Life Lesson: Trusting in God

Today I received my new passport that I applied for exactly a week ago. Behind this new application, I went through some spiritual experiences that were worth remembering. 

I discovered that I needed to renew my passport when I was trying to book a flight ticket for an official trip to Singapore and Manila. Immediately, I applied for the renewal of my about-to-expire passport. The waiting time was about two months to get an appointment. I was a little concerned as I was to take a foreign trip by early October this year. My old passport expires in August this year and my renewal required two months waiting period. I was about to take a shortcut way of going for Tatkal at a higher processing fee. But as I calmed down and considered before the Lord, the peace of Christ within me led me not to worry about it and simply follow the waiting period. Deep within me, I had an assurance that everything will be alright. Then I applied for the normal renewal and waited for two months. Meanwhile, I undertook two distribution trips.

Last Monday, I went for the renewal and went through all the steps of document processing and completed everything. Once I came out of the passport office, I received a message stating that my passport has been granted. Then, later I received an email for Police verification. And later again, I received an email notification of the dispatch detail of the passport.

Since a four-days training came up which began last Wednesday, I decided to complete the Police verification and also get the passport. But my natural enthusiasm did not yield any fruit. Then, I went to the training and decided to handle these matters after the training. 

Right after the training, I received a call from the Police station last Saturday for passport approval Police verification which I did yesterday after the Lord’s Table meeting. The same evening, I received a call from the postman about my passport delivery. And today morning I got my new passport.

This is a very normal natural process. But for me, there are some deep spiritual learnings behind the scenes. The Lord's hand was upon me and my environment including the people whom I contacted. The lesson of trusting in the Lord and living by faith even in this matter was so precious to me. And the lesson of the Lord’s sovereignty over my situation added to the degree of God’s loving care for me. Thank the Lord that He cares for me even in all the fine and minute matters. Just trusting in Him for all things has been a real enjoyment of peace.

Two months of waiting and a week of processing was the time duration for this wonderful experience of trusting the Lord! I need not push anything naturally and if I did so, it did not yield any result. All that was required was to learn to trust and wait for the Lord to do His work. Praise the Lord for this lesson and experience!

Ministry of the Word to Bilaspur(UP), Pakwara, and Moradabad

The brother who helped us from the previous places we visited so far had no clue about our onward journey. But the Lord already arranged a brother through the free books distributed online by Rhema Distributor. This brother was actually shepherded by the contact we had. He willingly received us at his home in Bilaspur and we had a wonderful time of fellowship with his family and the family of his friend. They all were from Catholic backgrounds but had left that fold and gathered as a small flock shepherded by this key brother who received us warmly. They were quite simple and received all that we had to minister. 

The key brother further took us to visit a good number of Pastors in the villages. Surprisingly, the entire area of about twelve villages was all Christian. It was indeed a surprise to learn that in such a district a good number of Christians have been preserved by the Lord.

 

After we met all that have to be met, we moved on to our next and last destination for this trip, Moradabad. Since the brother we knew is a working dental doctor in the vicinity, Pakwara, we went there and were accommodated in the medical college guest house. It was indeed a new experience there. After the trip, I wrote to the brothers with the photo of the guest house captioning as:

On the last two days of our distribution trip, the Lord arranged our hospitality in the guest house of a medical college where our host, our brother, is a medical doctor. The Lord took good care of us throughout the trip. In a village hut or in a city mansion, we enjoyed the Lord’s presence, all the same. 

Hymn #348

What matters where on earth we dwell?

On mountain top, or in the dell,

In cottage, or a mansion fair,

Where Jesus is, my joy is there!

In Moradabad, eight Christian leaders gathered together and they gave us time to introduce and distribute the ministry literature. Though they were quite scared initially as they have been facing persecution, when we met them they were very joyful with the word we ministered to them.

On the Lord’s day, I had a feeling within me that we should attend the Lord’s day meeting of a particular Pastor who impressed me among all. But I prayed and waited to fellowship with my fellow brothers. Once we all agreed in one accord, I called up the Pastor and enquired if we could attend the meeting, he spontaneously welcomed us and also requested me to minister the word.

