Ministry of the Word

The ministering of the word, especially all the riches of the Lord's recovery is for all the children of God. I am so blessed to be graced to partake of the ministry of the age. Not a boast but a fact, I am eating the grain that I am treading in my official service in the literature service. Besides, as I study the Bible, Recovery Version, with the notes and the Life-study of the Bible regularly, now and then, the Lord would burden me to minister my enjoyment of the ministry of the word with the saints and fellows believers. Often I would mail them or text them using all the latest technology. 

I was filled with the Lord's presence as I enjoyed the ministry of the word, and share with fellow believers. I feel this is a good way to be in fellowship with many other believers. The words speaks by itself, especially when the sender really enjoys it first. Whenever I post my fresh enjoyment of the word, not any randomly or considerately picked ministry portion, immediately I sense the Lord's speaking to all those who read the post too. This way of ministering is very enjoyable and effective and a good way for the propagation of the truth. Perhaps, this is how I should function more. Only the word can sanctify and reconstitute the children of God.

Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. John 17:17

Two recent posts I did were very well received:

God's Presence:The secret of Israel’s defeat at Ai was that they had lost God’s presence and were no longer one with God. After this defeat Joshua learned the lesson of staying with the Lord before the Ark (v. 6a). Eventually, the Lord came in to speak to him and to tell him what to do (vv. 10-15). The spiritual lesson to be learned from this account is that we, the people of God, should always be one with our God, who is not only among us but also in us, making us men with God—God-men. As God-men, we should practice being one with the Lord, walking with Him, living with Him, and having our entire being with Him (Rom. 8:4; 2 Cor. 2:10; Gal. 5:16, 25). This is the way to walk as a Christian, to fight as a child of God, and to build up the Body of Christ. If we have the Lord’s presence, we have wisdom, insight, foresight, and the inner knowledge concerning things. The Lord’s presence is everything to us. Joshua 7:4 Footnote 1, Recovery Version

        Christian: http://online.recoveryversion.org/FootNotes.asp?FNtsID=7899

         1 Peter 4:16But if as a ^1aChristian, let him not be ^bashamed, but let him ^2cglorify God in this name.

---

16¹ Gk. Christianos, a word formed from Latin. The ending ianos, denoting an adherent of someone, was applied to slaves belonging to the great families in the Roman Empire. One who worshipped the emperor, the Caesar, or Kaisar, was called Kaisarianos, which meansan adherent of Kaisar, a person who belongs to Kaisar. When people believed in Christ and became His followers, some in the Empire came to consider Christ a rival of their Kaisar. Then, at Antioch (Acts 11:26) they began to call the followers of Christ Christianoi (Christians), adherents of Christ, as a nickname, a term of reproach. Hence, this verse says, "As a Christian, let him not be ashamed"; that is, if any believer suffers at the hands of the persecutors who contemptuously call him a Christian, he should not feel ashamed but should glorify God in this name.

Today the term Christian should bear a positive meaning, that is, a man of Christ, one who is one with Christ, not only belonging to Him but also having His life and nature in an organic union with Him, and who is living by Him, even living Him, in his daily life. If we suffer for being such a person, we should not feel ashamed but should be bold to magnify Christ in our confession by our holy and excellent manner of life to glorify (express) God in this name.

Genuine Burden : Crowd of Cares

Apart from the things which have not been mentioned, there is this: the crowd of cares pressing upon me daily, the anxious concern for all the churches. 2 Corinthians 11:28 

Prayer and Fellowship, Blending and Building

Two years have elapsed since the first time we meet and fellowshiped with the saints in Shillong. Since then, occasional visit and frequent fellowship followed suit. Yet all this while, the Lord has been working on the saints, especially among all the leading brothers.

