidance in certain aspects of the ministry, especially the weekly program on Powervision.

We were ministering in Goa recently and plan to travel to Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh next month. According to our present plans, we will be in the U.S. from May 11 till June 26. Please pray for us.

Contact Us

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Thank you for your continued support. Kindly mail any support funds to the following address:

Hope International Ministry
616 NW 193rd St.
Edmond, OK 73012, USA

Phone: 405 844-9191

You can also email us at:

Thank you for your support!

Our Mailing Address in India is:

Hope Ministry

Elampal, Punalur 691322

Kerala, India

Telephone number (91) 475-222 1413

Charitable Work

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As we help the least of His creation for His sake, we are doing it for Him (Jesus). In a country like India, one cannot manifest the love of Christ without involvement in social action. We do help people according to our means and any support is appreciated.

We render financial assistance for

* Providing medical help for the sick
* Building or repairing residences
* Sending children to school or for vocational training
* Buying groceries for families with children
* Other urgent needs

FINANCES
The feeding program and assistance for education, housing, medical treatment, etc. continue as in the previous years. A small house can be built for $2500-$3000. If anybody would like to bless a family with a safe shelter, please contact us.
The living expenses of the Luiskutty family are met with their own funds. Any financial support given will be used for the ministry. If any friends would like to be a sponsor of any of the projects, please e-mail at hopeministry1@gmail.com

Hope International Ministry is a corporation set up for this purpose. Any contributions are tax-deductible.

Mission Statement

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Jesus, the proclaimer of the good news of the Kingdom of God healed, fed and brought comfort to the people in need. Before His ascension to Heaven he empowered His disciples to continue this mission. The mission of Hope International Ministry is to preach and teach the Word of God and communicate the love of Jesus Christ through tangible means.

Hope International Ministry was incorporated in Oklahoma in 2003 and has received tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service. The purpose of the corporation is to assist evangelistic, charitable and educational work in India. Dr. Thomas Luiskutty serves as its president.

Evangelism and Church Planting

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An opportunity to witness at Kanyakumari
(Southern tip of India)

While in India, Tom preaches and conducts short courses at New India Bible Seminary and other Bible colleges, preaches in churches and conferences, conducts seminars for ministers and lay people and preaches in evangelistic meetings. Every year he travels to town and villages in various parts of India preaching the message of hope through Jesus Christ. His love for the native missionaries is evident as he spends time with them in the field and recruits believers to become intercessory prayer warriors on their behalf.

Goa Seminar

Recently we conducted a one-day seminar on Spiritual Formation in Goa. About 100 pastors and church members actively participated in this seminar. Also We had the opportunity to conduct pastors seminars and Bible classes on Spiritual Growth and family seminars at various places in Kerala.

Family Seminar at Iritty (Kannur)

The weekly prayer meetings on Sunday afternoons are a blessing to those who participate in them regularly. The Word of God is ministered in addition to the worship of our Almighty God in songs and prayer. The Thursday morning meetings are dedicated for intercession for those who attend and those who call us after watching the Hour of Hope TV program.

The Hour of Hope

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The Luiskuttys present a weekly television program on the Christian channel, PowerVision. The half-an-hour Bible study in Malayalam, called the HOUR OF HOPE [link to our Youtube Channel]

is telecast every Sunday at 9 p.m. (Indian Time). Currently the telecast is seen on cable systems or using satellite dishes in all the countries of Asia, Europe, Australia and America. The telecasts can be viewed on the internet at http://www.powervisiontv.com

The television gives us an opportunity to reach the Indian diaspora everywhere in the world, even in countries that are closed to missionaries. We believe that God is leading us in this venture and our aim is to teach lessons that will bring people to a knowledge of Christ and to spiritual growth. Our recent topics included This Great Salvation (14 episodes) and Spiritual Formation (15 episodes). These messages are available on CD in MP3 format.

The ministry is very effective as we get a number of calls from viewers in India and the Middle East. We have been able to build a relationship with those who respond as we write to/call them periodically. In addition to our personal prayers, the prayer meetings we conduct twice a week intercede for their needs. We appreciate your continued prayers so that many people will realize the saving and delivering power of Jesus Christ in their lives. The weekly expense for the production and airtime is almost $300 and increasing periodically. If you would like to receive Audio or Video CDs of "The Hour of Hope" program, please contact us through our Contact Page and specify the date of broadcast or topic that you want.

