Archives For Discipleship

Behold the Wondrous Mercy of Our God!

September 2, 2013

King Ahab was a uniquely wicked man (1 Kin. 21:25) whose wickedness so provoked God that He pronounced fierce judgment upon him and his entire house (1 Kin. 21:21-22). Ahab responded to the message of his impending doom in a remarkably humble way that elicited a response from God that highlights His wondrous mercy!

The Unique Wickedness of Ahab

When Ahab murdered Naboth and took possession of his vineyard (1 Kin. 21:1-16), God commanded Elijah to go and confront him with his sinfulness (1 Kin. 21:17-18). The Lord instructed Elijah about what he was to say to the king:

1Ki 21:19 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.

Because Ahab wickedly had Naboth killed, God sentenced him to experience the same fate that Naboth had experienced—the dogs would lick his blood in the very place where they had licked Naboth’s blood.

Ahab responded to Elijah with a question that revealed that he viewed Elijah as his enemy: And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? (1 Kin. 21:20a). Elijah answered him by declaring further the fierce judgment that he and his entire household would experience because of his wickedness and the wickedness of his wife Jezebel:

20 And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.

21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,

 22 And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.

 23 And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.

 24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.

The writer of First Kings then adds two statements that declare the unique wickedness of Ahab:

 25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

 26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

Ahab had sold himself to do wickedness in a unique way, including his murdering Naboth and his being an exceedingly abominable idolater in the sight of the Lord.

The Remarkably Humble Response of Ahab to God’s Pronouncement of His Doom

Hearing of the fierce judgment that God had pronounced upon him for his wickedness, Ahab responded by remarkably humbling himself publicly before God:

1Ki 21:27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

This statement shows that Ahab’s response was not just a momentary response—he abased himself openly for an extended period.

The Wondrously Merciful Response of God to Ahab’s Humbling Himself 

When Ahab responded in such a remarkably humble way, God underscored to Elijah his humility and made known that He would have mercy on him:

1Ki 21:28 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

 29 Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.

God declared that he would not bring His judgment upon Ahab in his days. Ahab’s house, however, eventually would be judged because they would end up not humbling themselves before God, as Ahab did.

Even though Ahab had been so horrifically wicked before God, God bestowed mercy upon him when he humbled himself before Him!

No matter what evil you may have done in your life, you can still receive wondrous mercy from God by truly repenting of your sins and humbling yourself openly before Him (cf. Isa. 55:6-7)! Our God is a God who delights in mercy (Micah 7:18). He has provided the account of His having mercy on Ahab so that you might behold His wondrous mercy and flee from His wrath that is coming on all sinners who do not repent toward Him and believe in His Son Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21).

Behold the wondrous mercy of our God!

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Exhortation, Exposition
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A Vital Matter for Prayer!

August 28, 2013

Scripture provides us with a vast amount of information about God’s mind concerning the prayer lives of His people. We are given that information in many ways, including commands, examples, and parables.

Reading 1 Chronicles 12 this morning, I was struck by a statement that suggested to me something about which I should pray for, both for myself and for God’s people as a whole. Although this statement does not say anything directly about prayer, it seemed that the Spirit highlighted this matter to me as I read the passage.

At Ziklag, God provided King David with numerous supporters who came “to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God” (1 Chr. 12:22). At Hebron, additional supporters came to him “to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the Lord” (1 Chr. 12:23).

Among the people who gathered to David at this time were more than 200 men from Issachar who served a vital function in his army:

1Ch 12:32 And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.

In some unspecified manner, these men understood their times in a way that distinguished them in that regard from all the other supporters of David. Their distinctive understanding equipped them to know what the Israelites should do in view of their present circumstances.

The Church of Jesus Christ has a great need for such men in our day. Given the perilous nature of our time (cf. 2 Tim. 3:1-17), we desperately need to have men who understand our times so that they know what God’s people should do!

Sensing an urgent necessity also for me to have more of such understanding and knowledge in my own life, I believe that God would now have me to pray specifically for such understanding and knowledge, both for myself and for all His people throughout the world. I look forward to how He will answer my prayers (cf. James 1:5-8) about this vital matter!

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Discipleship, Prayer, Testimony
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The Horrific Legacy of Jeroboam

August 23, 2013

Jeroboam was an evil king of Israel whose evil influence on Israel was so horrific that Scripture records 19 times that he made Israel to sin:

1Ki 14:16 And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.

1Ki 15:26 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.

30 Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger.

34 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.

1Ki 16:26 For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.

1Ki 22:52 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin:

2Ki 3:3 Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.

2Ki 10:29 Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan.

31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.

2Ki 13:2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.

6 Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove also in Samaria.

11 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin: but he walked therein.

2Ki 14:24 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

2Ki 15:9 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

18 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

24 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

28 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

2Ki 17:21 For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin.

