Hebrews, He Brews

I have been learning the basics of biblical Hebrew for about two years now. Though I initially intended to complete the course in a year or so, I could not make it due to my frequent traveling for the ministry and tending to important official and church services while in the office. In fact, before my 21 days ministry journey in the month of August, I attempted to complete the midterm exam and did my best but I could not get sufficient time to study. Then, I thought I could study and complete the exam during the two days gap I had during my trip. Even then, meetings were arranged and I could not get sufficient time to study. Therfore, I postponed it again.

Finally, I planned for a one week intensive revision on 9 Hebrew lessons and decided to take the exam last Tuesday, 7th Oct, just the day before another training was to start, then, I would be busy again. So, last week, everyday, I revised a couple of chapters, memorized the vocabularies, took the quizes, and went through all the tests for all the chapters. It was quite a labor.

However, on Tuesday my exam day, I was very busy again as we had our regular small group meeting. After the meeting, when we reached home it was already 10:30 PM. As usual, I still went out for my personal prayer time in the night,  then took bath, and finally was ready to write the exam.

Still, I felt I should do one more round of revision atleast on all the previous test questions. I did a final revision again, and that took me another 2 hours. Only at 2 AM, Wednesday early morning I was truly ready and finally, I took the midterm exam that lasted for 2 hours.

The Lord graced me and I was able to do well. I was glad that I did my best after so much labor and hours and hiurs of studies. I am glad that in all the chapter-wise tests and three big exams, my average score is about 90%. I deeply felt that I did not deserve this much score. It was all grace marks from the Lord. 

Sometimes, I questioned myself why I enrolled for this Hebrew course. It took so much time to study, and so much effort to memorize many Hebrew words. Anyhow, I have completed most of the chapters and I cannot give up now. I have come all the way, not knowing it would take so much time and energy. Thank the Lord for His grace!

In learning Hebrew, I have been brewed in my studies, especially, my mind, in studying and memorising like a school students. Let the Lord brew me and make use of this little Hebrew know-how.

Now, I look to the Lord for more grace to complete the remaining portion. And I believe, in time, the Lord would let me know why I am studying Hebrew. Everything is with a purpose and I trust God, He will make use of this Hebrew learning from my part. The will of the Lord be done. Amen.

Training and Blending

Last weekend, we had a little over a day of training for the brothers in the churches in North India from Friday evening 18 to 19 Sept Saturday evening. This was the first of its kind following the national full-timers training held in Hyderabad. The same burden was released in the regional training as many brothers could not join the national training. Though I was in the national training, this time, the Lord’s fresh speaking was very new. The ministry of the word of God is new all the time. No matter if I heard it before or not, every time the Lord’s speaking is fresh and new. 

The key points are the blessedness of being a part of the New Testament ministry for the building up of the Body of Christ to consummate the New Jerusalem, for this, our being need to be dealt with by the Lord to be a minister of life, properly aggressive in service to produce results. The up-to-date vision of the age and the need to be in the ministry faithfully has also been emphasised, tracing the history of the visions the Lord had shown to Br. Nee and Br. Lee, bringing us today to the highest and ultimate vision of God's economy. The Lord be merciful to all of us to be faithful to the vision He has shown us. In addition, the practical need for shepherding the saints and building up the local church in our locality with the goal of increase in number was also fellowshipped. This burden brought us brothers together to make a name list of over a hundred saints. The Lord will gain His increase in us and among us.

Two significant noteworthy points are:

The brothers we have been praying for and shepherding have attended this training and the area we lack in rendering help, the training did it, making the vision clear and confirming the ministry of the age.

We enjoyed a time of brothers fellowshipping and blending together; the local Gurugram brothers and those from Mathura. 

Such training brought us brothers together and blended us together. What a blessing!

Besides, we also had a combined Lord’s Table Meeting on the 20th Sept., in Delhi where a new family also joined such a meeting for the first time. The family has been shepherded by the saints from Delhi through introduction and fellowship. The Body life has become more practical and experiential through such blending meeting.

