Service to God

Ephesians 6:

5 Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ;

6 Not with eye-service as men-pleasers but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul;

7 With good will serving as slaves, as serving the Lord and not men;

8 Knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or a free man.

The Lord spoke to me this morning a very special word regarding service in the Lord and service to the Lord. In some way or the other, we are serving physically. In our respective service, a proper attitude is of utmost importance. Our inward being must be with all purity and sincerity. Though outwardly we seem to serve man, yet our attitude should be as serving the Lord. This is the key to unlock the Lord's blessings.

In my service in the literature service, I must not be a men-pleaser, and I must not serve merely an earthly master or an entity, but I must serve Christ in all my services. The phrases in the verses in Ephesians 6:5-7 that touched me the most are "as to Christ," "as slaves of Christ" and "as serving the Lord." Later in our official pursuit in the office, I fellowshipped these verses to all the servings ones and we even prayed over the verses that our service may be by the divine life with the exercise of the spirit in sweet coordination with one another, serving as slaves of Christ serving Christ. As we were fellowshipping, a brother added another verse, verse 8, an incentive for our service in the Lord, that we will receive back from the Lord.

The same applies to all kinds of services, be it secular or spiritual. Though there are many techniques of management, all are human and natural. But in the service of the Lord, the best "management technique" is everyone serves in the spirit. This is the "zoe" theory of "management." Though I have studied much the secular theory of management I cease to believe in their effectiveness. The best and most effective, proven through years of experiences, is the Z "zoe" theory, where every serving ones lives before God and serves God with a pure conscience and pure attitude. This does not require any human monitoring though such may still be there.Besides, this invokes God favour and blessings which the secular ones are devoid of. And the success of any service is dependent on God's blessing. If God blesses, it is blessed; none can stop nor do anything otherwise.

Lord, make me such a serving one, a slave of Christ.

Light Has Dawned

Last month the Lord has shown me a ray of hope for the church where He placed me. And further on, this month the Lord causes the light to be dawned further. Hallelujah!

Many of the new ones that we have been praying for, and who have been going through trying circumstances, are slowly yet steadily being recovered. Their cases at times seems like hard nuts to crack, and sometimes even impossible, yet the Lord's word never fails. Though we have been through the dark night as far as increase is concerned, now the light has dawned!

A brother started calling me up the past few weeks to visit him for fellowship and prayer. Though I could not make it for some reasons, he was so desperate to keep calling again and again. In fact, I procrastinated a couple of times intentionally, to make sure that he is genuinely seeking the Lord and for fellowship in the Body. Having then confirmed of his seriousness, another brother and I visited him. O it was a wonderful recovery! The Lord has led this brother through valleys until he called out for fellowship desperately realising his need for fellowship in the Body. The fellowship that day was full of life and life. He himself confessed of his shortcomings and willing to reconcile and for restitution of all that went wrong, both before and with, God and man.

Another brother had gone through months of stripping by the Lord. Wary and weak of wandering in the wilderness of the world, he finally came for fellowship and began to restore his church-life. Though still muddling through the miry clay, still he is progressing. The heart is now willing with the body following after. By the way, the Lord also is dealing with me and exposing me of my lack in shepherding brothers in need. On the one hand he was being recovered, on the other hand, I am also being recovered in my responsibility as a serving brother. May the Lord recover us fully.

Yet another new one started calling for a visit to his new office as he has been blessed in his business from being a mere employee to a one who founded a new company. Though he is not yet baptised, he testifies that his upliftment is because of the saints' prayer. Well, God knows best. Anyway, he is being recovered.

A similar case happened with another new one who has started his own business and being physically blessed, and attributed all to the prayer of the saints. 

In a similar fashion, a brother who met with us a couple of years ago sudden called up last week to inform of his presence in town and expressed his desire to meet and fellowship. He actually came for the meeting and we had a wonderful fellowship in the word and expressed his desire to continue in the fellowship.

What do we say of all these? A coincidence? Or just like that? No. The Lord is still on the throne. He is in control and direct every one's steps, especially of His children and chosen ones and of those whom His saints have been interceeding for. All these are evidences of light having dawned.

Lord, we bow and worship You for Your ways and Your perfect timing for all things. Thank You for the new light dawning. Lead us further to the full bright day.