Personally, I was so burdened by the Lord to be in fellowship with one of the brothers; not my choice, but the Lord's implantation of His burden into me. Often, I would pray and intercede for the full recovery of the saints and the church into the sweet and one fellowship of the Body of Christ. At times, the situations was encouraging, and yet other times, I was driven to intercede before the Lord with much desperateness. Sometimes hope and other times dismay. These experiences were also blogged in Crowd of Cares, twice in 2013 :

http://palmeichung.blogspot.in/2013/10/crowd-of-cares.html

http://palmeichung.blogspot.in/2013/07/crowd-of-cares.html

This year 2015, I began to pray with the brother again with much burden and fellowshipped few important things now and then. I was so burdened to invite them for the National Blending Conference in Delhi, but however, it did not work out. I just left the matter to the Lord; for only the Lord is the Lord of the recovery. Only He can recover His own to Himself and His Body. In fact, my burden was to bring the brothers from Shillong into the fellowship of the Body, especially with the brothers who serve in the work in India. To this extent I have written a special mail of fellowship, but still, it just did not work out. Thank the Lord for such an experience. That was a real lesson on shepherding.

But one morning when I was down on my bed with body weakness I received a surprise call from the brother that he would like to attend a training in Aizawl. This call rejuvenated my spirit; literally I was up on my knees, and we prayed together over the phone for the recovery of the fellowship of the oneness and reality of the Body of Christ. That was the beginning of a recovery into the fellowship of the Body. Immediately I fellowshipped with the brothers there and the brother who were visiting, for more fellowship.

Few days later, I received another surprise and impromptu visit call from the brother that he would be visiting us.  Inwardly, I was concerned as I would not be able to meet the need of hospitality due. As this is our family's weak area with three kids. But I left the matter to the Lord.

Praise the Lord we had a wonderful time of blending. All the while they were with us here the Lord also blessed the church in Gurgaon very much. All the meetings were full of spirit. Some fellowship on this visit were:

Morning Revival : He experienced and enjoyed the corporate morning revival with us and was so impressed by the practice of being revived in the morning and also a solid spiritual food for growth, nourishment and enjoyment of the word. He felt so convinced by the Lord that all the saints in the church in Shillong and all over Meghalaya, for those who can manage English, to enter into the HWMR starting from the current one, Exodus Vol. 1.

He ordered 100 copies each. However, due to the shortage of print, as we have not included the churches in Meghalaya yet, we could offer only 45 copies this time. From the coming issues, 100 more copies will be added in the English print.

  

Group Meeting : He also attend one of the group meetings in the church in Gurgaon where everything was done in mutuality with the exercise of the spirit; in reading the Bible, pray-reading verses, studying the footnotes, sharing, testifying and prophesying, he was so much impressed.  He longs to have this kind of group meeting there too.

Prayer Meeting : He and his wife also attended the prayer meeting of the church in Gurgaon and was so touched by the way the prayer burdens were released. Each saints releasing the burden with a strong spirit in few sentences without any gap but following the flow of the Holy Spirit. He and his wife commented that that was the first time in their Christian life they ever experienced such a prayer meeting with such a strong spirit. They expressed their desire that the prayer meeting in their locality can also be such.

Translation : Officially we have briefed him about the literature service and the principles of translation. He is so burdened to start the Khasi translation right away. A room in his house would be used for literature office, and two sisters (who are also his daughters) will be serving on a regular basis with two more sisters, part time, and a brother with him will be starting on Tracts, Rhema Books and so on. Similarly, for the distribution, he will fellowship with some saints to spread the ministry books.

Trainings : He also visited the Training Center and we briefed him about the various kind of training. He will fellowship with the saints and consider to start sending saints for the full time (qualified ones) and some for part-time. 

Ministry Books : He has purchased 14 Kgs of Print on Demand books for his pursuing and also for the saints in Shillong. Among this, he will enter into 96 lessons  and share with the saints, and also got Hymnals and Hymns CDs for them to listen and be familiar with the tune. He also felt the need to start using the hymns of the Lord's recovery in their meeting.

Since May 2013 when we first met with the saints in Shillong, the faithful Lord has been working on them and the prayers of the Body have been answered one by one. Many things have changed for the better. Though we never touch anything outward, but ministered life with the ministry of the word whenever we visited, the Lord's shining transformed even many outward matters. Outward matters like, chair arrangement, offering collection, prophesying and recently regular and weekly Lord's Table meetings were all recovered.

To this I can only say, "Praise the Lord!" The Lord knows best, and His timing and ways are perfect. We only need to wait upon Him in prayer and uphold the burden the Lord has imparted, faithfully.

Lord, be my faithfulness in bearing the burden You have blessed me with. Any genuine burden from the Lord will be fulfilled in the Lord's perfect time.