On the Lord’s day meeting in Moradabad, I and a brother ministered the word of God on the truth concerning the daily need for breathing, drinking, and eating the Lord. I used all the relevant Bible verses to minister to them the timely word. I also led them to call upon the Lord Jesus's name and pray-read a verse, John 6:63. All the believers responded with much joy. I trust the Lord that His word was a rich supply to all the believers. Later, we had further time together with the family members of the Pastor over lunch. I do believe through the continual shepherding by the ministry of the word, the Lord can recover them to take the ground of oneness and take the stand as the church in Moradabad one day. Thus, the Lord blessed us again in this trip. Then, as a conclusion, I wrote to the brothers:

Altogether, the Lord led us to 11 localities for the distribution of the ministry literature in one week's time in Uttar Pradesh. All these places were our first visit and there is no local church yet. 

May the Lord bless the sowing of the seed of the ministry of the word unto the raising up of His testimony one day!

Thank you Brothers, for all your prayers!

Glory to God, hallelujah!

Ministry of the Word to Meerut, Mansurpur, and Muzaffarnagar

There was a cloud of uncertainty in Meerut as all the Pastors that our brothers helped to call up were too scared to host us due to the ongoing persecution. Yet, the Lord opened a door where there seemed to be no way. A brother outside the city came to receive us and took us to various Christian leaders in the city. In fact, the first Pastor we met was so glad that we visited him and his family. He was so impressed by the Holy Bible Recovery Version and purchased a copy for himself immediately with a couple of other ministry books.

After meeting all we had to meet, we got late as we had to travel for about two hours journey to another town. When we reached our next destination and had our dinner, it was very late then to go to the house arranged by our host. No more public transports were available yet we were not perturbed. Instead, I took a photo of the vehicle we finally got and sent it with a caption:

Last night, after meeting the key Christian leaders we got late. In fact, very late that no more public transport were available. Finally, we got a goods carrier and rode under the clear sky to our place of hospitality with loads of good "of experiences of Christ!"

The house for our hospitality was the humble home of our host. He willingly accommodated us despite his wife being sick and no good facility available. Yet we learned to accept happily the Lord’s sovereign arrangement. The next day I wrote to the brothers:

Last night, we were given hospitality in a very humble house of a brother. Though he was physically poor, his heart was very large. He gave the best he could for the Lord’s sake. Despite the facility, the Lord gave a wonderful sound sleep. Today morning, we enjoyed our morning revival and Bible reading under a clear sky!

We continued to meet some good Pastors in Mansurpur and Muzaffarnagar who received the ministry and with whom also we enjoyed a wonderful time of fellowship. Surely, the Lord brought us to these places for the recovery of His testimony one day. We were also impressed by our host who was diligently leading us despite his family situation. We knew he has been going through tough times, but he did his best to take us to meet different Pastors for the introduction and distribution of the ministry of the word. 

May the Lord bless him and his family. May the Lord bless the sowing of the seed of the ministry of the word in all these places.

Ministry of the Word to Kwarsi, Khurja, Bulandshar, and Hapur

A brother from Aligarh had arranged for another brother in Kwarsi to take care of us and led us for the ministry literature distribution journey further. We met a couple of Pastors in Kwarsi who have been serving in the villages nearby and they all came together in our host's house. We introduced and distributed the ministry literature to them. They all were independent Pastors with no outside support financially. They seems to have suffered financially but they all were very firm in their faith and in their stand for the Lord’s testimony amidst the difficulties including the persecution they have been facing these days.

Then, we were led to the town Khurja and to the city Bulandshar where we drove around to meet different Christian leaders for the introduction and distribution of the ministry literature. Whoever we met and wherever we went, the Lord’s favor and blessings were upon us. Even in the midst of persecution, the believers have been facing recently from religious fanatics, the word of God indeed run swiftly. While in the city, there was a heavy downpour and the whole city road was flooded with rain water. It was a very prophetic experience. I sent a short recorded video clip of the flooding road with a caption:

Showers of blessing! 

Sailing through the "sea-ty" swiftly. 

“He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly.”

(Psalms 147:15, RecVer)

During the night, our host did not have enough room for our night stay. So, he arranged his rooftop under a clear sky for the night sleep. Perhaps, after many years I slept under an opened heaven and a clear sky. I had a very good night sleep. The following day, I sent a photo of our cots with a caption:

Last night we slept on the roof top of a brother's house in a village as we came for the ministry literature distribution. Our sky was clear as we ministered the word to Hindi speaking believers in the villages. 

Remember us in your prayers.