In the Body, with the Body, through the Body, and for the Body, the Lord has blended the saints in North India! What a blending! What a blessing!

A Day of Blending and Fellowship

As we were conducting board meeting and having fellowship concerning the literature service, we felt led by the Lord to gather all the serving ones online for a time of blending. The Lord also led us what the content of the meeting would be; prayer, hymn singing, pray-reading the ministry materials on being a part of the one unique New Testament ministry and the need to deal with by God in our person to minister life to people and be properly aggressive to produce result in our service, a pursuit on being diligent and faithful as the Lord’s serving ones in the publication work, a time of "review and refresh" from the serving ones, and concluding words from four of us brothers coordinating in the literature service. In fellowship and in oneness, the meeting schedule was finalised and information sent to all the serving ones.

Today, as fellowshipped, the Lord blessed us with a wonderful time of online blending. I personally enjoyed the Lord’s fresh speaking concerning the blessing of being a part of the one unique New Testament ministry and the need for my person to be dealt with by the Lord that I may be a proper serving one. Likewise, many other serving ones also shared their enjoyment. 

In NCR, some of us came together at Gurugram office. In fact, we also enjoyed a practical time of blending with lovefeast.

My concluding portion the Lord gave me to share as I prayed last night, I released the following points.

1. May we know God’s blessing

We are the most blessed people on the earth. The Christians, the saints practising the church life in the Lord’s recovery, serving full-time in the ministry, that too, in the most crucial service, the literature service. Therefore, we must pray that the Lord would make us faithful and fruitful in our service and serve the Lord all the days of our lives.

2. May we know who we are:

We must know that we are nothing and can do nothing without the Lord's leading and blessing. We must humble ourselves and look to the Lord for grace day by day. We must know that God is the Lord of our work and He is also the working Lord. We co-work with the Lord.

3. Let us be men of prayer

We must be men of prayer, bringing every matter before God in prayer and receiving burden from the Lord. All our services should be out of burden born from prayers and borne through prayers.

4. Let us be men of the Word of God

We must be men of the word of God. We must love the word of God and resd the Bible daily. We must be the first to pursue the ministry books. Read the Bible, read the ministry, and read the Bible.

5. Let us serve in coordination

We must also learn to serve in coordination. For this, we must be open to the Lord to be dealt with by the Lord; experience the cross, the death and resurrection of Christ, be in one accord and receive the Lord's commanded blessing!

Later, one of the serving ones stayed back for further personal fellowship. For over three hours, we spent together in fellowship. Initially, he poured out whatever was in his heart concerning all the negative situations he has been passing through these days. After listening and listening to all that he has to say, I fellowship on three points:

Change the way of looking at things

Human eyes may not see as God sees. There is a need to be renewed in the mind with and through the word of God to see as God sees. Satan only corrupts, but God restores, revives, and recovers. Let God be our God and sees as He sees. God changes black and dark eye glass to white and bright glass to see as He sees.

Cultivate a strong root system 

All problems manifested in human life are just symptoms. The root cause is in the root system. There is a need to establish a strong root; a personal, private, intimate, fellowship and relationship with the Lord. Only then, can one be full of life to overcome death, full of light to dispel darkness, be salt of the earth and light of the world. Spend time to pray daily.

Cultivate a Bible reading habit to be constituted with the word of God

Only the word of God can make a believer grow in life. All human and natural thoughts can only be renewed by and with the word of God. Spend time reading the Bible daily.

After the brotherly fellowship, he was so cherished and nourished. He testified that he became happy again after many months of living and struggling in darkness. He agreed to all the above three points and took the fellowship to spend time in prayer and read the Bible daily. Then, we prayed together. 

What a blessed day of blending and fellowship!

May the Lord cover all the serving ones from the attack of the enemy. May the Lord bless all the serving ones to be useful vessels unto Him.