DLF

Divine Life Flowing....

Tonight as we fasted and prayed for the Lord's move in Gurgaon, especially for the community the Lord has blessed us with, DLF-1, we enjoyed the flow of the divine life so much. As we sang and pray-read and prayed, the Lord filled us inwardly and gave us a clear sky.

Isaiah 44:3For I will pour water upon the thirsty land, And streams upon the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit upon your seed, And My blessing upon your offspring. 

The city of Gurgaon is a very thirsty land; many crowd flogged into this city for jobs, yet the city is dry spiritually. Everywhere you sense the spiritual thirst and drought.  But the promise of the Lord is, "He will pour water!" Not just pour but there will be streams springing forth with living water upon this dry ground. Besides, He will pour out His Spirit and His blessing upon this city!

As we pray-read and prayed, the Lord gave us a clear sky about this area. He will flow Himself out as the divine life. Then, it became very clear to us the promise of the Lord for DLF. It is the "Divine Life Flowing...!" By the divine life flowing, every family will receive the Lord's blessing; and no force on earth can stop nor hinder the Lord's divine life flowing.

This divine(D) life(L) flowing(F) will quench and swallow up all the deadness(D), lukewarmness(L) and failures(F) choking the testimony of the Lord in Gurgaon for so long. This is the promise of the Lord! When He promises His Spirit and His blessing it will water this thirsty land and stream will be upon this dry ground. Hallelujah!   

Even as we continued to enjoy the Lord's flowing and filling we became very clear what the Lord wants to gain in DLF, to gain twenty five(25) families for His strong and shining testimony as the church in Gurgaon. Now our goal for the propagation in this city this year is very clear. Praise the Lord!

We were reminded time and again; we are not doing any outward work, but enjoying the divine life flowing into us that the same divine life my flow out through us by the preaching of the gospel. By the time we finish our "fasting prayer" we felt we were all "feasting on the Lord". In fact, there was no felling of fasting at all, it was all feasting on the Lord!

All these are bringing in the Lord's shower of blessings (Hymn 260) and with joy we will draw water or of the well of salvation (Hymn 1340)! These are the very hymns we enjoyed as well!

Not by Might, But by My Spirit

This is the word of Jehovah to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says Jehovah of hosts. Zechariah 4:6

These days the gospel preaching in Gurgaon has been a real battle we are fighting in the Lord. The local people are very precious in the eyes of the Lord. With all their wealth, positions and possessions, they are like the Anakim, "nations greater and mightier than you, cities that are big and fortified up to heaven and a people great and tall". But we do not lose heart. For the Lord has defeated His enemy at the cross of Calvary. We are just proclaiming the accomplished fact of the Lord.

There has been quite a struggle inwardly and outwardly here in this city as far as the preaching of the gospel is concerned. There is a cloud of thick spiritual darkness covering this city. No matter, what one has attempted spiritually in this city, the land is just barren and dry. Only the Lord can water and turn this dry land into pasture beside stream of living water. 

Even in my own personal spiritual experience, I sensed such a strong spiritual resistance in this city. In terms of time spent on prayers, it is almost daily praying for this city for the past decade. Yet so far not a fruitful result. But I am not discouraged nor will I ever give up. In fact, I have told the Lord again and again, that I am willing to die in this land for His testimony. Only the mercy of the Lord can grant me this. Gurgaon for Jesus! This city should have the strongest testimony of the Lord as a pattern to many other localities. As much as the city is fast developing, the spiritual development should even be much faster. 

I know in His time the Lord will answer all the prayers offered to Him. And I feel that the time is coming.... All the baptisms, all the home meetings, and group meeting hardly survives long here. This experience of "bareness and defeat" will no longer be so... For the Lord is moving behind all the scenes. His Spirit is carrying out His divine works. Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says Jehovah of hosts. Zechariah 4:6

And the time has come. 

Lord, bless the people of Gurgaon with Yourself and the divine, heavenly and spiritual blessing!

Propagation in Gurgaon

Year by year, saints who are undergoing the full time training have been coming to propagate the gospel of Jesus Christ in Gurgaon. Every terms have experienced the Lord in different degrees. Some fruitful, in the sense of really gaining new ones for the Lord into the church life. Whereas, mostly is the gaining of the experiences of Christ through the preaching of the gospel. Everytime, we did set a goal but mostly in prayer and in paper. This time, we have learned to look to the Lord more for everything we plan.