The next day early morning we left for Hapur by train. It was quite tiresome but I had a good sleep in the train. At a Pastor's meeting hall in Hapur, we introduced the ministry literature to eight Pastors who gathered for this purpose. The only word we heard were about the subtle persecution from the ruling authorities in the state. Despite such threatening news, the Lord covered and blessed our distribution trip.

May the Lord bless His move in all these localities!

Ministry of the Word to Aligarh

This city has been in my heart for many years. But only this time, the Lord opened the door for His move into this city. A brother whom I contacted over the phone received us warmly in his house.

As we fellowshipped with him, it became clear that the Lord used him and his family for His move in the city. Though there were a good number of Christian leaders and workers, it was his family the Lord led us to. 

After a sumptuous breakfast, we fellowshipped freely on the truth concerning the church even as we introduced the Holy Bible Recovery Version to him and a couple of ministry books. He and his son, who is also helping him in the Lord’s work, even testified that they saw the church as in the Bible through our speaking! They both were very impressed by the truth we ministered and placed orders for the Bible and the entire ministry books in Hindi.

Then, this brother called a good number of Pastors to come and meet us in His house to be introduced to the ministry books. He also took us to other Pastors within the city. In one place, three Pastors gathered together and we had a wonderful time of fellowship, especially on the truth concerning the church and her universal and local aspects. In fact, whatever title books were introduced to them, they purchased them. Apart from ordering the Hindi set, they also requested if they could make a plan for a day or two of meeting in the city. If the Lord so wills, may the Lord’s will be done.

In the night, we were given hospitality in our host's house. His son, who is also shepherding a group of Christians, invited us to share in his online meeting. We ministered the word on God's eternal purpose in creating man and how He carries out His plan by our daily cooperating with Him through our eating and drinking of Him daily. We even pray-read a verse from John 6:63 together online. All the attendees really enjoyed the meeting.

The next day morning, a brother from a Muslim background who believed into the Lord Jesus Christ after proving by his own research that Christ indeed was resurrected, came to visit us. He was so interested in the Holy Bible Recovery Version and the ministry books that he placed an order for it and requested for an occasional online meeting to consider some deep biblical truth together. All these were because the Lord led us to testify to him of the riches He has been blessing us in His recovery.

After all these meetings in Aligarh, the brother drove us to a nearby town and entrusted us to another brother for our onward ministry literature journey. Praise the Lord for His move in Aligarh!

May the Lord raise up His testimony in Aligarh!

Lord's Move to Uttar Pradesh

The Lord is sovereign over all. I had no choice but to follow Him and exercised to be one with Him and His move. This month of July I decided to stay back as many official works needed to be done. Of course, I did them all, one by one. But, as a brother proposed the distribution trip to North India, my initial reaction was to let the other brothers go and I stay back. A week passed by, and as I went before the Lord to consider this matter, deep within me I had the burden to go too, at least to Aligarh. The city of Aligarh stood out among all. 

For some reason, the city of Aligarh had been ringing in my heart. But when I checked for contacts, I did not get any positive response. One Wednesday morning as we were fellowshipping about the North India distribution plan, I realized that a brother who had to join could not. Therefore, it became imperative for me to join and modify the dates for distribution as the dates were based on that brother who could not join. Then, one Friday as I went before the Lord to pray, I was even further confirmed about my participation in this trip. When I called a brother from Karnal, he gave me a brother's phone number in Aligarh whom I contacted. He welcomed me to visit him. This became the Lord’s confirmation for the visit to Aligarh!

The Lord had arranged everything again. Though I planned to use my car, I could not bring my car. It suddenly had an electrical minor issue prompting us not to take the car. The first time it ever happened in the history of this car. Later, it was discovered that it was a switch fuse issue. Then I realized it was the Lord telling us not to take the car this time. Because flood and religious Kawara blocked the road we were supposed to tread. And for our need for the distribution, a car had already been arranged in Aligarh!

Likewise, the cities, towns, and villages the Lord wanted us to visit were all arranged spontaneously by the local brothers. We simply followed their instructions and leading, step by step. In fact, they themselves planned the localities and people to visit. We only did the introduction and distribution of the ministry of the word.

Even for our accommodation and food, we enjoyed whatever was provided to us. In the village on the housetop or in a guest house in a city, it really did not matter. For what matters most was the Lord’s presence, as it always is and will be. This reminds me of the hymn below.

Hymn #348

What matters where on earth we dwell?

