Recovery of Brothers

On the 12th of May, while I was in Hyderabad, I was surprised yet joyful about the dream I just had the previous night. I woke up with the dream of two brothers who left the church life in my locality, Gurugram, being recovered back into the fellowship of the Body. These two brothers are local Hindi-speaking brothers and they love the Lord. Though they both were from denominational backgrounds they have the discernment as to what the Lord is recovering in the present age. They have been into Christianity for many years and are not void of its constitution either. Nevertheless, they faithfully proclaim the truth. 

One of the brothers is a much older brother in age. Since he lost his wife, he has been unconsciously suffering from depression. Therefore, his daughter has been taking good care of him and he just follows where his daughter leads him to fellowship on the Lord's day. This is the reason he has drifted away from the practical church life. But he is not satisfied there either as he already tasted the truth in the church life. Since he felt the teachings there are kind of "childish" in comparison to what he has been fed with the ministry of the age. He gradually stops attending those meetings even. For important matters, he still keeps in touch with a brother and generally gives his things to the saints in the church life. Recently, he had shifted his house and given a good number of household items and dresses to the saints. Proving that his heart is still with the church here, though he could not regularly meet with the saints. This is one of the brothers the Lord showed me coming back to practice the church life together with all the saints again. I receive this dream by faith and I do believe, the Lord has done it.

The other brother is a much younger one. I have been in fellowship with him since the time he came into the church life. A few months ago, he began to be late to the meetings, and gradually also missed the meetings on the Lord's day. At one point in time. he proposed to meet the churches in India for his secular agenda which we did not encourage him as the church cannot be mixed with the things of the world however good they may seem to be. This perhaps, is one reason that upset and discouraged him. Then one day, he left the church's WhatsApp group but was brought back immediately by a brother. A few weeks later, he left again. this time, it sent a shock wave to my being. I and a few brothers tried to contact him by phone or text message, but he decline to respond. I realized that he has not been properly shepherded despite my view of him as a strong brother. The Lord opened my eyes to see that people change and that every saint needs proper shepherding-fellowship and also a proper human care. In my personal prayer, in our family prayer, and in the brothers' prayer, we started praying for his recovery. The Lors is faithful to answer this prayer much sooner than I expected.

When I saw the dream of his recovery, I was filled with hope. And this hope turned into reality a few days after my dream. He texted me and said "Sorry" for not responding to me. Immediately, I texted him back and promised to meet him as soon as I return back to Gurugram as I was still traveling then. Promptly, he replied in the affirmative. 

Once I came back, I called him and made an appointment with him. I and a brother went to visit him and asked him to speak about his feelings and whatever he may want to speak about. He stated two reasons for leaving the church life temporarily. The first is, he is desperate and discouraged in the church not bearing fruit for the increase. The second is the issue of marriage. In the two points, we agreed with his observations. In fact, I personally testified to him of my desperateness too for the increase in the church life in our locality, Gurugram. And that he and we all should stand together for the increase. To the second point on marriage, I let him know that a sister was actually proposed to him when he first came into the church life, but he rejected it. Therefore, he cannot say that we did not do anything for the single saints concerning their marriages. In fact, I share my burden that if all the single saints would simply open to the Lord for His choice and they all give up their preferences, they all would have been married and become fathers and mothers by now. In the two points, we fellowshipped and came to a mutual understanding of the situation as the church we are in. Then we prayed together, and I promised to have a home meeting with him regularly to which he readily agree. And the following Lord's day, he resumed his coming to the Lord's table meeting. He has been recovered back into the church life and also into the church's WhatApp group. 

May the Lord continue to shepherd him to become a pillar for the Lord's testimony and recover his whole household members too for the church life.

Praise the Lord for the recovery of the brothers!