When the information of propagation was fellowshipped to us, we were clueless to what goal and where we should preach the gospel. But as we came togheter for prayer and fellowship, the Lord gave us a clear cut direction.

Our goal is to spend more time with the Lord; even to the extend of formulating "rules":

1. The presence of the Lord
2. The exercise of the spirit

Instead of laboring outwardly, not that we should not, but we plan to spend more time in prayer and enjoy the presence of the Lord. The presence of the Lord is everything to us; our strength, our wisdom, our insight, our foresight, our way and our goal. And thereby exercise our spirit, to live and walk in the spirit, exercising to live in one spirit with the Lord. Everything we do in the spirit is OK. These are our "two commandments".

Our theme hymn is 643, "Take time to behold Him".  

1	Take time to behold Him,   Speak oft with Thy Lord, Abide in Him always,   And feed on His Word. Wait thou in His presence,   Submissive and meek, Forgetting in nothing   His blessing to seek.
2	Take time to behold Him,   The world rushes on; Spend much time in secret   With Jesus alone. By looking to Jesus   Like Him thou shalt be; Thy friends, in thy conduct,   His likeness shall see.
3	Take time to behold Him,   Let Him be thy guide; And run not before Him   Whatever betide; In joy or in sorrow   Still follow thy Lord, And, looking to Jesus,   Still trust in His Word.
4	Take time to behold Him,   Be calm in thy soul, Each thought and each temper   Beneath His control. Thus led by His Spirit   To fountains of love, Thou then shalt be fitted   His mercy to prove.

Our theme note is Joshua 7:4 Note 1 : 

The spiritual lesson to be learned from this account is that we, the people of God, should always be one with our God, who is not only among us but also in us, making us men with with God- God-men.As God-men, we should practice being one with the Lord, walking with Him, living with Him, and having our entire being with Him (Rom. 8:4; 2 Cor. 2:10; Gal. 5:16, 25). This is the way to walk as a Christian, to fight as a child of God, and to build up the Body of Christ. If we have the Lord's presence, we have wisdom, insight, foresight, and the inner knowledge concerning things. The Lord's presence is everything to us.

Our Scripture Readings:

Deuteronomy 9:
1 Hear, O Israel! You are about to cross over the Jordan this day in order to enter in and dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, cities that are big and fortified up to heaven,
2 A people great and tall, the children of the Anakim, whom you know about and of whom you have heard it said, Who can stand before the children of Anak?
3 Know therefore today that Jehovah your God is the One crossing over before you as a consuming fire; it is He who will destroy them, and it is He who will subdue them before you, so that you may dispossess them and destroy them quickly, as Jehovah has said to you.

Deuteronomy 8:
6 Therefore keep the commandments of Jehovah your God, walking in His ways and fearing Him.
7 For Jehovah your God is bringing you to a good land, a land of water brooks, of springs and of fountains, flowing forth in valleys and in mountains;
8 A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees and pomegranates; a land of olive trees with oil and of honey;
9 A land in which you will eat bread without scarcity; you will not lack anything in it; a land whose stones are iron, and from whose mountains you can mine copper.
10 And you shall eat and be satisfied, and you shall bless Jehovah your God for the good land which He has given you. 

Whenever we come together, our hymn, our pray, our practice are all on these themes. The way to preach the gospel has now taken a new turn. A turn to the spirit for the Lord to carry out His work in us and through us.

The World

As I observed in metro city like Gurgaon, the greatest hindrance to the Lord's move is "the world". The stupefying effect of the world is so much that it even affects the saints. The same warning has been experienced time and gain as mentioned in previous blog, "Love Not the Word"- http://palmeichung.blogspot.in/2013/07/love-not-word.html

These days the speaking of the Lord is also on this line of not loving the world. Sovereignly, my readintg of the Bible and pursuing of the Life-study messages are also on the same topic, "the world". Even last night, our group meeting was on bother Watchman Nee's "Separation From the World". What a timely message for all the saints and especially myself! 

Truths that impress me a lot are:

Once we are saved, we must leave the world. The blood of Christ has bought us and we belong to Jesus; we cannot remain in the world any longer. Our salvation is an exodus from Egypt, a leaving of the world.

