Shepherding: A Brother in Need

It has been months since we last met at his residence when a brother hosted me when I visited him at Vizag. Our time spent together was mostly in fellowship on the truths of the word of God. With tears, he prayed and fellowshipped his desire to be recovered into the oneness and fellowship of the Body of Christ after he was wallowing in the mire of religious Christianity for a decade. Though we agreed for follow up fellowship, that did not work out well. There was a lot of resistance behind the scene; a spiritual warfare was waging against his come back to the healthy, normal and proper Christian life in a normal church-life.

Two days ago he texted me of his plan to come to visit me for a fellowship. I replied with a proposal for over the phone prayer. The next day, he called me for prayer and we prayed over the phone together, and today morning too. This is a potential brother for the Lord's move in Chattisgarh and Odisha; as he has consecrated his life to serve the Lord in these two states. 

With a burden for him primarily and also for the two states, I had fellowshipped with the brothers to invite him for a training, which did not work our from his side. Later, when he proposed a training, I just laid it aside until the burden is crystal clear. But now, he is the one initiating for fellowship. I prefer it this way for all the seeking believers; not to run after them, but they should run after us. And this is always the case once they see the heavenly vision of Christ and the church as Paul saw in Acts 9.

For decade, he has been doing "ministry" with different "ministers" only to discover the corruption within the system and the "ministers" themselves in regard to money and relationships. Though he faced a very difficult situation, the Lord meant it good for his recovery. Though a minister and speaker himself, he acknowledged that he had nothing to speak except the ministry of the word he learned from us. Despite the many teachings, doctrines and practices out there in the religious division of Christianity, this bother has tasted the truthfulness, reality, life-supply, depth and effectiveness of the ministry of the word we uphold in building up the Body of Christ. He has no where else to go, but to the fellow members of the Body of Christ. So is the shepherding.

This is a wonderful experience for me too; shepherding a brother in need, and I am being shepherded in return.

Lord, thank you for the ministry of the word; preserve us in this ministry of the Body, in the Body, for the building up the Body of Christ.