Friday, 19 July 2019

Priest of Jehovah, Minister of Our God

But you will be called the priests of Jehovah; 
People will speak of you as the ministers of our God. 
You will eat the wealth of nations, 
And you will boast in their glory. Isaiah 61:6

It was the 6th July, during my time with the Lord, I was reading His holy word when He spoke to me this word to affirm and reconfirm His calling that He gave on 1st January 2003. I was attending the Summer Training in the USA and was given hospitality at a brother's house in Irvine, California when the Lord spoke to me again in a very specific way about His calling.

Surprisingly enough, the people that I have been shepherding have always like to address me as "Priest" or "Minister" or even "Pastor". Of course, these ones have not yet been fully brought into the church-life. Their understanding of someone who shepherds them is addressed as such. I do not mind being addressed as such, but deep within me, I feel uncomfortable because of the misuse of these titles by many Christians in the denomination. Though these are good, honorable, and respectable titles, I do not feel I deserve them. I always feel comfortable at being simply addressed as "Brother." That sounds sweet and peaceful, and I always prefer and love it that way.

This time around when I visited the USA again for the third time, the immigration officer at San Franciso Airport asked me this simple question as I was about to enter the USA, "Are you a Minister or a Priest?" I truly wondered what made her think that I am a Minister or a Priest. I was in a queue of many other immigrants and this question was asked to me. I was very hesitant to identify myself as a Minister or a Priest, and I always have, yet I had no choice but to reply to her. I answered, "Yes, something like that..."  Then, without any further question, she let me pass into the USA. In fact, the first time I entered the USA in 2016, two immigration officers at Los Angeles Airport asked me the same question with a further query on how I served the Lord in India.

In the eyes of the Lord, the Lord has called and chosen me to serve Him; though I always have the feeling that I don't deserve to serve the Lord full-time. It is His mercy that He called me, and by His grace, He qualified me, and I have been serving the Lord all these years. It is the faithfulness of the Lord whose faithfulness has become mine to be able to serve Him. When He spoke words as, "But you will be called the priests of Jehovah; People will speak of you as the ministers of our God" I simply bow my head in awesome wonder to God and thank Him for gracing me to serve Him.

In fact, whatever the Lord has spoken through His words have all been fulfilling; not once, but all the time. On the spiritual side, I have been called the priest of Jehovah or the ministers of God, at the same, "I am eating the wealth of nations, and am boasting in their glory." For the Lord have faithfully and richly been providing all my needs. Praise Him!

One fine morning a sister, who is the host of my hospitality in Irvine, asked me in the presence of his son who had been struggling to answer the Lord's call to serve full-time, "Brother, you have been serving the Lord for so many years now, do you have any lack financially?" My innate answer was, "No, never! The Lord meets all my needs in abundance!" Then she replied, "Praise the Lord!" I wondered why she asked me such an absurd question suddenly. A few days later, she told me she wanted to let her son know in reality that the Lord is faithful to supply all the needs of the full-time serving ones. That's why she asked me that question intentionally in the presence of his son. Then, I understood. And before I left her home to come back to India, her son, after much prayer and consideration, decided to serve the Lord full-time, and thanked us for being with their family for one week long to be a witness to him.  

Praise the Lord! The word of God is living and true! "But you will be called the priests of Jehovah; People will speak of you as the ministers of our God. You will eat the wealth of nations, And you will boast in their glory." Isaiah 61:6

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