The leaving of the world must first transpire within our being. There must first be a deliverance in our person, in our heart and in our spirit inwardly. Otherwise, the outward separation will result only in hypocrisy without any real deliverance.

The world is anything that quenches our spiritual thirst. Anything that quenches our prayer life, our Bible reading, our love for the saints, our attending the church meetings, our fellowship with the saints, our gospel preaching, our testifying , our prophesying and anything that needs confession are the world. This definition is astounding. It was my first time to see the world in such a clarity.

The world is also what the world itself condemns, what the unbelievers will not approve of, and what even a weaker believers will stumble upon. These things could be good things, but they are the world.

The world is anything that does not conform to Christ. Even religious and spiritual things, much less, philosophical and superstitious things are also the world.  

The world is also anything that does not glorify God. Many good things may be glorified by men, but there may not be an iota of glory to God. However much appraise it may be, talked up or acclaimed news headlines as good deeds, if no glory is to God, these are the world. The more the good they are, the more subtle they become.

To be separated from the world, the real solution is in the "growth in life" by eating, drinking and breathing the Lord, day by day. As the Lord grows from within our being, by the divine life growth, we will be delivered inwardly first from the love of the world and be ultimately separated and sanctified fully from the world. 

Lord,  grant us all the grace we need, to be fully released from the bondage of the world fully, and be  sanctified and separated thoroughly.

Hospitality

Two years ago, as a young couple with kids, my wife and I, was really struggling in the matter of hospitality. Facility wise and in man power, we were not just ready to give any hospitality to any saints. Apart from this, all the other activities like gospel preaching, shepherding, group meeting and church meetings were all attended well. Often, I used to wonder when we can grow up in this matter of hospitality. One of the characteristic of a serving ones is being hospitable. In 2013 December 31st night, I even shared about the weakness in giving hospitality, and the need to improve.

In 2014 December, the Lord enlarged our capacity so much. He graced us to be able to give hospitality to our parents, both my parent and my wife's parent, each for one month. And later, Saints from Shillong came and stayed with us for few days, and occasional love feasts for different saints. Physically it was busy-schedule, but we received a lot of help and blessings in giving hospitality. The Lord has answered our prayer and enlarged our capacity in this area.

Throughout the years the Lord has been leading us and blessing us, stage by stage. Still looking to the Lord for more grace to grow in every aspect of our Christian life and the church life. Even now with three kids, we are learning not just to manage our family affair, but much more to take care of the saints, the church and the new ones, besides my official responsibilities in the literature service. All these are carried out by the Lord's grace, wisdom and blessings. 

O for more grace, to me more enlarged in our capacities and functions! 

From This Day

Haggai 2:19 Is there yet seed in the barn? Indeed even the vine and the fig tree and the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit; from this day I will bless you.

In Life

1 Timothy 6: 13
God, who preserves all things in life

Genuine Care

Deuteronomy 15:

7 If among you there is a needy one amidst your brothers within any of your gates in your land, which Jehovah your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart and you shall not close up your hand from your needy brother;

8 But you must open your hand to him, and you must lend enough for his need in whatever he lacks.

9 Be careful that there is not within your heart a base thought like this: The seventh year, the year of release, is near; and your eye be evil against your needy brother and you do not give him anything, and he cry against you to Jehovah, and it become sin to you.

10 You must give to him, and your heart shall not be displeased when you give to him; for on account of this matter Jehovah your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings.

11 For the needy will not cease being in the land; therefore I am commanding you, saying, You must open your hand to your brother, to the poor one with you and to the needy one with you in your land.

These days the Lord's leading in me and in my family is to take of the needy saints. In fact, by the Lord's mercy, we have spent a lot for others and we are almost running out. Yet still last week, a family fellowshipped of their urgent need. Though we were almost running out in our liquid cash, still the need was sufficient. In fellowship with my wife, we had the grace to help them again. 

Immediately after this, I received a phone call from a distant uncle asking for my account number as his son wanted to offer some from the scholarship he received, to those from whom he received spiritual blessings. (I never reckon myself as any blessing to anyone, but someone feels so that must really be the Lord's doing. And I dare not go against the Lord's operation in people). Initially I thought of rejecting it straight away, but the Lord impressed me that it was His hand to provide me. Later, an amount was transferred.

