Hebrew Learning: Midway

This month was very productive as far as my Hebrew learning was concerned. In the past months, I was so busy with official work, family life and church life. I was so concerned that I lagged behind too much in my Hebrew learning as I was not able to cope with the tight schedule I was limited to. At one point, I even thought of quitting altogether. The learning seemed so tough, with much study and concentration required. Besides, I am not a translator anyway. I even used to wonder why on earth did I ever enroll in this Hebrew course. In fact, I even though of writing a letter to my instructors to forgive me for my slow progress and request them to give me more time to cope up with it. Thank God I did not do that. But anyhow, I am already a student, and I cannot quit now. I must keep sailing on.

This month, I had no travel plans. I only took care of the important official work by being stationed at the Gurugram office. In this way, I could focus more on my Hebrew learning. Despite the discouragement within for my inability to give sufficient time for learning, I looked to the Lord for grace and scheduled my time in such a way that I could complete at least one lesson a week. The Lord indeed graced me, and I was able to complete the learning of six Hebrew classes with revision, memorization, and quizzes in a month! What a miracle! The Lord truly grace me well. Except for one quiz, I did fairly well.

Every time I studied and wrote the exams, I prayed to the Lord that His perfect will be done in my Heberw learning. I truly believe He has a perfect plan for me in learning Hebrew, which will be revealed in time. Therefore, I put on my student mode and learned like a student. I did my best and took the exam when I was fully confident that I had learned it thoroughly well. I am not sure what the Lord has reserved for me. But I do believe that through this learning process, I have experienced the Lord a lot. Despite me becoming a father of three children already and running in my mid-forties, still the Lord gave me the grace, wisdom and knowledge to learn a completely different subject, Hebrew, nothing related to any subjects that I learned in the past. Now that I have come to the middle of the entire Hebrew course, I must look to the Lord for another half and sail on until completion. 

Life is a process of learning, growing, and gaining God through whatever circumstances the Lord has placed me in. It is great to take up challenges and face the reality of life. This is the lesson Hebrew learning has taught me.

Lord, grace me on and on that I may be able to read and understand Your word in the way it was written originally in Hebrew.

Services of Serving Ones

The Lord Jesus is the Master, and I have been graced and blessed to be one of the serving ones of the Lord Jesus Christ. Since I got saved in 1997, I have been bearing the burden to serve the Lord in the way I can. In time, the Lord Himself made the way I could serve Him clear to me. In 2003, I received a direct call from the Lord through the word of God to serve Him. 

And now, O Israel, what does Jehovah your God ask of you except that you fear Jehovah your God so that you would walk in all His ways and love Him and serve Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 10:12

Since then, I have been graced and blessed by the Lord to go through the full-time training. And He has been training and perfecting me to serve. Twenty years have elapsed since I finished my training and started serving the Lord in different areas and in different capacities. The Lord has been faithful in leading me through and through all these years. To me, it is the sure mercy of the Lord that he has qualified and graced me to serve. In my self, I cannot. It has always been His life in me that enables and empowers me to serve. I have nothing to claim for myself. Nothing to boast, no glory, nothing for myself. It is Him who serves in and through me, fia ny glory, it is god's glory and glory to Him only. 

With these lessons, I also have been trying to help the saints who have the burden to serve. To me, it is impossible for any human to serve the living God without the life of the living God in the lives of the serving ones. This month I had been through a series of fellowship with four brothers. They all have the burden to serve, but they also need help. Serving the Lord is not according to natural ability and strength. It is purely His mercy that one can serve Him. The person of the serving one and the service of the serving ones are one. Without the person being proper, there cannot be the service proper. 

Therefore, in all the fellowship with these four brothers, it was mostly to do with their person and character rather than their services itself. The conditions and regulations given to them in a way of brotherly fellowship were to help them turn to the Lord and depend on the Lord fully so that they can be useful vessels to the Lord. To some, a strict instruction and a tight schedule were given; to others the need for diligence and faithfulness was emphasised. Yet to some, the need for coordination and submission was made known, and to one in particular, the need to exercise his spirit more to deal with his temper was given in writing.  