History & Background

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HISTORY

Hope International Ministry is an outgrowth of the evangelistic effort undertaken by Dr. Thomas Luiskutty even from his teenage years. As a student in schools and college, he was active in ministry. While residing in the U.S.A. he got involved in different types of the ministries of his church. Also for many years he ministered in the Indian community in North America, challenging them to live a life which will honor God in all ways. Also during his occasional trips to India, he ministered in various churches and conferences in his native state of Kerala.

Luiskutty’s missionary efforts began in 1987 with his trips to Rajasthan, Delhi, and Kashmir. He ministered in different meetings and discovered the need for encouraging the missionaries through personal involvement. He continued his mission involvement as he undertook short term trips to various parts of India since 1995. Since then he has ministered in almost every state of India and also some parts of Nepal.

Intercessors for India was established in 2000 with Pastor Sunny Mathew as the co-ordinator. Under the leadership of Sunny Mathew, Evangelist Saju Mathew and Luiskutty, dozens of seminars have been conducted in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Bangalore, and Mumbai. In these seminars, believers have been taught on the subject of prayer with emphasis on intercessory prayer on behalf of missionaries. About 2000 people have so far signed up to engage in intercessory prayer on behalf of missionaries. Many of them send letters of encouragement to the missionary for whom they pray. In some places, the intercessors assemble together periodically for corporate prayer.

Hope International Ministry was incorporated in Oklahoma in 2003 and has received tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service. The purpose of the corporation is to assist evangelistic, charitable and educational work of Dr. Thomas Luiskutty in India.

Hope Charitable Trust is a trust registered with the Kerala government in 2004. The purpose of the trust is to provide assistance to people in great need. The work Thomas and Celia Luiskutty have been doing for many years is now brought under the umbrella of Hope Charitable Trust. They ran a home for girls from 2004 and 1010 and have been providing groceries to some needy families with small children since 2002. In addition, many people are given assistance in building and repairing their homes, paying medical bills, getting their daughters married, etc.

NIBS Graduation 2012

Luiskutty served as the principal of New India Bible seminary from 2002 to 2009 and continues to teach some courses there and in other Bible colleges occasionally.

BACKGROUND

C. Thomas Luiskutty was born in a Christian home in Kerala and was brought up in a spiritual atmosphere. As a teenager he was active in Sunday school, youth meetings, and church. He has been a preacher since those days.

He received his education in the schools of Kerala and St. Berchmans’ College, Changansery. After receiving a B.S. degree in Physics, he taught briefly at his alma mater and then worked as a scientific assistant at Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC). During this period, he married Celia and then went back to St. Berchmans’ College from where he earned a Master’s degree in Physics in 1969. After a brief term of teaching at St. John’s College, Anchal and undergoing scientific officer’s training at BARC, Luiskutty secured admission to the graduate school at the University of Louisville, Kentucky from where he received a Ph.D. degree in Physics in 1974.

Dr. Luiskutty served as an adjunct professor at the University of Louisville and Jefferson Community College. For six years he served as the principal and administrator of Evangel Schools in Louisville. He started his career at Oral Roberts University in 1980. He served as the chair of the Engineering and Physics Department from 1987 till 1999. He continued to serve as a professor of Physics and Engineering until 2005 at which time he resigned his position to be on the mission field in India full-time. He was honored by Oral Roberts University by awarding him the Professor Emeritus status.

He has published and presented numerous papers in research areas related to physics, engineering, and science and engineering education. In addition, he has written scores of articles for Christian magazines. He published Christian Ethics in 1987 and the following books in Malayalam: What Is Pentecost (1997), Faith, Faithfulness and Credibility (2005) and A New Look at Pentecost (2010). Also he has contributed chapters in English and Malayalam books.

Celia Luiskutty was born in a family of rich spiritual heritage. After two years of college, she married Thomas and now they are the parents of three children and grandparents of seven. She accompanied her husband to the U.S. in 1970. She travels to mission fields with her husband and speaks occasionally. She started active involvement in charitable work and community service in 2001. Now she assists many people through Hope Charitable Trust. When people come with requests for assistance, she often visits their homes and prays with them. Her desire is to reflect Jesus’ love and compassion to those people who do not know Him.