New Beginning

So then if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away; behold, they have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17   

The new year 2020 has been a new beginning indeed. From day one, everything seems to become new at least as far as I am concerned, especially, in my personal spiritual experiences. The change of year has brought in a drastic change in my living and function. Some crucial items I have been wanting to implement in my life the previous years were systematically falling in place this new year. The Lord also moves behind the scenes and works out all things good for me. So far, I have been very thankful to the Lord for this new beginning, and I trust the Lord will continue to grace me to have this new life, new living, new beginning throughout the years, even all the days of my life.

In Shepherding

The Lord has been gracing me, beginning this year, to have a morning revival time with three brothers. One in the morning with prayer, then another one over the phone during lunchtime, and the other one also during lunch break, over the phone. On the one hand, these brothers have been shepherded and yet, on the other hand, I have been very much shepherded too. Each time, I could spend 10-30 minutes with these brothers on a regular basis. My function in the church, mostly in the shepherding of the saints and my own enjoyment of the Lord has increased a lot. Praise the Lord for His grace!

In Function

The Lord gave me, perhaps, he revealed to me with whom I have to coordinate in my specific function in the church. A brother and I started to pray, pursue, fellowship, and shepherd the new ones together since this year's beginning. As we coordinate to pray and fellowship together to take care of new ones, we ourselves are being shepherded very richly.

New Service

A new service was allotted to me; the Young People Service of the church. I used to have a burden for the young ones, yet my burden had diminished for years, as I have been functioning more on the community and working saints. When this burden came to me in fellowship, it was rather a shocking assignment to me. But later, I realized the Lord wanted me to specifically function in this area of the church life. Honestly, I do not consider myself worthy nor do I have any confidence that I will be able to help the young people. Moreover, my burden to date has been more on the working saints.

I began this service by prayer and received this burden as it is from the Lord. My goal in serving young people is to shepherd them even to join the full-time training. At the moment, there are nine young people in the church life. Each of them needs a special care; to begin with, by prayer and then to shepherd them one by one and one on one.

My first action in serving the young people was in prayer and studying the booklet, "How to Lead the Young People".  Then I invited them to my home for a love feast dinner and fellowshipped with them on "loving the Lord", giving them a vision of how precious their youth life is, and encouraged all of them to read the Bible daily, even to read through the Bible this year.

New Ones and New Homes

Beginning this year, some new ones that I could hardly contact them started contacting me. They became so open that I could start meeting them, pray with them, and visit them at their homes. Surely, the Lord is behind the scene in all these. May the Lord grace me to be a faithful and diligent servant and steward.

A man should account us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Here, furthermore, it is sought in stewards that one be found faithful. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2

May the Lord preserve me in His newness to faithfully carry out His new commission and blessing.