New Beginning 2025

As we met for the church blending today, the Lord led us to pray-read and memorize two verses on being renewed day by day and being in Christ, a new creation.

Therefore we do not lose heart; but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16

So then if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away; behold, they have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

The burden of being renewed in the mind through the renewing and nourishing word of the Lord was the Lord's speaking as we began our new year. Therefore, the church's burden of practicing the God-ordained way of preaching the gospel and begetting new ones, a life of pursuing the truth for our inward constitution, and strengthening our prayer life for the filling of the Spirit was all for the building up of the Body of Christ for the preparation of the Bride to bring the Lord Jesus back. This ministry of the word was substantiated by hymn #16 Our Father as the evergreen, and prayer for growth in life hymn #1132 Lord, teach us to pray, and hymn #1240 Deeper, deeper, in the cross of Jesus.

Based on Ephesians, we also delved into the matter of the grace of God given to all the saints in line with the talent the Lord gave to each one, at least a talent.

 

To one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability. And he went abroad. Matthew 25:15

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Ephesians 4:7

So, all the saints were exhorted to make use of the grace the Lord bestowed upon each one of them, at least the one talent, for the building up of the Body of Christ. All life practices are for the growth in life individually and corporately for the building up of the Body of Christ. There may be some gifted ones, and there may be the joint of the rich supply, but all these ones' function is to supply out from the Head Christ, through the gifted members, to the many members unto the building up of the Body of Christ. For this purpose, we are Christians practicing the church life on this earth today. Ultimately, to fulfill God's eternal purpose.

Ephesians 4:11-16

And He Himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as shepherds and teachers, For the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ, Until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, That we may be no longer little children tossed by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching in the sleight of men, in craftiness with a view to a system of error, But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, Out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.

Then, we concluded our blending with prayers for the renewal of our minds, for our growth in life, and for the building up of the church. And we all feasted together in love. May the Lord blend and build us up for His Body more and more this year 2025.

What a blessed blending-building beginning!

Blessings in 2024

 He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30

Generally, on the last day of the year, the 31st of Dec, we meet to share our testimony of God's blessing received during the whole year. This time, we encourage all the saints to prepare to share their top portion of blessing. As we met, all the saints, not one exception, shared the rich blessings they received from the Lord during the year. I rejoiced at learning about the experiences and enjoyment of the saints as they testified of what the Lord has been doing in their lives. Though outwardly we did not achieve the increase in the number of saints added to the church that we planned for last year, I definitely see a tremendous increase in the enjoyment and experience of Christ in the saints. I praise the Lord for the transformation work the Lord has been accomplishing in the lives of the saints in the church here. Despite the difficult situations we have been going through these days in North India, the Lord's hand and His blessings have been following us. Substantial growth in life and visible progress in the saints' lives have encouraged me a lot. To my own observation, the progress of the church has been satisfactory for the last year.

As for me, one experience that has been very significant is the increase of Christ and the decrease of my self. In many aspects of my life and service, the Lord has been stripping me layer by layer. My self has been touched so deeply that I could even feel the hurt it afflicted in me. The dealing of the self through the cross of Christ was wonderful yet it was also painful. But the grace of the Lord was also sufficient to enable me to bear the dealing of the self. To me, this is the greatest blessing of the year, the dealing of the self, resulting in Christ's increase and I decrease.

Besides, another blessing that I treasure is the beginning of my daughter and son learning to spend personal time in prayer. This year, the Lord graced my children to start going out for personal prayers, and that too regularly. With my son, we started to out together for prayers; first personal and then corporate. This year, this was started and I pray that we can continue to go out together for prayers regularly.

Another blessing noteworthy to me is our family trip to Singapore and Taiwan in the month of June. The Lord visibly manifested His loving care for our family in meeting all the practical needs of our family's foreign visits. He even provided a financial offering that my children could witness with their own eyes, the Lord's bountiful supply. This transpired in Singapore when we received offerings in Singapore Dollars and Taiwan Dollars. Then, in Taiwan, we received even more Taiwan Dollars and US Dollars. My children witnessed the Lord's provision in a visible way that strengthened their faith. I believe the Lord showed them the lesson of learning to live by faith, depending on the Lord for everything all the time, not depending on what we already have. This is a spiritual seed sown into the hearts of the children; letting them see a pattern of faith and living by trusting in the Lord.

Praise the Lord for the year 2024! As the church, we had a consecration prayer and we entered the new year 2025.

May this year be a continuation of the blessings received in the previous year. May the Lord continue to increase in me and that I may decrease until Christ fully saturates and gains me.