On mountain top, or in the dell,

In cottage, or a mansion fair,

Where Jesus is, my joy is there!

This is the Lord’s move and He is carrying it out according to His heart's desire. We labor in His labor as we are one with Him. The Lord's work the Lord is doing through His vessels, us. 

Lord, bless Your move in UP, especially Aligarh!

Be a Man!

Today's portion of the morning revival is very enjoyable and I was nourished richly. It was on the meal offering Christian life and church life. The light I received through the ministry was so enlightening. I could see myself clearly and my need for a proper humanity, the humanity of Jesus by partaking of His life day by day. All that is required for the building up of the church and also for the overcoming normal Christian life is in this meal offering. The ingredients of the meal offering comprise fine flour, oil, frankincense, and no honey and leaven. The spiritual significances of these items are marvelous. It all points to the perfect humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ including His death and resurrection and His denial of the natural man through the cross.

Meal Offering Christian Life 
Excerpt from HWMR Knowing, Experiencing, and Living the All-inclusive Christ for the Genuine Church Life, msg 2, II

The meal offering typifies our Christian life as a duplication of Christ’s God-man living—Lev. 2:4; Psa. 92:10; 1 Pet. 2:21; Rom. 8:2-3, 11, 13

We need to enjoy Christ as our meal offering day by day for our priestly diet so that He can live again on the earth through us in His divinely enriched humanity; if we eat Christ as the meal offering, we will become what we eat and live by what we eat—Lev. 2:3; John 6:57, 63; cf. Psa. 92:10; 1 Cor. 10:17; Phil. 1:19-21a. 

By exercising our spirit to touch the Spirit consolidated in the Word, we eat the human life and living of Jesus, we are constituted with Jesus, and the human living of Jesus becomes our human living (Eph. 6:17-18; Jer. 15:16; Gal. 6:17) with the following characteristics of His divinely enriched humanity:

1. The humanity of Jesus fulfills all righteousness— Matt. 3:13-15.

2. The humanity of Jesus has no resting place— 8:20.

3. The humanity of Jesus is lowly in heart—11:29.

4. The humanity of Jesus loves the weak ones— 12:19-20.

5. The humanity of Jesus is flexible—17:27.

6. The humanity of Jesus serves others—Mark 10:45; see footnote 1 on 1:10.

7. The humanity of Jesus cherishes people—Luke 4:16-22; 7:34; 19:1-10.

8. The humanity of Jesus is orderly, not sloppy— Mark 6:39-40; John 6:12.

9. The humanity of Jesus is limited by time—7:6.

10. The humanity of Jesus is unique—v. 46.

11. The humanity of Jesus knows when to weep— 11:33, 35.

12. The humanity of Jesus is humble—13:4-5.

It is only in the humanity of Jesus that one can live a meal offering Christian life for the church life. The following excerpts further enlighten me on the humanity of Jesus.

A LIFE WITH THE HIGHEST HUMANITY

Excerpt from The Life-study of Leviticus, msg 16.

“Watch, stand firm in the faith, be full-grown men, be strong.” 

(1 Corinthians 16:13, RecVer)

In order for our Christian life to be a meal offering, it must be a life with the highest humanity. This is the reason Paul charged the Corinthians, saying, “Be a man” (1 Cor. 16:13). According to the context of 1 Corinthians, to be a man means that we should have a high, uplifted humanity.

If we have such a humanity, we will exercise self-control. This is indicated by Paul’s word in 9:26 and 27. “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so I box, not as beating the air; but I buffet my body and lead it as a slave.” These verses reveal that Paul had a high humanity and that he had a strong, excellent character. He did not run uncertainly or beat the air but exercised control over himself. He was a real man with a high standard of morality in his human living.

In 16:13 Paul does not say, “Be a hero”; he says, “Be a man.” From every angle and from every side, we should be a man. From the angle of ethics, we should be a man. From the angle of self-control, we should be a man. From the angles of wisdom and love, we should be a man. This is to have an uplifted humanity. In the book of 1 Corinthians, we can see the genuine fine flour. This book surely presents the meal-offering church life.

