For the past few days, I have been watching and listening to Br. Benson Phillips' personal testimony, two videos on "A Meeting to Remember Brother Benson Philips", one in Irving and the other in Anaheim. I personally never met Brother Benson Phillips, but I have listened to a good number of the messages he ministered during the annual feasts, mostly the Summer and Winter Training. My first impression was that his English was comparatively hard to understand and I had no idea who this brother was until later after he went to be with the Lord.
His personal testimony was very impressive and I could relate to him the way he studied the ministry literature and how he made a decision to take the way of the Lord's recovery by closely following the ministry of the age. In this regard, his testimony was very similar to mine. One very important lesson I learned from his life is the matter of coordination. He very well coordinated with the Lord in His move to the extent of giving up his own opinion immediately and following the Lord's leading through the brother's fellowship. No wonder the Lord used and blessed him so much in his service.
As I listened to the myriad of testimony from his family, wife, children, and grandchildren, I simply worship the Lord for such a pattern he was. Though I never met him personally, now I see him in my spirit. I could visualize what kind of person he had been as a family man at the same time being fully absolute in the ministry. I am so much impressed by his lovability and friendliness with his family. He seems to love his family so much and spent a lot of time with them. This is an encouraging truth for me. At the same time, he was absolute for the Lord's ministry too. No wonder, the Lord used him very much wherever He sent him. Be it in the USA or Russia or elsewhere, he had built up the local churches where he served. What a pattern!
One striking point about him as testified by a coworker in the West is his middle name. First, he asked, what is Benson Phillips' middle name? Nobody replied. Then he said, he had a secret and invisible middle name and wrote it on the blue board with white chalk, "AND." Then he explained that AND means coordination. Wherever the Lord sent him to serve he served in coordination. Benson AND brother so and so in this place, Benson AND brother so and so in that place. What a life! Then the coworker asked, "Who is your AND?" Only if you have an AND then can you serve fruitfully.
As I reflect on my service, I am thankful to the Lord that I can testify that He gave me an AND! Wherever I served and am serving, I have my AND too; Palmei and so and so in my literature service, Palmei AND so and so in my distribution journeys, Palmei AND so and so in different parts of India propagation.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.