2Ki 23:15 Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burned the grove.

Moreover, these Scripture passages show that his sinful influence continued to defile God’s people for many years after he was dead and gone! His horrific legacy should warn all of us to take heed to ourselves that we do not influence others knowingly for any reason to do evil.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Exhortation
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Guitar Music and Audio for “Santo, Santo, Santo”

August 20, 2013

Santo, Santo, Santo is a classic Spanish hymn. This PDF provides the first stanza, melody notes, and guitar chords for the song, and this audio MP3 file provides the melody so that you can practice both the melody and the chords while listening to the melody!

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Guitar Music, Spanish
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Spanish Evangelism Testimony 8.17.13

August 17, 2013

One of my Spanish guitar students and I witnessed for 1 ½ hours today to a family from Honduras. Mrs. C was very friendly and invited us in as soon as we walked up to the fence around their home. Her husband briefly greeted us before we entered the home but did not come in at all to talk with us.

Mrs. C shared how she has had a number of bad experiences with churches and professing Christians in the past. She bitterly decried the hypocrisy of some of the Christians that she has known.

My evangelism partner did most of the talking because he is a native Spanish speaker. He repeatedly tried to steer the conversation away from her complaints about the Christians that she has known but she would keep coming back to them.

As their conversation continued, I was able to understand that she was very upset with what she has seen of Christianity in the past. Sensing that we needed to give her some Scripture that would challenge her about her own need, I asked my partner to read the parable of the Pharisee and the publican to her.

As he led her through the parable and then explained its application to her, there was a marked change in her interaction with us. God used His Word to challenge her about her own sinfulness!

My partner was able to explain to her how Christ was the propitiation for our sins, which was shocking to her. Apparently, she had never heard anyone explain that glorious truth to her before our visit with her.

While my partner continued to witness to her, I was able to witness in English to her 11-year old daughter Y. Her daughter attends church fairly regularly and seems to be a believer.

I was able to help her think clearly about what God has done for her so that her sins have been forgiven through her faith in Jesus. I also helped her think through the main truths of John 3:16 and challenged her briefly about going on with the Lord as a believer.

Before we left, we prayed with both of them about a special need that they have in their family. We are very thankful to have had this excellent witnessing opportunity this morning!

As the Lord brings it to mind, please pray for the salvation of Mr. and Mrs. C.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Evangelism, Spanish, Testimony
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Lo que Dios me está enseñando en estos días*

August 16, 2013

1. Dios me está enseñando a rechazar el pensamiento corrupto que estoy tan propensos.

2. Dios me está enseñando a valorar Su amor por mí supremamente.

3. Dios me está enseñando a los inmensos peligros espirituales que el mundo plantea a un creyente.

4. Dios me está enseñando que Su fidelidad a mí es lo que tengo que descansar para hacer frente a una gran decepción de una manera que le agrada.

5. Dios me está enseñando que Él realmente sabe lo que es mejor para mí en todos los aspectos de mi vida, así que, he de dar de todo corazón a Su plan perfecto para mi vida.

¿Qué le está enseñando Dios en estos días?

* Produje estas frases con el uso de Google Translate  y mi diccionario Español-Inglés.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Discipleship, Spanish, Testimony
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A Fascinating Account of God’s Working in Human Lives That Should Lead Us to Trust Him in All Our Ways

August 11, 2013

First Samuel 9 presents the account of Saul’s searching for his father’s donkeys that were lost. In a fascinating way, this account reveals God’s working in human lives to bring about His purposes.

Kish Sends His Son and A Servant to Look for His Donkeys

Kish was a prominent man in Benjamin (1 Sam. 9:1) whose son Saul was both the most handsome person in Israel and the tallest (1 Sam. 9:2). When Kish’s donkeys were lost, he sent Saul and one of his servants to seek them (1 Sam. 9:3).

Unable to find them after a lengthy search, Saul spoke to his servant to return to his father so that his father would not become concerned about Saul and his servant instead of the lost donkeys (1 Sam. 9:4-5). Because they were in the land of Zuph and the servant knew that there was a man of God there, he convinced Saul instead to go to the prophet to seek counsel from him about the way that they should go (1 Sam. 9:6-10).

Saul and the Servant Meet Samuel

As they were going to the city to seek out the prophet, they encountered some young women who directed them about where they should go to meet him (1 Sam. 9:11-13). As they were following their directions, Samuel, the prophet, met them because he was going to the same place that the women had directed them to go meet him (1 Sam. 9:14).

Remarkable Information about God’s Working

The next verses in First Samuel 9 record what God had informed Samuel about on the day prior to this meeting with Saul:

1Sa 9:15 Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,

 16 To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me [bold added].

These verses show that God had told Samuel that He would send him tomorrow around the very time of their meeting a man out of Benjamin to anoint as the captain over His people who would deliver them.