In the meal-offering church life, the first item is a fine, uplifted humanity. If we would have the proper church life, we all need to have a strong character. This strong character, however, should be balanced, for an unbalanced humanity is a biased humanity. Therefore, we should be strong and also soft. If in the church life we are strong without also being soft, we will offend others. Although we need to be soft as well as strong, we should not be too soft. Those who are too soft are like noodles. There is a proverb which says that we can lift up bamboo but we cannot lift up a noodle. We cannot have a proper church life if the saints are either too strong or too soft. We need to be balanced. For the church life, we need to be a man with a fine, balanced, uplifted humanity.

By enjoying the meal offering day by day, the uplifted high standard humanity of Jesus will become my humanity to live out my Christian life for the church life. I then can be a man, a full-grown man!

Brotherly Fellowship

When brothers requested for fellowship, I always gave time to fellowship with them even as I looked to the Lord for the flow of life and the shining of light that through the fellowship everyone would be cherished and also nourished with the word of God.  In all our meetings, be it a big gathering or a small group meeting, always open to the Lord and to one another to receive life supply and also to be ever ready to supply life to one another. Our meetings are special and cannot be equated with worldly meetings. As the Bible says, everything must be done for the building up.

What then, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. 1 Cor. 14:26

Last Lord's day, I went with a brother to attend a Lord's day meeting conducted by another brother who is not in the church life yet. Since he invited and also requested to share the word of God, I ministered the word on the importance of being the children of God and the meaning of the Christian life.  That was our fellowship to the entire congregation. 

Yesterday, three brothers who just graduated from their full-time training came for fellowship over lunch. I simply encouraged them to look to the Lord for every matter as they have decided to join the third-year training for further training and practical learning in serving the saints. The Lord burdened me to fellowship with them on seeking God's will in every matter of their life and service and shared some testimonies of how the Lord has been faithful to meet all our needs. As they were so encouraged, I pray that they all will become useful vessels to the Lord and become pillars to bear the Lord's testimony wherever they are, one day. In the evening a brother also came, and I encouraged him to be in fellowship with the saints as he will be going abroad. The Lord has prepared all these young brothers to bear His testimony. 

Unless otherwise there is a valid reason for not fellowshipping with the brothers, in some exceptional cases, I will always make myself ready for fellowship and prayer. For the same reason of maintaining the fellowship in the Body, a brother and I started going through the morning revival portion day by day. 

May the Lord continue to work in them, train them, and make them all pillars to be His testimony!

Fourth Day Lights

These days, we have started pursuing the Life-study of Genesis again as the entire church. I also participated in it again though I already completed the entire Life-studies recently. The word of God can be pursued over and over again. Every time I read and pursued the Life-studies, the word is fresh and new. One point of truth that impacted my life these days is the fourth-day lights.

On the fourth day, God created the sun, the moon, and the stars. These are the greater light and very specific for growth in life. The light God created on the first day was generic, it generated life generally but not for growth. But the fourth-day light enabled life to grow from stage to stage, from the grass, herb, and tree to the aquatic animals, birds of the air, and cattle in the field. The fourth-day lights spiritually are the Christ as the sun, the church as the moon, and the overcoming saints as the stars. 

Experientially, I need Christ as my sun, the church as my moon, and the overcoming saints as my shining stars. During this dark age, until the Lord returns, it is the moon that gives out light in the night. Though the moon itself has no light of its own, it receives its light from Christ, the sun. Therefore, it is imperative for me to be in the church to receive light for my life, for my service, and for my going on. This very point of truth I am experiencing these days.

In all my official activities, I had a good fellowship with all my coordinating brothers and only then execute what need to be executed. My thoughts about how to do things were all adjusted by the fellowship with the brothers. I have been learning to live in coordination with my fellow members of the Body. Likewise, in all my church activities too, whatever the brothers fellowshipped, I took the responsibility to carry out the matters of fellowship. Be it in deciding how to take care of the needy saints and their relatives affected by the ongoing riots in Manipur or in taking precautionary measures in shepherding the saints, I experience being in the church life(moon) and living and walking by the moonlight. This kind of church life is very healthy and I have been grace to partake in it. In addition, the fourth-day lights, by their great shining not only dispels the darkness but also shine to make the saints overcomers. 

This experience of the fourth-day lights confirms my need for the church life and my need for the brothers. I simply cannot live my Christian life without my brothers in the church. Praise the Lord for the revelation and experience of the fourth-day lights!

Christ, My Wisdom!