Before all these fellowships, I spent a considerable amount of time in prayer, bringing these matters to the Lord to get the Lord's feeling so that I may not misrepresent God in any way. Though I may be placed in a position to "decide" things officially concerning the serving ones, as this is one of my official responsibilities, I fear God. I dare not misrepresent God by giving my thoughts and feelings to anyone. I commit all the matters to God in fear and trembling that the Lord's perfect will be done in all these brothers' lives and services. I, too, am just a serving one, just like all the others. It has also been a time of training and learning to deal with people, especially saints, as all these are also brothers in the church life. One particular lesson that all serving ones need to learn is submission.

We need to learn the lesson of submission. Not only do the sent ones need to learn submission, the sending ones also need to learn submission. Only in the spirit of submission will a person hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. We cannot consider that a consensus is the standard for any work; rather, submission must be the standard. We should not send out a brother because we agree with him. Many times, even though we do not agree with the proposal of a certain brother, we still have to give him the liberty to do it. The matter is not about agreeing or not agreeing but about submitting or not submitting. The Holy Spirit can have a way only among the submissive ones. Excerpt from The Present Testimony (4): The Third Overcomer Conference CWWN, vol.11

In this regard, I had a fellowship with a brother whom I felt needed help. In considering his continuation in the service, I prayed over and sent an email to him concerning his coordination and submission and the need to exercise his spirit to deal with his temper as conditions for him to continue. A week later, he accepted the conditions and confirmed that he would continue.

I was particularly thankful to the Lord that He led me through in all these fellowships. I pray that the Lord will preserve them and me, too, that we can faithfully serve Him in fruitful ways all the days of our lives on this earth. This has always been my prayer, too, for myself and for all the serving ones: to be faithful and fruitful and serve in the newness of spirit.

But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held, so that we serve in newness of spirit and not in oldness of letter. Romans 7:6

Joy of Giving

Two months ago, when the fellowship on material offerings for the need to meet the Chennai Blending Center construction was released, the Lord gave us the grace and the blessing to be able to participate in His move. The details were posted on the 29th of January. My Goodland: Material Offering: A Blessing

With the offering amount consecrated and transferred immediately after fellowshipping with my wife and having been provided by the lord, I thought my responsibility for the offering participation was over. Generally, I do not like to keep things pending, especially financial matters. Once a consecration was made, it had to be fulfilled. To me, a consecration is like a vow made to God. Once vowed, it must be fulfilled, Otherwise, it would be a serious matter before God. 

When you vow a vow to Jehovah your God, you shall not delay in paying it; for Jehovah your God would certainly require it of you, and it will become sin in you. 

But if you refrain from vowing, it will not become sin in you. 

What proceeds out of your lips you shall keep and do, as you have vowed to Jehovah your God voluntarily, which you have promised with your mouth. 

(Deuteronomy 23:21-23, RecVer)

Last Lord's Day, we had a time of combined meeting again for the release of the same burden on the Chennai Blending Center offering. Though I felt that I had already offered for this burden, the Lord further confirmed to me that I could offer again. Grace upon grace! While I was fellowshiping with my wife, she also felt the same thing. In fact, she was the one to initiate the additional offering. When the brothers released the burden again, even for an additional offering, immediately I had the burden and clarity from the Lord that I should offer again. The amount of the offering to be made was also very clear to me. In fact, this amount was also already available with us. Once I was clear inwardly, I did not wait and immediately transferred the next day before the month ended. 

This kind of offering, as the Lord provided us the grace, brought me immense joy. It was not an offering of pain. It was an offering with joy! After all, all that I could offer or have are actually all from the Lord. The source is the Lord, so means is also the Lord, and the goal is to the Lord!. There is no need for a struggle or even a so called prayer to consider before the Lord. The matter was very clear. It was also a prayer-answered matter. It just needed to be executed, and so it was offered immediately with joy! Hallelujah! In both cases, short emails were mailed to the concerned brothers. 

The mails written in joy reads...

Dear brothers,

To fulfill our consecration to the Lord, we have transferred Rs. ******. 