Coordination Fellowship

Recently in one of our church brothers' fellowship a brother pointed out the need of renovating our meeting hall for the sake of the new ones the Lord would be bringing in. My reflex action was on the contrary. As I have been brought up to live a simple life, and I indeed grow up to be simple not caring too much for physical recalibration. However, I honored the brother's fellowship and took it as from the Lord. Then on we decided to redo the look and feel of the meeting hall, in sweet coordination.

The step taken was to call for saints to come on a Saturday and work together in a blended way for the cleaning and repainting of the hall. It was all so done is a very sweet and good coordination. Sisters came to do the cleaning works mostly and brothers the repainting work. Finally, we have a new look meeting hall. The feeling was so much uplifted. With the change and upgradation of the physical hall, I personally felt like the church is going through a new phase of development. Had it not been for that fellowship, I would have never thought that a simple physical remodeling can make so much difference. This vaguely reminds me of an ancient dictum, "Godliness is next to cleanliness." Though the physical appearance seems unrelated to the spiritual, yet what is physical is the expression of what is spiritual. The spiritual condition of a church or a saint is reflected in his physical outlook. The two are intertwined; one expresses the other and vice versa.

With this single step of upgradation, many more changes followed suit; rearrangement of the furnitures, flooring, curtains etc.. And last night, when we had the church's prayer meeting in this new look hall, the spirit was so strong. Dormant saints became so exercised. And the spiritual atmosphere was uplifted. To me, it was revelation. I believe, its mostly the issue of the brothers' oneness in our coordination and our co-working together that commanded the Lord's blessing. Indeed, the physical rearrangement did have an effect, but the key was the oneness through the coordination fellowship.

This is but a simple testimony of the importance of co-ordination in doing anything in the Body. No matter what matters, as long as there is the oneness in co-ordination, the Lord blessings will always follow;both the physical and spiritual blessing.

Lord, keep us in Your oneness with one another, at all times for all matters.

Christ Now!

Hebrews 1:3

Who, being the effulgence of His glory and the impress of His substance and upholding and bearing all things by the word of His power, having made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Recovery Version Note on "sat down on the right hand": 

....In this book (Hebrews) is the present Christ, who is now in the heavens as our Minister (8:2) and our High Priest (4:14-15; 7:26), ministering to us the heavenly life, grace, authority, and power and sustaining us to live a heavenly life on earth. He is the Christ now, the Christ today, and the Christ on the throne in the heavens, who is our daily salvation and moment-by-moment supply.

In my morning revival time, I was so enlightened by the Christ who is today sitting down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ministering heavenly life, grace, etc., to us in His heavenly ministry. Though He no longer is physically present among us, He very much is present in spirit in our spirit as the present Christ, the Christ now, for our daily salvation from sin, self, the world and Satan. Eternally, we have been saved by grace through faith (Romans 2:8.) But how about the day to day salvation? One can easily boast of past experiences and future glory to be, but what about now? What about the present experience of  Christ? Lord, I need to experience You now as my daily salvation. 

Philippians 2:12 

So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much rather in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

Recovery Version Note:

I.e., carry out, bring to the ultimate conclusion. We have received God's salvation, which has as its climax our being exalted by God in glory as the Lord Jesus was (v. 9). We need to carry out this salvation, to bring it to its ultimate conclusion, by our constant and absolute obedience with fear and trembling. We have received this salvation by faith; now we must carry it out by obedience, which includes our being genuinely one in our soul (v. 2). To receive this salvation by faith is once for all; to carry it out is lifelong.

The Lord touched me deeply about my need for constant and absolute obedience with fear and trembling to experience Christ, working out my daily salvation, to be saved moment by moment. I don't want to boast of the past experiences any longer, unless it is needed as a testimony, nor do I want to boast of future glory to be, but live out Christ day by day, moment by moment, as my Christ now!

O the present  Christ, the Christ now, to live Christ!

Learn Christ

Ephesians 4:20 But you did not so learn Christ,

Recovery Version Note:

Christ is not only life to us but also an example (John 13:15; 1 Pet. 2:21). In His life on earth He set up a pattern, as revealed in the Gospels. Then He was crucified and resurrected to become the life-giving Spirit that He might enter into us to be our life. We learn from Him (Matt. 11:29) according to His example, not by our natural life but by Him as our life in resurrection. To learn Christ is simply to be molded into the pattern of Christ, that is, to be conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29).