I asked God for wisdom and He gave me problems to solve. That's how God answered my prayer for wisdom. In fact, that's how God answers the prayer for wisdom generally. When Solomon was enthroned as the king of Isreal, he prayed for wisdom and understanding. God promised to answer him and He did so by sending two women contending for their child. Solomon solved the problem because God gave him wisdom.

1 Kings 3:9 Give therefore to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?

1 Kings 3:12 I now do according to your words. I now give you a heart of wisdom and understanding, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor will one rise up after you like you.
1 Kings 3:16 At that time two harlots came to the king and stood before him.
1 Kings 3:25 And the king said, Divide the live child between the two, and give half to one and half to the other.
1 Kings 3:28 And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had exercised, and they feared the king; for they saw that the wisdom of God was within him to execute justice.

Similarly, I have also been praying for wisdom and understanding from God. He answers my prayer for wisdom by giving me problems to solve. Yes problems, not just one and once for all, but many and more to come, I believe. But, the Lord's wisdom will also be given to me to solve all the problems. In fact, in such solving of problems, it should not merely be rendering a solution to the problem, but much more the learning and gaining of Christ by all the persons involved. Otherwise, mere wisdom will not contribute to the growth in life, much less to the fulfillment of God's plan. 

Last month, my father informed me about a situation in Manipur, in my village concerning the ex-communication of the saints in the Lord's recovery who wanted to take a stand for the absoluteness of the truth of the Bible. My dad asked a tough question which really led me to the Lord to consider carefully and then I answered. Later, I received information from other family members about the same complicated issue in my village. Then I fellowshipped with my family members as we also prayed for the situation to be headed up by the Lord who is sovereign over all and the all-wise God. I was very clear in my mind as the Lord enlightened me, I gave them options to consider in order of importance.

The first is to go to the source of the problem, the village authority and their village lawmakers, to request in person, and pay a fine, if need be. The second is quietly and temporarily relocating to other relatives' homes.  If nothing works out, I even offered the land God gave me for use of this temporary need. But I advised strongly against going to the law court and filing a case based on the constitutional rights of India as an Indian citizen. Then, we followed up on the matter in prayer every night at our family prayer meeting. When the D-day came, the Lord sovereignly interfered and the matter was settled at the local police station and at the village court by paying legal fines imposed. 

A few days later, my dad called me up for the same matter. But this time it concerns our family's status of being ex-communicated. He asked me for money to pay some fines and clear off the matter at the village court. But deep within, I knew this was not of the Lord. So, I had to deny the request of my dad. Though good and timely it may seem to him, but for me, there is a better way to handle this. So at my answer, my dad also realized that his suggestions was not the right ones at the present time.

In this way of simple life experiences, the Lord trained me to learn to exercise wisdom who is Christ already in my spirit. For wisdom is Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:24 But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 1:30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom to us from God: both righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

Christ is my wisdom! Christ is in me, in my spirit. 

I turn to my spirit where Christ as wisdom is, 

Then, His wisdom becomes my wisdom. 
Be wise, be in Christ! 
Need wisdom? Gain Christ!

A Word of Appreciation

The Lord in His sovereign arrangement blessed me to coordinate and serve together with a few brothers for the literature service in India. This is a service blessed beyond description. From the day I was brought in to serve, I realized this is the portion allotted to me by God. This is indeed my function in the Body. Therefore, I respect the Lord's arrangement, and I honor and treasure it to the uttermost.  

From day one, with this attitude the Lord gave me, I could right away fit in. With whoever I coordinated or have been coordinating so far, I enjoyed the sweet flow of life in one accord. I also learn to blend in and build up with the brothers the Lord has placed me with. And I always consciously exercise to learn, listen, and obey rather than give suggestions and opinions when in meeting or fellowships unless asked for it. I honor my fellow brothers and regard all of them as much better than me. I need them very much, without them I can do nothing. This lesson I have been learning from the ministry of Brother Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, to deny myself, learn to take up the cross, and follow the Lord by following the brothers.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his soul-life shall lose it; but whoever loses his soul-life for My sake shall find it.
Matthew 16:25

 Doing nothing by way of selfish ambition nor by way of vainglory, but in lowliness of mind considering one another more excellent than yourselves. Not regarding each his own virtues, but each the virtues of others also. Philippians 2:3-4

When one of our fellow coworkers resigned from the official directorship due to practical and personal reasons, I was assigned to write a letter of appreciation for the same. I considered before the Lord for a couple of days to get the thoughts, feelings, and utterances from the Lord. Yesterday, I completed the draft and sent it to the brothers for checking, correction, and confirmation. After my two brothers have read and checked, they both confirmed the letter. To be truthful, this letter expressed exactly how I felt about the brother for whom this was written. This was straight from my heart, and I meant every word I used in the letter. I truly respect and honor a brother who the Lord anoint to pioneer His move in India. May God bless him and all of us. The letter is titled, "A Word of Appreciation" to be signed by the three fellow bondslaves.

