Special Attendant

It was in a Christian leaders-and-pastors gathering at Ghaziabad on 15th January 2018 that as serving ones in the literature service, we introduced the ministry books with the burden that all Christians need to have a taste of the ministry as the ministry of the word is for all. Once we introduced the ministry books to the Christian leaders and exhibited them, a young brother who had undergone education in four master degrees came up to have a fellowship on the books and his feeling in general.

Among all the pastors and leaders gathered there, he probably must be the only one who was not, in reality, a pastor or leader, as the rest of them. But he seemed to be the most seeking among all. He expressed his joy at our announcing of the ministry literature and yet was dismayed by the response of the many so-called "leaders and pastors" who do not seem to appreciate the word of God. His case in point was that he had read Watchman Nee and was very blessed by it, and the pastors he saw were not very keen on Christian literature as he assumed that they should love the books much more than him. This is the hard fact: Not everyone loves the word of God, much less the writings of brother Watchman Nee or Witness Lee. Mostly according to my own personal experience, there are a just a handful of those who understood and tasted the depth and orthodoxy of the ministry of the word. By the Lord's mercy, I happened to be just one of them who have been blessed very much by the ministry of the word through the two brothers.

This brother visited us on the following weekend and we had a wonderful time of fellowship together. it so happened that our Bible reading portion that day was on Exodus 4 and 5 on the how God called Moses and the subjective signs of the experiences of the called ones. It was indeed a good time of fellowship and review on our service as God's called ones. I was freshly reminded of the God who called me and who would carry out the calling for which He called me for. 

And the Angel of Jehovah appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a thornbush. And when he looked, there was the thornbush, burning with fire; but the thornbush was not consumed.
And Moses said, I must turn aside now and see this great sight, why the thornbush does not burn up. Exodus 3:2-3 

Our fellowship on the subjective signs of being called and sent by God in Exodus 4 was amazing. A brother and I spoke extensively in one accord and in one mouth, the significances of those signs, and how those need to be experienced. We are happy to acknowledge the source from which we have learned all these. Our speaking was an elaboration of the footnote in the Recovery Version of the Holy Bible.

In chapter 3 God gave Moses the sign of the thornbush (3:2-3). In this chapter God gave Moses three additional signs as evidence that he had truly been called and sent by God. The meaning of the first sign, the sign of the staff becoming a serpent (vv. 2-4), is that anything we rely on apart from God—our education, our occupation, etc.—is actually the hiding place of Satan, the usurping serpent. However, when at God’s word we throw it down and then take it up again “by the tail,” i.e., in the way opposite to the practice of the worldly people, using it for God’s purpose and not for ourselves, it becomes a staff of authority (vv. 4, 17; Luke 10:19). In the second sign, the sign of the hand becoming leprous (vv. 6-7), the bosom signifies what is within us, and leprosy signifies sin. This sign shows that our flesh is the embodiment of leprosy; in it there is nothing good, nothing but sin, corruption, and uncleanness (Rom. 7:17-18; cf. Isa. 6:5). Nevertheless, when we obey the Lord by keeping His word, His cleansing power is able to make us clean. The meaning of the third sign, the sign of the water becoming blood (v. 9), is that in the eyes of God all the earthly supply and worldly enjoyment (the water of the Nile) are nothing but death (blood). When they are poured out on that which produces life (the ground), immediately the death is exposed.

It also turned out that this young brother was also burdened to bring the ministry of the word to his native people in Odisha by offering himself to translate the ministry books to Oriya. Time will tell if this brother is today's Moses to bring the word of God to his people and deliver them from the bondage of religion. We prayed together before we dropped off our brother with a new assignment for translation only if he could pass the trial round. May the Lord gain him for His interest on earth among the Oriya speaking believers. 

To me, this meeting with this brother amidst the crowd of leaders and pastors was significant; he indeed was a special attendant.