Experience of Christ: Through Board Exams

The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But victory belongs to Jehovah. Proverbs 21:31, RecVer

This year, two of our children wrote their board exams for tenth and twelfth standard. They both were very active in the school extra curricular activities during their school days. In fact, I encouraged them to participate in as much activities as possible despite their upcoming board exams. To me, education has to be all-inclusive, not merely studies and marks. School time is the best time in their lives to experience all these. Once they graduate from high school, they will be in a different realm altogether. By the way, they even had to miss some of the second pre-board papers due to the many activities of the school. To me, that was perfectly fine, as they were given sufficient days for studies before they appear for the board exams.

My burden during their board exams was for them to experience Christ in a deeper, richer, and higher way. I have fellowshiped with both of them to trust the Lord, spend sufficent time with the Lord in prayers, and study diligently that they may experience Christ as their wisdom, knowledge, intelligence, and understanding. And in the process, gain Christ richly. Therefore, as my fellowship and my burden was, I also prayed for them very much. In fact, even in the church prayers, family prayers, and personally prayers, they were being prayed for regularly from the start of the first paper till the last paper, which was today.

As the prayers were, the Lord truly graced both of them to write their exams well. In fact, much better than their school exams, and much better than they even expected. Now, that the Lord had led them in their exams, we prayerfully wait for the result. No matter how their results will turn out to be, I told them to accept whatever marks they will score as from the Lord. They have doen their best and we leave the rest to God.

As me for me too, mainly for their board exams, I put on hold all my traveling plans and be with my chidren during this crucial time of their lives. I dropped and picked them in all the days they appeared for the exams, giving them all the fatherly love and care, moral and spiritual support. Their exams were my exams too.

Praise the Lord for this wonderful experience and enjoyment of the Lord through the board exams! Humanly, the best possible was done. They have studied well and prepared for the exams, success and victory the Lord will give. Now, awaiting the divine blessings for their further progress.

Best from Waste

Therefore thus says Jehovah, If you return, I will restore you; You will stand before Me; And if you bring out the precious from the worthless, You will be as My mouth; They will turn to you, But you will not turn to them. Jeremiah 15:19, RecVer

Once in a while when I have time and sensed the need, I would devote myself to doing the household works that I deemed fit. Despite living in a high end community, the house we live in is an old building with zero furniture and many signs of wear and tear are visible. I have tried my best to fix many things myself. In fact, this old house has taught me how to do electrical works, plumbing works, painting works, along with decorating, rearranging, and cleaning now and then. Since the last eighteen years, I have done many things I could, and learned a lot of practical lessons which I probably may never learn if not for the condition of this house. What a blessing in disguise!

A few weeks ago, I receivrd a call from a brother whose acquaintance was wanting to give away a few pieces of furniture. Without any hesitation, I received the offer. That triggered a wave of rearrangements in our house. Some things were worth throwing away, but I reconsidered their usability carefully before disposing them. In doing so, I ended up using them all over again, perhaos, in a different way. I call this act as, best from waste.

In fact, I told my son that I have been exercising God given wisdom to turn seemingly wastefull things to useful furniture. The idea I had when executed indeed became a beautiful thing. So, I took a few hours to execute my idea and gave our house a new look. That gave me immense joy, appreciating the God given wisdom of turning "waste to best."

To me, this is a small domestic experiment. If one can turn waste to best in small things, the same can happen in big things. The principle is the same. Some worthless and useless fellows can also be shepherded and perfected into useful vessels to the Lord. This is the "art of shepherding" that stems from God given wisdom, with exercised spirit and renewed mind.

Therefore, I don't give up many new ones that are seeming "useless" and "spiritually a waste" today, instead I picked up the burden to pray for them regularly. And one day, as the Lord allows, shepherd and perfect them to become fruitful functiong members in the Body of Christ. 

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58, RecVer

A New Way: Small Group Meetings

Last Lord’s Day, the Lord’s speaking was on continuing steadfastly in remembering the Lord by participating in the bread breaking meeting and also in the small group meeting until the Lord returns. The former is for remembering the Lord as the Head of the Body, Christ, and the later is for the building up of the Body of the Head, the church. And both are for bridging the gap between now till the Lord returns.  