Thank you,

It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35b

Dear brothers,

In oneness with the burden released for an additional offering, we have transferred Rs. *****

Thank you,

It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35b

The joy of giving is the joy of the Lord proceeding from the Lord as the source through His channel unto Him. When the Lord flows, the channel enjoys the joy of the Lord!

Marriage of Serving One

Last Saturday, my family and a group of saints from the church in Gurugram attended the wedding and testimony meeting of a serving brother in the literature service. This marriage finally transpired after a couple of hiccups during the process, with the previous plan cancelled due to the imprisonment of the groom-to-be in a case of persecution based on the Christian faith. Since this brother is a full-time serving one in the literature service, I have had the opportunities to fellowship on multiple occasions concerning his education, service, marriage, financial and other personal matters. Similarly, I had the opportunity to fellowship with the bride-to-be a couple of years ago in Hyderabd, where I fellowshipped the principle concerning seeking and doing the will of the Lord in everything. I had no idea that the two could end up getting married. The Lord is the Lord, and He knows how to be the Lord.

I also had a time of fellowship with this brother one night in Bengaluru when he chanced to stay in the same room I was lodged in. As the Lord led me, I had a few hours of fellowship with him as a preparation for his marriage. I sensed some conflict of interest with his in-laws-to-be, so only I took the matter of his marriage and fellowshipped with him many practical details. Later, when he was imprisoned, I felt that it was the Lord's balancing act upon him. Though the ordeal was fiery and drew out a lot of tears from his family members, that to me was the Lord working in this brother, inwardly reconstituting him and perfecting him in his person, and outwardly, an invisible act of uplifting his image as a brother-in-chain. That complemented the lack he obviously seemed to have in comparison to the more qualified bride-to-be, his fiancee. The Lord had to cancel the first wedding plan as to me it was still immature as far as the persons and timings were concerned. That gave sufficient time for the Lord to work on the couple and their relatives. Much prayer and transformation transpired during the four months delay so that both can be brought to the same platform where the two sides can accept one another without any boasting of their own. The Lord is the Lord. This marriage is a testament to the sovereign act of God.

My portion in this marriage was more of fellowship to the couple. On the wedding day, along with five other brothers, I was asked by the brothers to bless the couple. To me, that was the best part I could do to a newly married couple- Bless them with the blessing of God! AS usual, for all the married couples, I prayed for them that they would love the Lord and love one another and that they would be one with the Lord and one with one another. And this time, I added more to the prayer, that they would also be one with the Lord's move wherever they are and also be one with the church, the Body of Christ, and become useful vessels to the Lord.

Meanwhile, I took the occasion to also meet and fellowship with the relatives of both the bride and groom. May the Lord grace the couple and their families and bless them with Himself and their portion day by day.

Study of the Word: Outer Darkness

The truth concerning outer darkness has been misunderstood by many Christians. Some bluntly refer to it as the lake of fire or the place of perdition. It does not refer to eternal perdition for false believers or unbelievers or heathen, but to punishment during the coming kingdom age for defeated, unfaithful believers. But, on a careful study of the Bible especially in the gospel of Matthew, the confusion surrounding this place, the outer darkness, has been cleared up. I was very much helped in understanding this truth from the pursuit of the Life-study of Matthew, message sixty-six. In the past, when I met with some seekers yet who did not fully agree with the ministry would question the teaching concerning the outer darkness.  They even dared to go to the extent of dubbing this teaching as extra-biblical. Or some even equate this teaching as equivalent to the heretic teaching of the concept of purgatory. Therefore, a clear-cut teaching with Bible verses is a great help to me in my understanding of the Bible. This also strengthened my faith in the Lord and His word, thereby, encouraging me further to pray and live a Christian life as to not end up in the outer darkness.

Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth

The phrase “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is used six times in the Gospel of Matthew. It is used twice concerning the perdition of the false believers (13:42) and the evil heathen (13:50). Matthew 13:42 concerns the tares, the false believers who will be cast into the furnace of fire. The furnace of fire is not the outer darkness, but the lake of fire. Matthew 13:50 concerns the evil Gentiles, the corrupt fish that are equivalent to the goats in chapter twenty-five. They also will be cast into the furnace of fire. Thus, those who perish in eternal fire will weep and gnash their teeth.