Fellowship: With Coordinating Brothers and Serving Ones

Yesterday, we had our board meeting for the literature service. It was the sixtieth board meeting since the company's inception. We usually have a quarterly board meeting to review what transpired in the past quarter and planned for the upcoming quarter. This has been officially carried in time, and this time, it was much more than that.

We four brothers, who are also members of board of directors, officially and organically fellowshipped on crucial items pertaining to the literature service in the country. It lasted for about three hours and thirty minutes. I think, this was the longest duration we ever had for a board meeting which usually lasted an hour in the past. This fellowship was really wonderful. 

In the fellowship, the Lord brought in new burden in taking forward the literature service. We decided in one accord to have a two-sessions blending meeting of all the regular serving ones in the literature service on 25 September. All the details were considered and finalised too. 

Besides, we enjoyed a time of fellowship, blending, and building among ourselves. And a burden arose to shepherd our serving ones and blending them together too.

Based on that fellowship, we called for a fellowship today with a couple who both are in the full-time service in the distribution in the South. For over two hours, we fellowshipped on the service related to him and other saints. Things were made clear and conflicts sorted out. Fellowship indeed is the way to solve issues among the serving ones.

These days, my service has been, fellowship after fellowship, prayer after prayer, and I am glad the Lord has been gracing me to enjoy all the fellowships. I believe, He did anoint all of us in the fellowship as we also enjoyed the sweet flow of life. Hallelujah!

Fellowship: With My Family

As much as practicality allows, we have been doing the best we could, as a family, to fellowship and pray together. These days, as my eldest daughter has joined her university in Taipei and my wife is in our home in Taipei caring for our elderly parent, we have been miles apart physically. In fact, a month has elapsed since they went to Taipei. Now and then, we had a WhatsApp group video calls for prayer and fellowship. While we weekly have the family fellowship on Monday nights for those in Gurugram, with those in Taipei, we fellowshipped as and when we could.

Yesterday, I had a time of fellowship with my daughter and learned of all the great things the Lord has been doing in her life. Indeed, the Lord’s bountiful blessing has been bestowed upon her. All the prayers we had been praying for years have been answered one by one. One of the recent answers is related to the Lord’s financial provision for her studies. Whatever we had b in foreing currency, we had spent it to prepare for her new life in Taipei. Then, offerings poured in. Though, the scholarship for her was not applicable from India, still I did not lose the faith. I kept praying. Finally, it was brought to our attention that there is still one more scholarship she is qualified to apply, which my wife confirmed yesterday that the application was submitted. We leave it to the Lord for the approval.

Practically, the Lord took care of us in India as He did in Taiwan. I told my wife that since our parent are ageing and this is the time to care for them as their chidren, I told her not to worry about us in India. Our children have learned to adapt to the changes. In fact, they learned better when given more responsibilities. I encouraged her to do her best to take care of our parents. In fact, this is the way to honor them; make them feel happy, peaceful, joyful, and safe. And that she may stay as long as required and when the need arises, she could come back to India or we would go to Taiwan. The priority is our parent at the moment. I deemed it fit to care for them now when they need us the most.

Ephesians 6:2-3 RecVer

2. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with a promise,

3. “That it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth.”

May God bless our parent with good health and long life with full of peace and joy in the spirit.

Fellowship: With a Family

A week ago, I receieved an urgent call for fellowship with a family. As I was busy with another official matter, I could not attend to the request of the family immediately. However, when I was ready, I did vista them at a brother's house where they took a safe abode due to the traumatic situation that transpired at their home. I paid a careful heed to all that the family members had to say. I am no God to solve any man's problem. So, I led them all to the Lord in prayer. Meanwhile, the brother concerned was not contactable and it was good to give him time to cool down.

The following day, a brother and I had called for fellowship with the brother concerned. We simply went through the morning revival portion of the day and pray-read a few verses from Galatians 2:14-20. Then, we heard from the brother too, all that he had to say, from his own view point.

Listening is one of the characters of a serving ones. Listen to what the saints had to say. Listen to what they did not say but meant to say. Listen to what they said but did not mean to say. Finally, listen to what God has to say concerning what the saints have said and did not say, and discern the matter spiritually. This is a lesson on listening.

