Take Heed Lest Ye Fall

So then let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 1 Corinthians 10:12

A loving warning to every believer especially to those who devote most of their time to serve the Lord. When taking care of believers, the enemy is never happy, he's been fuming his anger, if possible, to do away with the shepherd as with the sheep. He has his job as roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8) all night and all day. So this warning, take heed lest ye fall.

The Lord has burdened me to shepherd a couple who's on the way to the church life. This couple loves the Lord very much, and their emotions so tender. They just called me if I could visit them and pray with them amidts my busy official duty. On second thought, I felt I should go as I felt the need from the Lord, to take care of the saints' feeling, to strike the iron when its still hot. Procrastinating would only cool them down and may miss the opportunity to minister Christ. I went and prayed together for certain specific matters, which even led them to tears. They were so happy and felt cherished with the human care and nourished with the corporate prayer. O what a joy indeed to mutually care for one another. We are human so we still need human care.

Later in the evening, after official duty, I had a home meeting with an old uncle whom the Lord has miraculously turned from communist ideology to Christ at his old age. The way to shepherd this uncle of my father's age is just to patiently give him an ear to hear what he has to say--whatever, and then I finally hit home the nourishing loving word of scheduling time for prayer, contacting the Lord, reading the word and translating the ministry books, and praying for the salvation of the entire household. That's a real cherishing to him.

Again, afterward, I went for a home meeting with a family who's been struggling in life, physically and spiritually. Among them was a brother who's been filled with confusions and doubts about the basic Christian faith. Having traveled the rough terrain of his Christian path, he had gathered many dusts all along. To him I just used the Bible as the only unique authority that confirms the Christian faith, not feelings or thinking. Objective knowledge of God has clouded his mind without any subjective experience, and that confuses him when what he knows does not match what he is experiencing. I refuted the truth about salvation by faith and the need for touching the Lord in his spirit where Christ is, by daily exercise of calling upon the Lord's Name, praying and eating the word with fellowshiping with the saints in the church. These visit really gave him a new beginning as he confessed he's been helped. May grace lead him through.

Having found grace and supplying strength from the Lord to cherish and nourish others, I myself need much more cherishing and nourishing in return. When shepherding others we are shepherded in return. And the enemy's vile intention is drawn to the uttermost. For it is a spiritual battle, I must be always on the alert. When shepherding others I need to take heed or lest I fall. This is what the Lord reminded. Take heed lest ye fall. Lord, make me heed that I may never fall.

We Pray!

O Jehovah, do save, we pray! O Jehovah, do send prosperity, we pray! Psalms 118:25

"Do save," in Hebrew means Hoshiah-na,  the source for hosanna in the New Testament. Its an aptly rhema word the Lord spoke to me. I indeed need this very much and I believe every believer needs too. Salvation from eternal perdition is settled once for all on the day of regeneration. However, since then, every saved believer needs daily salvation. As Paul said in Philipians 2:12 b "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." We need to work out our daily salvation by taking Christ as our living, experience and enjoyment. To be saved from the world, Satan, self and sin. To be save from anything other than Christ himself. To be saved even from good things emanating from the soul. To be saved from not living according to the spirit. O how much I need this daily salvation by the divine life supply of God, the Father, in Christ, the Son, as the Spirit as grace! O Jehovah, do save me, I pray!

"Prosperity," is a very deceptive word among many charismatic and prosperity gospel preacher and believers today, fully twisting it to mean physical prosperity of becoming rich or buying new land or house or car or what not. This is the fallen application of the word among many. When God blesses, no doubt, there are many physical blessings involved too. Only He decides what and when and where is best for such prosperity. That's up to Him. But our understanding rightly should be that of heavenly, spiritual and divine blessings given to us by the Triune God as in Ephesian 1:3 and the following verses concerning His divine economy. These blessings are heavenly in nature, state, characteristic and atmosphere. These are the prosperity every believers need today and should long for. This prosperity is to prosper in the work of the Lord for the fulfillment of His divine purpose through us today.  O Jehovah, so send prosperity to me, I pray!

Prayer

I watch, and I am like a lone sparrow on a housetop. Psalm 102 :7


This verse typify the Lord in His affliction and expressed His continued dependence upon God the Father as a lone sparrow on the housetop. This was His living, and He prayed not for Himself but for the Father's heart's desire. To such an extend, the Father's desire was His desire, not caring for His own desire. This reminded me of  two important things: 1) To spend time with the Father 2) To pray according to the Father's desire. 