 A Word of Appreciation

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

Dated: ** July 2023

Dear Brother *********,

We, your co-working brothers, fellow slaves, and officially also the members of the Board of Directors of A**** L**********, express our appreciation and high regard for the faithful service you have rendered to the literature service in India. In fact, we respect and honor the Lord’s anointing upon you in pioneering the literature work in India too. We look to the Lord for grace that we can continue to carry on faithfully and fruitfully the burden that you once bore. We trust the Lord that He will grace us to relay further the ministry literature torch as a beacon of light to the Christians in general, to the saints in the Lord’s recovery in particular, and even unto the next generations until the Lord returns.

We acknowledge your contribution to the literature service and also thank you for your coordination since you came onboard the company in 2010. It was indeed a complete twelve years of serving together in sweet coordination! Thank you, dear Brother *********!

Even though you have resigned from being an official director due to practical and personal reasons, we would encourage you to continue to carry on the burden of Malayalam literature service according to your capacity and the grace the Lord has bestowed upon you, as long as you wish to or as long as your health allows. We assure you of our full cooperation. We will stand in oneness with you and share your burden of Malayalam literature service as we have always been doing so.

We, as you fellow bondslaves, wish to exhort you with the words of the apostle Paul quoted below.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable,

always abounding in the work of the Lord,

knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:58

May we also humbly request your persistent prayer for all of us who will still continue to shoulder the burden you also once bore and also for the Lord’s blessing upon the literature service in India. Your prayers and your blessing, we will dearly cherish and treasure.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all.

Your brothers,

Our Lives Matter

Casting all your anxiety on Him because
it matters to Him concerning you. 1 Peter 5:7

The world at large has been fighting for its own rights. Nobody is humble enough to be looked down upon by anybody. Everybody wants to stand and fight for their rights. In the West and now in the East, I believe too, everywhere people are fighting for their rights. The campaign began a few years ago with Black Lives Matter. Then, White Lives Matter. Now, in my own home state, Manipur, as the conflict between two dominant groups is gradually escalating into civil war, propaganda and slogans have been raising wherever they could with the signa, Tribal Lives Matter and Meetei Lives Matter. 

Well, I thought to myself, whatever race or nationality you may belong to. Be it black or white or yellow; be it tribal or non-tribal, all are lives, and all lives matter. Should not the generic propaganda be, "Our Lives Matter?"

To me, life matters. Whichever lives you may interpret for the adjective before "live", they are all living people created equally by God, the Source and Author of life. So, Our Lives Matter!

With the background of the ongoing ethnic clash in Manipur and a few days ago, an ex-classmate of mine lost her husband, I took the opportunity to let all my friends and colleagues know that God loves and cares for us. In fact, our lives matter to Him much more than we matter to ourselves or to anybody. At such a juncture, we simply must trust in the Lord who cares for all equally. We should and must not give heed to the enemy's tactic of causing anxiety, worry, and depression among the "victims." We must always remember, God sees and knows everything. And God does care. And to God, Our Lives Matter.

Such being the case, it is best to simply trust in God. Any human scheming with man's natural wisdom will only lead to chaos, confusion, and complication. The best a believer can do in the midst of such complexity is, to cast all anxieties to God who cares for us. Because our lives matter to Him!

In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; And the peace of God, which surpasses every man’s understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Those who learn this simple spiritual lesson will be at peace. Our lives matter to God! So, cast all your cares upon Him, and bring all your anxieties to Him in prayer. The God of peace will make the peace of God our peace!

Therefore, the conclusion of the matter is, our lives matter to God.  So, trust in Him only, and cease from all natural maneuvering. For, Our Lives Matter.

Learn from Mistakes

God does not make mistakes, never did He nor will He ever. God is perfect and all He does is always perfect. Whatever God does for me is always the best. I may not understand it now, but time will testify that He always does the best for me.