After hearing separately from the wife and the husband, we called both of them. I made it clear first of all that, we are not to solve their problems, for we honestly cannot, and acknowledged that only God is the solver of the problems. Our intention was to bring them to God, the source of life, light, and light, and the solution to all the problems. The fellowship went on and on. As it was the day before, so also the day after. Marathon fellowships, and ending in prayers.

The issue has not yet been settled yet, but they both have come to realise what the actual root cause of the problems. Oneness, mutual trust, divine love, and sweet coordination and fellowship between married couple are needed. These, only the Lord Jesus can grace. Though the truth we know, life experiences also need to follow. The Lord, in His time, will train and perfect all the saints, including the family and the said couple. We are all work in progress.

 

GOD WILL HAVE HIS WAY. Meanwhile, we wait in prayer all the way. Amen.

Fellowship: Chastening

Following up on the brother concerning his person which I blogged last month on lesson from character crisis, after about three weeks, when things became more clear, the matter was brought for fellowship again. The Lord has been sovereign in letting was wait for a good number of week; giving us, especially me, enough time to consider and reconsider before the Lord in prayer. 

My main concern in not taking action immediately as one would expect was, I fear God and would not misrepresent God in any way. All the people I have been dealing with, in my service are God’s people. I cannot and must not misrepresent God. The incident surrounding Moses has always been a warning to me.

Numbers 20:7-12 RecVer

7. Then Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

8. Take the rod, and gather the assembly, you and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes, so that it yields its water. Thus you shall bring forth water for them out of the rock and give the assembly and their livestock something to drink.

9. And Moses took the rod from before Jehovah, as He had commanded him.

10. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said to them, Listen now, you rebels: Shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?

11. Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his rod twice; and abundant water came forth, and the assembly and their livestock drank.

12. And Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron, Because you did not believe in Me, to sanctify Me in the sight of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

If a man such as Moses can commit such a serious offense, who am I, not to? I fell before God in fear and trembling. I had been praying and praying concerning this matter even while I was in the ministry journey for twenty one days. 

Once I came back to office, in fellowship with my fellow serving brothers and also with some responsible brothers in the South, things became clear to me. We also fellowshipped with the brother assaulted and heard from him, and we personally apologised to him as responsible ones. Only then, we called for fellowship to chasten the concerned brother in a way of fellowship with the view of shepherding and retaining his service.

As we called for fellowship, in the presence of a leading brother in the church in Chennai with my co-working brother over the phone, we let the brother know of our heart to shepherd him, guaranteed his service as long as he would not commit such an offense again, granted him two weeks leave from the office for him to rest, pray, and deal with the Lord because of the seriousness of the offense he committed, and rejoin the service thereafter. Then, we also clearly defined what his service would be, letting him know that he is not the manager of the office, but as serving one like any ther serving ones. At this juncture, his temper flared up, and accused us of "playing politics." When we tried to explain to him that we were just trying to help him, he replied back stating that he did not need our help and that God would help him. Perhaps, he did all these in a fit of rage. He made his own declaration of resignation and hung up the call. This incident in an evidence of what kind of person he is and a confirmation of what the Lord led us to, concerning his service. Without us initiating, he himself resigned, and we took it as the will of the Lord.

The matter was fellowshipped with all he serving ones in Chennai office the following day, to avoid any confusion, and we all prayed for the brother to be covered and shepherded by the Lord. The matter was also brought to fellowship with the coworkers today, and a new arrangement has been made for the saints to communicate with the office as we await the Lord to release the proper serving one of His choice.

What a marathon fellowship we had with different groups of saints, serving ones, and the responsible brothers. Fellowship after fellowship, prayer and considerstion. In the process, I have been very much helped to contact the Lord and "learn Christ" in complex and critical yet crucial circumstances. 

May the Lord have mercy on me and all the serving ones, and preserve us all in our services to be faithful and fruitful, all the days of our lives.