#1 Concerning the False Believers

Mt 13:42And will cast them into the furnace of fire. In that place there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

#2 Concerning the Heathen

Mt 13:50And will cast them into the furnace of fire. In that place there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

In the above two cases, it refers to the place of perdition as the context made it clear that it is for false believers and heathens. 

However, in the following four cases, the place is for the unfaithful, useless, slothful, and defeated believers, a place of dispensation punishment during the millennium kingdom. The distinction made with the context with which these phrases were mentioned clarified the two different places though the same description was used. This requires a careful study of the word in relation to God's dispensation in different ages.

#3 Concerning the Sons of the Kingdom

Matthew 8:12 says, “But the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.” Because the sons of the kingdom certainly are saved ones, they will not be cast into the furnace of fire. Rather, they will be put into outer darkness. Although there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth both for the ones who perish and for the defeated believers, the defeated believers will not be cast into the lake of fire, but into the outer darkness outside the glorious sphere of the Lord’s presence.

#4 Concerning the One Without Wedding Garment

Matthew 22:13 says, “Then the king said to the servants, Bind his feet and hands, and cast him out into the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.” This refers to the one who did not have a wedding garment. This, of course, does not refer to an unbeliever, but to a saved one. This saved one will not be cast into the lake of fire, but into outer darkness.

#5 Concerning the Evil Slave

Mt 24:51And will cut him asunder and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. In that place there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 

According to 24:51, the evil slave will be cut off from the Lord’s presence and have his portion with the hypocrites where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 24:45-51 has dealt with the slave’s unfaithfulness in fulfilling the Lord’s commission. 

#6 Concerning the Useless Slave

Mt 25:30And cast out the useless slave into the outer darkness. In that place there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25:14-30 is still needed to deal with the slave’s unfaithfulness in using the Lord’s talent.

By reading all these verses, we see that the false believers, the tares, and the evil Gentiles will be cast into the furnace of fire, the lake of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

However, the defeated believers, such as the sons of the kingdom in chapter eight, those without the wedding garment in chapter twenty-two, and the unfaithful slave in chapters twenty-four and twenty-five, will be cast out into the outer darkness. There, in the outer darkness, they will suffer weeping and gnashing of teeth. This does not refer to eternal perdition, but to dispensational punishment. 

In addition to salvation, there is still the matter of the reward and punishment that will be rendered during the coming kingdom age. If we are faithful to the Lord, we shall be rewarded during the next age. But if we are not faithful to Him, we shall receive punishment. This is very clear in God’s holy Word.

Last Saturday night, I was helped to understand this matter clearly through the Life-study of Matthew message Sixty-Six by Witness Lee. I even shared joyfully with the saints after the study and also repeated the same last Lord's Day during the truth-pursuing session. I owe all thanks to Brother Witness Lee for the ministry of the word that opens up the Bible. Praise the Lord!

That said, understanding the truth is one thing. Based on this understanding, one must be led to live a life according to this understanding. In this regard, I must take grace from the Lord to be watchful in life and faithful in service to be an overcoming believer that I may not end up in the outer darkness.

Lord, grace me and save me day by day to be Your overcomer!

Turning Forty-Eight

Today, my wife turned forty-eight! The best thing I could wish for her is to pray and bless her with the word of God. A few days ago, the Lord gave me some Bible verses for her. I felt these verses perfectly fit the blessing God has bestowed upon our family. Therefore, I made a card using one of these verses for my wife.