Following the burden, we have been practicing bothin our church life. These days, we have been strengthening the small group living of the saints where we retain the existing saints, recover the dormant saints, and revive the function of the saints in gospel preaching and perfecting for the building up of the Body. 

In our group meeting in Secotr 56 area, we have completed the pursuing of the Life Lessons of four volumes. Now, we are starting a new series, Messages for Building Up the New Believers, in which we encouraged all the saints to study the messages and be constituted with the truth before coming to the meeting, and during the meeting, we all exercise to share the truth and fellowship after some assigned ones gave the week's message overview. 

In the other three group meetings, in Velley View, Kanhai Gaon, and Sector 4,  that comprises the new believer ls and new ones too, we purse the Shepherding Materials, lesson by lesson. It was the sovereignty of the Lord that each week, the Lord spoke in a definite way according to the need of the new ones. In two of the small groups with the new ones, I myself enjoyed being supplied by the ministry and by also supplying the ministry to others. The Lord knows the present need of the saints and He speaks according to the present situation of all the saints. 

What a wonderful church-life where the building up of the Bidy is taking place! Hallelujah for the Body! Hallelujah for the speaking of the Lord in and through the small group meetings!

Small group meeting and living is the way to practically shepherd and build up the saints. Small group meeting is our small group living too. What was lacking in the Lord’s Day meeting could be compensated in the small group meetings at the homes of the saints. This is the new way the Lord showed us for our continuing stedfastly until He returns. Praise the Lord for the new way!

Beating and Shining

And you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand with its base and its shaft shall be made of beaten work; its cups, its calyxes, and its blossom buds shall be of one piece with it. Exodus 25:31, RecVer

Today, I prophesied on what I have been enjoying in the last week on the truth and experience concerning the "beating of gold" to form the lampstand and the "shining of the lampstand" to give light to the people in darkness. 

As Christians, we have received God's divine life, the gold, already. However, this gold must be shared into a lampstand. For the shaping, the beating of the gold is a must. Without beating the gold, it simply remains a lump of gold without any specific meaningful and adorable shape. Only the beating can form the lampstand. Likewise, we all need to be "beaten" until we are shaped, conforming to the image of the lampstand for the testimony of Jesus.

The beating work is being carried out by the Holy Spirit day by day through all the happenings in the environment sovereignly arranged by God. One need not pray for sufferings but at the proper time as God deems best, He will give the sufferings along with His grace to experience the Lord through the sufferings. In this way, the golden lampstand comes into being. In fact, the more the beating, the more the shaping will happen. Along with the beating too, there will be the shining as the Holy Spirit will fill those whom He disciplined.

I do believe that through these many years of the "beating of gold," the Lord has gained His bright shining golden lampstand gradually, even here in our locality, the church in Gurugram. This is in line with the Scriptures. 

Hebrews 12:6-11, RecVer

6. For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.”

7. It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons. For what son is there whom the father does not discipline?

8. But if you are without discipline, of which all sons have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.

9. Furthermore we have had the fathers of our flesh as discipliners and we respected them; shall we not much more be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?

10. For they disciplined for a few days as it seemed good to them; but He, for what is profitable that we might partake of His holiness.

11. Now no discipline at the present time seems to be a matter of joy, but of grief; but afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been exercised by it.

Experience of Christ: Housing, Rental, and Other Matters

The Lord has brought my family to this city Gurugram for His divine purpose. My responsibility has always been to simply follow the Lord's leading and obey His speaking. Though I often had my own feelings and opinions, I have gradually learned to submit to His sovereign arrangement in every matter concerning my life and my family with all the practical matters of housing, schooling, etc.

This new year, my house owner proposed an increase in rental and I felt good to increase too, within my capacity. For at least two months, I was not clear on deciding the percentage of increase. Though, as my house owner had his proposal, he also gave me the liberty to consider, as we are brothers in Christ and our lives are for the Lord’s divine purpose on this earth. Therefore, I also prayed, considered, amd waited on the Lord for a good length of time. In the process, I experienced the Lord a lot.