Following this was another sister who was again in urgent need fellowshipping with me. We just got sufficient to meet her need as we received an offering. Again in fellowship with my wife, the Lord enabled us to help her. There was a lot of cash transaction and fellowship too. 

By the way, while all these needs were brought to us, the Lord's speaking to me was both from my Bible reading and the Life-study of  Deuteronomy. What I had been going through was just confirmed by the Lord's speaking in the ministry of the word. I just could not deny that the Lord wanted us to help.  Even after taking care of the needy saints, still we have sufficient to meet our urgent needs. In fact, we even booked a flat in Gurgaon under a Government's affordable scheme. This is almost like an impossible case becoming possible. If this is not the Lord's hand, it is none else. 

In caring for the needy saints, the Lord's blessings are even more in abundance. "v 10b for on account of this matter Jehovah your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings." I confirm this verse in what we have been experiencing these days. This word of the Lord keeps ringing in my ear whenever needy saints comes for help, "You must open your hand to your brother, to the poor one with you and to the needy one with you in your land." Even when my wife commented that whenever any saint needs help they will always come to us and you will never say "no". To this I replied that it was not my natural goodness that helps, but the leading of the Lord through His speaking. I only obey the Lord's speaking.

What a mercy, and what a grace to be blessed by God to be able to bless others, especially the needy saints! We don't deserve this, but praise the Lord for His blessings! May we be preserved to be able to always care for the needy saints.

Valley of Achor (2)

In 2012, the Lord spoke a very car word concerning the seriousness of the presence of the Lord, without which nothing can be accomplished. Today, He spoke the  same words again, as I considered before the Lord for the defeat we have been facing in the propagation here in Gurgaon. But this time, it is more on the actual failure.

http://palmeichung.blogspot.in/2012/11/valley-of-achor.html

Joshua 7

12 Thus the children of Israel are not able to stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become something devoted to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy that which was devoted to destruction from among you.

13 Rise up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says Jehovah the God of Israel, There is something devoted to destruction among you, O Israel; you will not be able to stand before your enemies until you remove that which was devoted to destruction from among you.

Footnote in the recovery version enlightened me so much concerning the presence of the Lord. Note 1 of verse 4 : 

The secret of Israel's defeat at Ai was that they had lost God's presence and were no longer one with God. After this defeat Joshua learned the lesson of staying with the Lord before the Ark (v. 6a). Eventually, the Lord came in to speak to him and to tell him what to do (vv. 10-15). The spiritual lesson to be learned from this account is that we, the people of God, should always be one with our God, who is not only among us but also in us, making us men with with God- God-men. As God-men, we should practice being one with the Lord, walking with Him, living with Him, and having our entire being with Him (Rom. 8:4; 2 Cor. 2:10; Gal. 5:16, 25). This is the way to walk as a Christian, to fight as a child of God, and to build up the Body of Christ. If we have the Lord's presence, we have wisdom, insight, foresight, and the inner knowledge concerning things. The Lord's presence is everything to us.

What a timely speaking of the Lord! As we began our propagation in coordination with the trainees, the Lord's word is to care for His presence. We do not set a target yet, nor do we select where we should propagate, but we know for sure in taking care of the presence of the Lord, the Lord will lead us and gain what He wants to gain in Gurgaon.

The leading of the Lord has become so clear to me: be in the presence of the Lord; and deal with anything that hinders the presence of the Lord. Whatever price to pay, pay it and experience the presence of the Lord. This is the key to the Lord's blessing and the secret of the Lord's victory. In this regard, we will spend more time in prayer and enjoying His presence.

Genuine Burden : In The Body

Since my regeneration, the Lord has been blessing me with burdens, for people who are saved and not doing well, and also who are not yet saved. He further graced me to pray for them continuously. Many prayers have been answered and many more prayers have been added over the years. Now my list are becoming longer by the day, as burdens increases. At times, I wonder if I alone have to bear all these burdens. But since I was very clear these burdens are all from the Lord, I honor them, treasure them and pray for them as many times as I can. 

