Lesson From a Farewell Meeting

A few years ago, in coordination with the saints from the churches in Taiwan, we preached the gospel in teams by door knocking. One of the families gained and who have been practically shepherded into the church life has a new plan for their family. Since the family was fully dependent on the son's job they had to migrate to another city in Uttar Pradesh. Therefore, as the church we had a time of fellowship over lovefeast on the 1st of June, on a Saturday evening.

The burden was clear: To pray for and shepherd the family, at the same time to show our concern for his siblings who are yet to take the way of the church life. In fellowship, we prepared to share a message on the all-inclusive Christ. When they actually came, the burden the Lord gave was to show them the vision of the good land and the three kinds of eating; the passover for coming out of Egypt, the manna in the wilderness, and the riches of the good land in the good land. The last of this requires laboring on the good land. This is the highest of all the three kinds of eating. The issue of such a labor and eating from the good land is for the building of the temple in Jerusalem where God’s children can worship God and offer their offerings and sacrifices to God. This burden was apt for the new families who joined the meeting. The burden was thus released. The new ones too testified that they had seen a new light concerning the Christian life and the need for the church life. May the Lord recover them all at His time.

The family also testified of their enjoyment of the church life while they were in the church in Gurugram. Now that they are migrating, we all prayed for the family. A family will be reduced as far as the number of the saints regularly meeting is concerned. This brings in the burden for propagation that more families can be shepherded into the church life.

Besides, another local Hindi speaking brother migrated to another state in Himachal Pradesh. Further reducing the number of saints meeting regularly. The situation in the church in Gurugram has been like this over the past decade. It is the church that flows, saints come and go, due to their jobs and transfer of works. 

Though this was a farewell meeting, it was also a wake up call for us to pray and propagate more fervently for the increase by gaining the local ones. These days my burden has been just to pray and look to the Lord for ways and means we can cooperate with His move for His increase, for His testimony.  

Lord, bless Your testimony in Gurugram. Lord, gain Your increase in Gurugram. Let farewell never affect the number of Your children.