A life of prayer is a must for every child of God. Even, if it is a legality, I say, we must pray. This habit must be inculcated in every believer. And this must be our living every day. Once one spends time daily and regularly in prayer He will all the more be infused with the Father's desire and his interest and desire will be only of the Father. Once this is done, then v.14, "For your servants take pleasure in her stones, and show favor to her dust." Once endowed and burdened with the Father's desire, we will take pleasure in her "stones", the believers in the church and show favor to her "dust", the ground of oneness.


To take pleasure in her stones requires maturity in the divine life. To see the saints as beautiful as the Lord Himself requires the Lord's life Himself as one's life and living. Yes, the saints may be weak and fallen, but still their sainthood by virtue of the divine birth never changes. What makes the beholder the difference is with what heart he beholds. With God's heart all the saints are beautiful.


To show favor to her dust is to favor the ground of oneness where the church stands. The ground is the mingling of the Triune God with the believers. The ground of oneness, of God's choice where His name is and where He should be worshipped. And this view is possible with the heart of the Father.


The Lord inspired me these verses today to regularly spend time with the Father and be burdened with His burden for His heart's desire and have His view towards the saints and the church. The saints are beautiful, the churches are glorious!

Humble Service

..It is not fitting for us to forsake the word of God and serve tables. Acts 6:2b


Two kinds of services are revealed here: ministering the word of God and serving tables. The context of this verse gave more weight to "the word of God", nevertheless, "serving tables" is not neglected either. Both are important. Judging by human logic, "the word of God" far out-weights "serving tables". And it is very easy to lower the value of "serving tables" which sounds a mere levitical service. A self secluded spiritual person will definitely prefer "the word of God" to "serving tables" if he were to be given a choice. In my flesh, I would be no different. And so likewise, most or at least some.


But reading further verses v.5, "Stephen" and "Philip" were among the seven selected for "serving the tables"! This is amazing. Who was Stephen? V.8 says, "And Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people". Take a break.  Stephen, full of 1) grace and 2) power, 3) did great wonders and signs. Acts 8:5-8 records how God used Philip for preaching the Gospel, casting out unclean spirit and healing many who were paralysed and lame. 


Today, if the likes of Stephen and Philip in their spiritual capacity and manifestations were here, who will serve tables? On the contrary there will be a huge advertisement on any possible media for a huge "spirit filled, powerful messages?" What a shame on today's self exalted generation of Christianity! To the eyes of God, serving tables is serving Him too! Stephen was chosen to serve tables! If Stephen as such could be, why not you and me who are in no way comparison to Stephen?  This is a real challenge to me and many as well. Just to faithfully accept the Lord's sovereign arrangement. The nature of service is immaterial, what is of utmost important is our attitude towards the Lord's wise arrangement.


May the Lord have mercy on me and many of us to be faithful to any service assigned to us, be it cleaning, mopping the floor, arranging the chairs, cooking, washing dishes in the church. All services to God are equal to God. The lower the service it sounds to men, the better it is, giving no room for pride to have its spell cast upon.

Hospitality

Contribute to the needs of the saints; pursue hospitality. Romans 12:13
Do not forget hospitality, for through this some, without knowing it, have entertained angels. Romans 12:13



In Romans 12:13 is to "pursue hospitality". In Philippians 3:14 is to "pursue Christ" and in 1 Corinthians 14:1 is to "pursue love..". As much as we pursue Christ, we also ought to pursue the various virtues of Christ expressed in human love and cherishing hospitality. To pursue Christ is spiritual and divine, and to purse love and hospitality is equally spiritual and divine with the expression of humanity. It will be ugly odd to only focus on the spiritual aspect of pursuing without the human expression of love and caring hospitality. The later compliments the former. If one genuinely does pursue Christ, it will be definitely manifested in the tender cherishing humanity of mutual love and care.


"Do not forget hospitality..", this is a gentle command. This is not an obligation and can easily be neglected, however, the Lord reminds, "do not forget", which implies the importance of hospitality. To God its so important that we have to be reminded, "do not forget". Not only so, the Lord attached a reward with such an act of hospitality, which is, "a blessing in disguise from God Himself in His visitation". Meaning, the guests are representative of God Himself, visiting us as He did with Abraham. With this revelation, which fool on earth would not entertain angles, God Himself? Making the case clear, we have to grasp for
hospitality whenever opportunity knocks our doors.


The Lord reminded me again of my need to be broad hearted and take care of the needs of the saints. By doing so, unknowingly, angles have been entertained. With this vision, I was delivered from reluctance to give hospitality due to my limited capacity. The Lord indeed knows my need to learn more. This indeed is one of my weaknesses and I am still learning. Thank the Lord, He reminded me of this need and how I look to the Lord for the grace to be such a person so loving and hospitable as Christ Himself is.