When we read, however, the earlier verses in the chapter, we do not find any indication that God spoke to either Saul or the servant to go to the prophet. Nor do we find any indication of His directing them to do so through any means of which they were aware.

Without the information in First Samuel 9:16, we would not have known even to think that it was God who sent Saul to Samuel through the events that took place. In a fascinating way, this passage thus teaches us about God’s working in human lives to direct them to His ends without their having any direct communication from Him about what He wants them to do.

It also illustrates how God uses circumstances and people in our lives to bring us together with other people for His purposes and does so in inscrutable ways that we should not regard as luck, chance, or coincidence.

This account should encourage us to trust God to work in our lives in ways that are “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20), just as He did for Kish, Saul, and his servant, who all had no idea of what God was going to do through Kish’s sending them to look for his lost donkeys!

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Discipleship, Exposition, Theology
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Five Great Ways to Use the Guitar to Accompany Other Musicians

August 9, 2013

Highly skilled guitarists are able to play wonderful solos that are very suitable for preludes, offerings, and other forms of special music in church services. For many reasons, most Christian guitarists, however, will never attain the high levels of skill and musicianship necessary to glorify God with the skillful playing of guitar solos.

By contrast, many people who will never be great soloists can still become highly competent accompanists by learning the following five great ways to use the guitar to accompany others:

Strumming and Picking

Strumming and picking are the two primary ways that the guitar has been used historically to accompany other musicians. The vast array of strumming and picking patterns available to skilled guitarists makes these accompaniment styles two great ways that the guitarist can complement other musicians nicely.

My friend Daniel Hendrix and I have recorded a video Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” that displays the use of the guitar to accompany another musician with these two accompaniment styles. In this video, I strum the chords the first and the third times that we play the piece and pick them on the second time.

In addition to strumming and picking, there are three other great ways to use the guitar to accompany other musicians. Developing skill in these other accompaniment styles makes a Christian guitarist far more capable of richly enhancing the musical ministry of both vocalists and other Christian instrumentalists.

Playing a Single Harmony Part

Most guitarists learn to read notes from the treble clef and play them an octave lower than they are played and sung by other musicians. By learning to read both bass and treble clefs and to play the notes at the same pitches that they are played and sung by other musicians, a guitarist can accompany others very nicely.

I often use this accompaniment style with my students. For example, I often play the tenor part of a hymn while they play the melody.

Playing Multiple Harmony Parts at the Same Time

Another benefit of learning to play from both clefs is having the ability to play multiple harmony parts at the same time. This accompaniment style provides a guitarist with another rich way to accompany a vocalist or another instrumentalist.

For example, the guitarist can strum on stanza one of a hymn, play multiple harmony parts on stanza two, and then pick on stanza three. I often accompany my students in their lessons by playing both the bass and tenor parts while they play the melody.

Playing the Melody and One or More Harmony Parts at the Same Time

Another useful variation is to play the melody and the alto part of a hymn at the same time while another guitarist strums or picks. I use this style often (playing both parts an octave lower than written, as with the traditional guitar method), and I am also developing more skill at playing similarly the melody and the tenor part of a hymn together.

By learning these five great ways to accompany others, a Christian guitarist can still glorify God in music ministry even though God has not gifted him to be a skilled guitar soloist!

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Guitar Music, Ministry, Music
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Is The End of All Things Near?

August 5, 2013

Is the end of all things near? If it is, what should Christians be like and what should they be doing?

Scripture answers both of these questions definitively: “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer” (1 Pet. 4:7). We must heed this teaching diligently!

The End of All Things is Near!

Probably around 65 AD, the apostle Peter wrote to encourage believers who were suffering for their faith in Jesus Christ. Under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he declared, “The end of all things is at hand” (1 Pet. 4:7a).

Even though 1,948 years later, the end of all things has not yet come, what Peter wrote is still as true today as it was when he wrote it. His statement is true because time is different with the Lord than it is with man: 

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Pet. 3:8).

Although the end of all things has not yet come, we can be certain that it is near! By faith, we must accept this teaching from God and reject our own ideas to the contrary.

Furthermore, we must not be presumptive and think that the end will not come at least for some unspecified time. Because it is at hand, we must be mindful every day that the end of all things is near.

We must reject as unbiblical any theological viewpoint or teaching that is contrary to what Peter wrote. Because the end of all things is near, our thinking and living must be radically different from that of the world (1 Pet. 4:2-4) and from false teachers in the Church (2 Pet. 3).

We would do well to stress to ourselves daily the reality that the end of all things is near! Moreover, we ought to exhort one another continually with this truth so that we do not relapse into worldly thinking and living that is contrary to this truth to any extent.