Finally, I felt I should visit him at his house along with another brother with whom I have been coordinating in many spiritual and official matters. During our fellowship, we came to conclude on certain figure which gave me so much peace within. Besides, I also had the peace within to take care of additional expenses for faulty wiring and renovation works of the building which righteously may not necessarily be my responsibility as a tenant in the premises of our residence for over eighteen years now. 

My decision was based primarily on the Lord’s peace within, and not on the financial matter involved. My principle is very simple: All that I have is from the Lord. And I should use it as He leads wherever and howevermuch the need is. If the need is more, He gives more. I must not love money nor waste it but use it wisely to meet the needs; be it personal, family, church, or the Lord’s work.

The Lord’s peace is the deciding factor in my decision making. And when I obeyed the Lord’s leading despite my feelings and opinions, the peace, life, and joy that followed is amazing. Praise the Lord for such a life lesson!

In this way, I experienced and enjoyed rhe Lord in deciding for housing, rental, and many other practical matters. I gave up my own choice. I choose the Lord’s choice for me. He knows where I should reside and for how long. Until He leads further, I stay put wherever He led me thus far. Only when He leads further, I will follow further. 

Where His leading is, there His presence is. I treasure the Lord’s presence more than anything else. No matter the location or the condition of the house, no matter the rental high or low, the presence of God that comes along with His peace, life, and joy is the deciding factor. O what a precious life lesson!

Lord, preserve me in Your perfect peace in doing Your perfect will in every practical points pertaining to me.

Blending and Lovefeast in Delhi

Last Thursday, on the 19th of March, as a family we had a blending and lovefeast fellowship over lunch at a brother's house in Delhi. The Lord’s Day before, the 15th of March, we enjoyed a combined Lord’s Table Meeting in Delhi for all the saints and the churches in NCR. In both the meetings, my mom and dad also participated. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and blending. Since 1997 I have been praying for them. Until 2011, my prayer was for the salvation especially of my dad. One everyone got saved, I prayed for their growth in life and participation in the normal.church life. Then, from 2012, the Lord recovered them for the church life in my home time. Now, when they visited us here in Gurugram, they also participated in the church life; small group meetings and fellowship withthe saints.

These two meetings were special as my parent were able to join during their visit to us. The Lord has also provided the needed vehicle at the right time for this purpose. In the two meetings, my parent had the opportunity to meet with many other saints.  It has been my prayer that the Lord would bless them even in their old age to be a channel of blessing to the younger generation. 

May the Lord continue to bless them richly.

Family Reunion in Gurugram

Since last year, my father has been calling me, requesting for a proper time for him to come visit us. Due to my hectic traveling schedule, I was no able to make any arrangement as their visit required at least a month's stay for medical check ups, especially, their dental works to be done. Therefore, only  this month was conducive for me, as I also put on hold all traveling plans as long as my parent are with me.

Once my son completed his class ten board exam, my mom and dad came to visit us. Right away, I started all the medical tests, eye check up, and dental works. Every night, we ate meals together, had some fellowship, and prayed together. They both are very happy to be with us especially with their grand children.

To me, this is the blessing of God and an answer to all the prayers we have offered for our parent. My prayers for my parents, both mine and my wife's, have been that the Lord would bless them with Himself as the Blessing; bless them with good health and long life filled with peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. In fact, this prayer has been answered. 

As much as the Lord graced me, I would do my best to honor my parent according to His words.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with a promise, “That it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth.”

Ephesians 6:1-3, RecVer

The future is in the Lord’s hand which I know nothingabout, and the present is also in the Lord’s hand which I can cooperate with God in honoring my earthly patent. As long as, and as much as possible, trusting in the Lord’s grace, I would do my best to honor my parent in every practical way possible. It was a joy indeed to take care of them practically, buying for them whatever they need, especially, the food they enjoy to eat. Spiritual and mental peace along with physical supply as the Lord provides, is what they have been enjoying these days. 

We have been enjoying our family reunion in Gurugram as the Lord has been gracing and blessing us. May the Lord’s grace and blessings continue to be our enjoyment.