These personal burdens are very good. But from this week the Lord led me to a higher degree of bearing all these burdens. As I was fasting and praying, as usual, for all these burdens, one by one, every time I mentioned a name and prayed for, the Lord spoke to me that my prayer for that person has been answered in the Body. This was something very new I experienced recently. Every name and every matter I prayed for, the Lord's answers were, its all done in the Body.

As a confirmation, last Monday, a brother whom I have been praying for and in fellowship with for the past two years, called me and informed that he is going for a blending meeting with the saints in the nearby local churches. When he called I was physically resting as I was sick with body-ache and cough. But on hearing the glad tiding that he is going to blend with the saints out of his own will, I was so happy, I woke up from my bed and prayed with him over the phone; praising the Lord for His move. Because, I have been so burdened by the Lord for this brother to be brought into the fellowship of  the Body. Later, I texted him that the Lord may blend us and build us up into the oneness and reality of the one Body of Christ. 

Whatever I have been praying for, the Lord's answer henceforth, was, "in the Body" its all done. I have the burden for prayer, but the answer of my prayer will be carried out and fulfilled in the Body, by the Body for the Body.  

Not that now I have no more burdens any longer, but the burdens I am bearing are very light and vital now. Even in matters of prayer, I must be in the Body and be blended and builded up in the Body. All the burdens are still intact, but the way I pray and uphold them has totally changed. The same burden, but burdens are borned not by me alone, but carried forward in the Body. What a release! What a comfort!

Recent experiences confirmed this. Almost all those whom I bore in prayer alone, are all in fellowship with the saints now, and they all are in the process of recovery. I feel so release and so joyful to subjectively discover and recover this great truth that "genuine burden is in the Body." Halleluijah!

Genuine Spirituality : In the Body

The greatest test of our spirituality is the Body! What a statement this is! Though I have heard this before and read about it a couple of times, it never dawned on me the reality of this statement. 

Last week I was deeply longing to spend time with the Lord in fasting and prayer. Every time I planned, something or the other related to my coordination in the church service came in between. But every time I reconsidered to make a choice, the Lord reminded me this statement again and again, "the greatest test of my spirituality is me being in the Body, serving in, with and for the Body." So the coordination in the Body took preference over my own personal thirst for spirituality. But as I took the way of the Body, I experienced the Lord's abundant life supply!

It was Thursday night, last week, when I wanted to  fast and pray. As I was about to set out a sister informed me of the need for visiting a new family from whom also we planned to purchase some furniture. My innate response was to say no, but on considering it over, the Lord reminded me to take care of the need at the moment, to visit that new family. On my own personal assessment I was very weak, but as I went with the saints to meet the new family, life flowed out in our fellowship in gospel preaching by way of giving a testimony of how the Lord saved me from the mixture of two religions, Christianity and Hindusim, into Christ. After the gospel testifying I felt so happy and nourished. The Lord's speaking in the ministry was confirmed; my spirituality is in the Body life.

The next day, I wanted to plan another fasting and prayer time. But a new group meeting was started of which I felt I must attend.  Once again, I had to deny my spiritual taste and blend with the saints in the flow of the Spirit in and through the Body. I went for the group meeting wherein we pursued the truth concerning "Consecration." It was so life supplying and life flowing again. Instead of me praying individually I could pray and fellowship with the saints and enjoyed the Lord's supply in the Body very much.

Again on the following day, I attempted to do the same personal spiritual exercise. but the whole day I was fellowshipping with the brothers concerning the church matters. Later, in the afternoon, we prayed together and went out for gospel preaching. The burden within me for gospel preaching was so strong that I just flowed out preaching the gospel to a dozen of people in a park. Some have believed and called upon the Lord's name with the sinners' prayer. It was a joyful moment indeed, in the Body. And after the gospel preaching we went to a suburb area for a home meeting. There too, the flow of the Spirit was so sweet.

In all these incidents, though I could not carry out what I personally intended to, but the Lord's speaking and anointing was very rich. The Lord taught me and made me experience that my genuine spirituality must be tested in the Body, by the Body and for the Body. What a precious lesson! 

Of course, the Lord also gave me time to really fast and pray on some other day. The point here is, I must know the Body, living in the Body, care for the Body and always be conscious of the Body even at the cost of my own personal spirituality. A genuine and real spiritual person cares for the Body and lives in the Body. What a blessed lesson with rich experiences!