What Christians Should Be Like and What They Should Be Doing

Because the end of all things is near, Christians must be sober and watch unto prayer (1 Pet. 4:7b). These commands direct us infallibly about what we should be like and what we should be doing because the end of all things is near.

When we lack sobriety, we show that our thinking is unbiblical. We show that we are not living rightly in view of the end of all things being near.

When we are not watching unto prayer, we are not right with God. We are not living properly in view of the end of all things being near.

The poor attendance in the prayer meetings of many local churches is a telling sign that the Church today is seriously lacking a proper perspective on the end of all things being near. Christians who regularly skip prayer meeting at their church without just cause (such as serious illness, unavoidable providential hindrance, etc.) need to repent and stop forsaking the assembling of themselves together to “watch unto prayer” (Heb. 10:25; 1 Pet. 4:7).

Scripture plainly distinguishes between being at home and assembling as a church (cf. “when ye come together in the church” [1 Cor. 11:18] vs. “have ye not houses” [1 Cor. 11:22]; “at home” vs. “in the church” [1 Cor. 14:35]). Neither staying at home and praying as a family nor leaving church before prayer time to pray at home is, therefore, a valid substitute for assembling yourself together with your church during the regularly scheduled prayer meeting time of your local church (cf. Acts 2:42).

Yes, various people will have extenuating circumstances on occasion that necessitate their missing prayer meeting or leaving before prayer time, but doing so regularly will certainly undercut you and your church’s heeding the teaching of Scripture concerning watching unto prayer in view of the end of all things being near. Apart from truly exceptional situations, every Christian should make every effort to be at his church to pray during the time that his church sets aside for praying in their prayer meeting (Acts 2:42).

“But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer” (1 Pet. 4:7).

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Discipleship, Exhortation, Theology
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The Vital Role of Friends in Caring for the Seriously Ill

August 3, 2013

Handling serious illness is one of life’s greatest challenges. The book of Job provides some insights about the vital role that friends have in caring for the seriously ill.

Job’s Friends Team Together to Minister to Him

After God allowed Satan to smite Job with “sore boils from the sole of his foot” to his head (Job 2:4-7), his three friends heard of all the hardships that he had experienced (Job 2:11a). As true friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar came from their homes and chose a time when they would go to Job “to mourn with him and to comfort him” (Job 2:11b).

At a time when his family seems not to have cared for him as they ought to (Job 19:13-17; cf. 42:11), these friends came to render vital ministry to him. Even though they faced the tremendous challenge of ministering to a friend who had lost many possessions, all ten of his children, his health, and at least to some extent, the proper care of family, they did not let the fact that they were not family members stop them from going to minister to him in his extreme need.

Wisely, they decided to go minister to him as a team instead of each one seeking to minister individually to him. By going as a team, each of their strengths would have the best chance to offset whatever weaknesses they individually may have possessed so that they might best minister to Job in his time of immense affliction.

Undoubtedly, many seriously ill people today would receive vitally needed ministry if more friends would fill in the gaps where family members are not caring for their relatives, as they should. Moreover, teaming up to minister to them, they would likely provide more comfort to them than they would individually.

Ministering Comfort without Saying Anything

Seeing Job from a distance, Job’s friends were deeply moved by his plight because they were barely able to recognize him (Job 2:12). Weeping aloud, they tore their robes and threw dust on their heads.

Through these nonverbal actions of empathizing with his suffering, Job’s friends no doubt ministered some comfort to him. He could see that they were truly grieved by what had happened to their friend.

Coming to him, they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights without any of them saying anything to him because they saw that he was suffering great grief (Job 2:13). Just by being there with him for a long time, they rendered a vital ministry even without speaking at all with him.

Friends should not shy away from visiting one another in times of serious illness for fear that they might not know what to say to their suffering friends. In ways that often nothing else can, having friends around us for lengthy visits when we are hurting relieves the crushing burden of loneliness often experienced in times of deep affliction.

Exercising Great Caution in Placing Blame on Suffering People

Despite their genuine love and care for Job, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar ended up greatly undercutting their efforts to minister to Job because they failed to exercise great caution in blaming him for bringing his sufferings on himself (Job 4-5; 8, 11; etc.). Tragically, they became “miserable comforters” to him (Job 16:2) because they spoke wrongly of God to him (Job 42:7-8).

As friends, we can and should minister to one another vitally in times of serious illness. We must be, however, very careful in assigning blame to others for their suffering (cf. John 9:1-2).

We should also be very diligent to speak correctly about God to our suffering friends (Job 42:7-8). The book of Job provides us with a great training manual for doing so (esp. Job 38-41).

We Need to Care Properly for Our Friends Who are Seriously Ill

Many in the Church today are suffering greatly with serious physical troubles. Let us diligently heed the truths in the book of Job about the vital role of friends in caring for the seriously ill.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Discipleship, Exposition, Health
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