For you are a holy people to Jehovah your God; it is you whom Jehovah your God has chosen from among all the peoples which are upon the face of the earth to be a people for His personal treasure. (Deuteronomy 7:6, RecVer)

And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your fresh oil, the offspring of your cattle and the young of your flock, on the land which He swore to your fathers to give you. You will be more blessed than all other peoples; there will not be any barren male or female among you or among your animals. (Deuteronomy 7:13-14, RecVer)

And it is Jehovah who has today declared you to be a people for His personal treasure, even as He promised you; and that you will keep all His commandments; And that He will set you high above all the nations which He has made, for praise and for a name and for honor; and that you will be a holy people to Jehovah your God, as He has spoken. (Deuteronomy 26:18-19, RecVer)

Coincidentally today too, we had two families visiting us from the South. So, instead of family time outside, we had a time of lovefest with two new families from the South along with some saints in the church in Gurugram. Meanwhile, we had a time of fellowship with the families. The two occasions of hosting guests and also thanking the Lord for another new year were enjoyed together at the same time. Now and then, we have been granted such occasions to enjoy the Lord together with the saints in the church life. Thank the Lord for the Christian life and the church life!

According to the Lord's promises, we have been the Lord's personal treasure, Who has chosen us to bless us. This specific blessing of the womb has been very gracious of the Lord in our marriage life. Before we got married, my wife-to-be then, openly fellowshipped about me not becoming a father if I married her. But my innate reply then was, if the Lord blessed us so, we would become parents, and our marriage life is in the Lord's hand. Nineteen years have elapsed and today the Lord has blessed us with three blessed children! Therefore, the Lord's promise, "He will also bless the fruit of your womb" has been truly fulfilled! And the other promises will also be fulfilled in time as it has already been fulfilled now one by one, "the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your fresh oil, the offspring of your cattle and the young of your flock, on the land which He swore to your fathers to give you. You will be more blessed than all other peoples."

Living a life in the Lord is a blessed life. Learning to trust the Lord for everything is a blessed life. What a loss could it have been if we had not trusted the Lord and had not followed the Lord denying our natural choices? The Lord has been showing mercy upon us, especially in our married life, and has blessed us richly with all the blessings that I can ever imagine. All the blessings both spiritual and physical we have been receiving these days have all been testimonies to the Lord's faithfulness in His word. Having been graced to learn to trust in Him, obey Him, and follow Him, we have been enjoying the Lord's blessing!

From the very beginning of our marriage life, we have been praying this prayer to the Lord that the Lord would preserve us and grace us to be one with Him and one with one another, and to love Him and love one another. The Lord has indeed answered this prayer.

Lord, continue to bless our marriage life and the family You blessed us with, Your personal treasure!

Brotherly Lovefeast

The Christian life is also a corportate church life. Individually, we are members one of another, but corporately we are the Body of Christ. The church as the Body of Christ is living as the believers that constitute the church are living. Since we are living, we meet, we fellowship, we blend and in this way the Body of Christ is build up. This is mysterious yet real. It sounds doctrinal but very practical. 

In the early days, the saints met from house to house, day by day. That may not be very practical in this age. However, the principle of meeting and fellowshipping goes on as and when time allows. Though not frequently, at least, we meet occasionally. 

Today, and a few weeks ago, we invited some families and saints for a time of fellowship over lunch lovefeast. With the first family, it was more of an introduction and getting to know each other as the family had come on a family visit from Taiwan to New Delhi. We enjoyed a time of fellowship with the family. The children enjoyed the blending time so much so that they wanted to come again.

Today, we invited a brother's family for lovefeast who will be leaving for South India as his service will be more specifically there. He also is one of the brothers coordinating in the literature service. Besides, today happens to be one of our serving ones' last day in Gurugram office as he will be working from home from next week, following which will be his wedding and then marital leave followed by his shifting to the South. At the same time, two mothers who are serving in New Delhi also visited our family for a time of blending. Therefore, today we enjoyed a three in one blending fellowship over lunch lovefeast. 

The Lord has been planning and working out all things good for our own good. What a blessing to be blended together!

In such a time of blending, one thing I appreciate is the sisters' coordination and labor for all the planning and execution of the lovefeast. This virtue of the sisters is what is needed in the church life. The sisters' function is inevitable in the church life. The brothers take the lead and the sisters follow. In this way, the Christian life for the church life goes on; each functioning according to its portion.

In this blending time too, we also prayed for one another, especially for the families we have invited. 

May the Lord lead them, guide them, and bless them! O what a wonderful brotherly lovefeast we enjoyed together today!