Recently I made a couple of mistakes. It might sound silly and trivial. Nonetheless, they were still mistakes. I wonder to myself why I made such silly mistakes. I even thought of rectifying the mistakes I committed but ultimately I realized that they were not actually mistakes. It turned out that it was meant to be that way. 

We just had our Board of Directors meeting last Thursday. It was my official duty to preside over the meeting and make necessary official records. It was clearly told during the meeting that certain matters were a fellowship of the brothers not a part of the board meeting per se. But somehow, I recorded one of them into the minutes of the record. A brother pointed out this obvious mistake I committed and I apologized immediately.

Later, I still found that I made a typo in the minutes recording. Again a brother pointed it out. I thought I did it right but still, I made a mistake. And I again had to rectify the report. I thought to myself, what blunder and what oversight had I committed. Nonetheless, I learned that I needed the brothers who would help me find the mistakes I made and correct them. 

Another mistake I made was in filing my IT return. I thought I did everything right until I paid my tax and submitted the online form. First, my payment was not captured in the form I submitted. And later I discovered that I had filed the wrong form altogether. On checking with the official CA, I was told it could be rectified. And it was confirmed later that this was not a big issue and it will be settled. On the CA's advice, I did not try to revise it nor try to file with the new form. In this case, I thought I did not follow the inner leading as I initially intended to wait for a day. But as soon as I received my Form 16, I immediately did the filing, thinking that it was an easy job and it could just be done in a few minutes. I just proved myself wrong.

Nonetheless, I took this as a lesson to learn from and did not regret it. I am a child of God. I may make mistakes. But my Father God does not. Even when I committed a mistake, He turned it for my good to learn a lesson from.

Recovery of Brothers (2)

In the previous post on "Recovery of Brothers"  My Goodland: Recovery of Brothers (palmeichung.blogspot.com), one of the brothers in the dream was recovered back to the fellowship of the Body of Christ. The Lord has been so merciful to them that he even gave up his opinion to receive the brothers' fellowship concerning his marriage. A few weeks ago, as the brothers in the church, we proposed a sister to him. A few days later, he messaged me stating that he had no desire to go ahead and decided not to consider marriage for the time being. It was a very discouraging message as we have been doing our best to shepherd him and help him in his marriage matter. But last week, we had the burden to bring up the matter again and fellowshipped with him the need for him to get married. He did not give any reply then, but said he would definitely reconsider.

Meanwhile, we started a regular small group meeting in his house on Thursdays for the Life-study pursuit. I also requested him to read messages for building up New Believers, Vol. 2 on "Seeking God's Will" and "Marriage." Yesterday, after the Lord's table meeting he had to attend his official duty and was thinking to go home straight after his work, but he felt led by the Lord to come and meet me for fellowship. As we fellowshipped, he expressed his desire to consider the marriage proposal again. And happily and openly, he fellowshipped that he would obey the Lord's leading through the brothers. Therefore, we initiated the proposal for him.  May the will of the Lord be done.

On Saturday morning in our brothers' fellowship, I enquired about a senior brother and told the brothers that I would like to visit him if anyone has a plan. I was very firm in my decision to visit him because of the dream the Lord gave me on May 12th morning. It was the Lord's doing and I had to follow up on it. Yesterday, after all the meetings, I asked a brother if we should be visiting that senior brother. I got a reply that he had not yet responded. But later, he responded and confirmed that we would be visiting him.

As we were on the way to his home, we were praying for him to be fully recovered back into the fellowship of the church in Gurugram. We did not know what his response would be, but with much preparation in spirit, we went.  As soon as we met him, we found that he was very anxious about his health. He was fully distracted by his health report. To sympathize with him, I even helped to call up a brother who is a doctor to interpret his medical report. Through our visit and fellowship, his intense anxiety was dealt with. He received the life supply from the members of the Body through the word of God which comforted him. After an hour of anxiety and restlessness, he calmed down, and we were able to fellowship soberly on the word of God.

As usual, he would still express his opinion about the truth and the practices of the church life. But he really missed the fellowship of the church. He even requested that we should visit him at least once a week. He also confessed that he is in need of life supply. 

When we drove back home, I told the brothers that the Lord is faithful to fulfill His promises, as I narrated the dream the Lord gave me on May 12 concerning the recovery of these two brothers.

May the Good Lord, the Shepherd of all, shepherd these two brothers according to their need and gain them fully for His testimony in the church in Gurugram!