Labor of Love

Remembering unceasingly your work of faith and labor of love and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father. 1 Thessalonians 1:3

The past week the Lord has been gracious to me in reviving the hope I have in shepherding. One morning, our Life-study pursuit was on First Thessalonians concerning the work of faith and labor of love and I came to realize that all the shepherding I have been carrying out are works of faith and labor of love. The Lord has blessed me with saints and new ones that I can labor on. And He has been gracing me to continue shepherding them despite their responses. 

In fact, for a couple of months, I have given up four families as I felt that there was no point in continuing further in shepherding. For some reason or the others, there was no response from my side and their side as far as shepherding was concerned. Perhaps, the Lord was working on me in caring for those who are "troublesome". When I sense "troubles" in caring for these ones, I kind of backed off and prayed for them continually. I believe that was also the Lord's leading at that time to give them a lean season and also for me to learn to trust in the Lord and not in what I think I can do. Therefore, for months altogether, no contact, no fellowship, but only prayers for them.

Last week, the Lord burdened me to call one of the families and recovered the fellowship. In spite of the gap, his family was still very open to me and even requested for more fellowship and prayer. So after a considerable gap, the Lord has restored our fellowship again.

Another brother's family was to do with his vision and work. Because of his mixed situation in Christian service and experience, I intentionally did not feel good to follow him up for a couple of months. Last week the Lord prompted me to call and fellowship with him during my prayer time. When I called him, it was indeed the right time. In fact, he has also gone through some "misunderstanding" with the organization he has been working with, and besides, the Lord also revealed to him that he should follow His call. He had veered away from the calling to labor in the city by going to remote places carrying out an organization's burden. This affected his family life and his function as a gospel preaching. After the recovered fellowship, he began to open up about his real situation and I discovered that it was the right time to call him.

In the second call, he further shared his feeling concerning his need for the Body's fellowship and that he could not go on doing his own independent works. He confessed his need for the Body's support. I was glad to hear that from him. Today many successful evangelists are independent and they love to be independent, not willing to coordinate with anyone nor be adjusted in any way. But my brother has the sense and consciousness of the Body. This was joyful news to me. He also realized his mistakes in the past in our coordination. Now he feels the Lord has been dealing with him in bringing him back to the fellowship of the Body. Immediately, I assured him that I would bring the matter to fellowship with the brothers serving in the work in India.

The following day I fellowshipped with the brothers and they also felt good to bring him into fellowship. Therefore, he was introduced to the brothers in New Delhi for his church life for the time being as the church has not yet been raised up in his locality.

Another family was being recovered back into the fellowship and they turned up for the Lord's table meeting yesterday, surprisingly though. In fact, a home meeting has also started in their homes. I was glad to see them. In fact, the debt this family had due to the pandemic was somehow paid off through the offerings. It was made clear to them that they need not worry but learn to fellowship in the Body. 

Finally, with another brother's family, we started a home meeting every Lord's day night. In the first two meetings, I had a personal fellowship with the brother. Since last Lord's day-night we started pursuing Life Lessons with everyone functioning in pursuing the truth and speaking the truth. 

In this way, the Lord has been recovering back the families He has blessed the church in Gurugram. May the Lord continue to grace the shepherding work, the labor of love, until all become function members in the Body to bear the Lord's testimony together here in this city  Gurugram.