Experience of Christ in Functioning

I have been trying my best to gradually withdraw from many of the functions that I have been functioning in the church life in Gurugram with the view that other new and younger brothers can pick up the burden and the church go on. To this extent, I have also completely given up inwardly many crucial responsibilities to some brothers and to a particular brother who came to serve in the church in Gurugram from abroad. Postivbely, to encourage more to serve. Negatuively, I somehow felt that I should not be the cause or hindrance for the Lord's blessing His church. 

As the church, we have been very much struggling to gain increase for the past several years. No matter how hard we tried or what new method we took, the situation has not changed much. The saints have been shepherded and new ones too have been shepherded to some extent, but the significant increase that we have been praying for is yet to happen. Every end of the year, we come before God in regret for our failure in not gaining the increase we had planned for at the beginning of the year. And in the beginning of new year, we pray and plan for an increase. But so far, what we planned and what we gained did not match. There was some lag somewhere every year. Sometimes I used to think, perhaps, I may be the one causing the hindrance. But I should not self-condemn myself too and fall under the attack and deception of the enemy. This may yet be another trick played by the devil to kill my function. But I hope that many serving ones can be shepherded to take the lead in shepherding the saints in the church.

Two weeks  ago, something unimaginable happened in the nearby city where some of our brothers were imprisoned. One brother from abroad who actively has been serving with us in the church had to leave the country due to an emergency situation. In a day's time, everything changed. It was a shocking surprise to us and for the church. Now, with two key functioning brothers rendered functionless, I had no choice but to actively function again. The very functions that I gradually decided to give up, I needed to actively function again. Perhaps, the Lord wanted me to learn more and be perfected. Though I wanted to perfect others, I needed more perfecting first. Somethimes, its hard to understand what the Lord actually has been doing. But I simply follow the Lord's leading and accept whatever He arranged for the church. I am just His slave. No opinion, but perfect submission to His sovereign arrangement.

Beginning from the last Lord's Day, my active participation in the church functions have been recovered back again. The very functions I gave up for others I needed to take them up again. I believe in the Lord's time, He will bring more serving ones in. Until then, I function as a member in coordination with other members of the Body for the sake of the Lord's testimony. In the past almost twenty years I have been witnessing the rise and fall of serving ones number in the church in Gurugram. The number has been fluctuating as the saints in the church life come and go, it has always been a flowing crowd. Some families came into the church life and they had to migrate out due to their jobs or family situations. Some families stably remain, my family is one of them. As long as the Lord allows us to be here, we will be here. We will simply follow the Lord as He leads. After all, we are for Christ and the church only.

Lord, gain more serving ones to function and perfect all of us to serve in sweet coordination for the building up of the Body expressed here in the local church in Gurugram.