In my study of the word, the Lord convicted me deeply with this matter of  learning Christ. Since I believed and received the Lord, I have been learning Christ in bits and pieces, here a little, there a little. Sometimes, my learning is slow and stagnant. Though I know all believers must be steadfast and burning in spirit, serving the Lord, (Romans 12:11), meanwhile growing up to Him day by day. Somehow I lack behind in keeping up with my spiritual age. These days the Lord freshen up this crucial matter once again. Even convicting me saying, "But you did not so learn Christ."

To learn Christ is simply to be molded into the pattern of Christ, that is, to be conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). This happens only by growth, and growth happens only by daily eating Christ, and one can eat Christ daily only when one has the grace of the Lord to hunger and thirst for Him.This requires the Lord's mercy. Disciplined and habitual daily eating is a good way; but enjoying what we eat is a better way. For this the mercy of the Lord is needed. Otherwise, one's eating of the Lord will just be religious duty, piously and ritually carried our day by day. This will not help learn Christ.

Lord, make me poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3) that I may have the hunger to come to eat You daily, and pray, "Lord give us this day our daily bread." (Matthew 6:11) 

With this prerequisite, I can learn Christ in a genuine, proper and normal way. Moreover, He will arrange every circumstance deemed perfect for learning Him. Perhaps, in hardships and tirals, or in riches and in poverty; or in sickness and in health; or in weakness and in strength; or in life or in death. But what He deemed best is indeed the best. And to His sovereign arrangement, I humble amen and give myself to Him, that indeed, I may learn Christ.

Pleasure

Pleasure, a feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment, is often misunderstood by many, especially the religiously spiritual ones. Because of its immense dilution by Satan as a counterfeit of genuine pleasure which is God Himself, many have disdained the very usage of this word, and even much more the very subjective experience of it. Satan is too aware of God's intention for His children to enjoy Him as the greatest pleasure, he introduces via crooked and fallen minds, many evil, unhealthy and dirty counterfeit of pleasure in the form of sinful pleasure, earthly enjoyment and worldly entertainment. Its form are varied; changing and developing with the pace of time and ages. Nevertheless, God's desire for man's enjoyment of God should not be deterred.

Interestingly, after God created man, He placed him in Eden garden with his counterpart (Gen. 2:15). Eden, beautifully means pleasure, signifying God's desire for man to enjoy Him as his ultimate pleasure; the presence of God which is the fullness of joy forever. This is God's desire and good pleasure too. But this can be experienced only in the mingled spirit, the subjective holy of holies where God as the Spirit dwells within us, by the living, walking and the exercise of our human spirit.

Today the counterfeit pleasure are mostly external; fleshy and fleshly, pertaining to sinful enjoyment of the indwelling sin in man, in his flesh. This indeed is a kind of pleasure too, though negative and sinful in nature and very short lived. This is where the whole created man is trapped since the fall. This is why Christ had to shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sin, the personified and embodied sin in the flesh.

A more decent yet sinful pleasure is of the soul; of the unrenewed and crooked mind, an undealt emotion and untamed will. These from of pleasure may not be outrightly sinful in the eyes of man, but in nature is sinful. The world has enough to offer a delightful treat to the soul. In fact, man has spent most of his time and energy for this soulical pleasure. In a gentleman's vocabularly, this is just a decent and normal lifestyle. However, to the living among the dead, the two are just sinful of varied degree each.

The highest and holiest pleasure is that of God and God Himself. His presence means all to those who are truly His. Riches or poverty, sickness or health, life of death, good or evil, day or night does not affect this genuine pleasure. The Psalmist of old have written a lot in poetry and hymn about this ultimate and consummate pleasure, God Himself. Once one experiences God's presence, all the counterfeit pleasure of Satan are far too inferior even to reckon, much less compare with the superior and extreme enjoyment of God Himself.

The Lord in His mercy gave me such experiences at times. And mostly in the Body of Christ, when coordinated and in oneness, His presence is always there. And also when one lives and walks in the spirit, the presence of God is enjoyed. Last night the Lord gave me such experiences of enjoying His sweet presence. O what a joy! Praises and worships and thanksgiving overflowed, This indeed, is the experience of the third heaven! O how I long that the Lord visit me likewise all the days of my life, and to all His children. Yet, this is just a foretaste of the New Jerusalem. All our being, doing and living are for this. Lord, Your presence, our pleasure...

Words

I never realised how human words can be so powerful especially on the destructive effects then the constructive. Even facts spoken in human words can be easily misunderstood especially if one is not in the spirit. Unintentional words spoken with good intention may mean entirely different with the hearer, even among the believers. In fact, among believers the effect is more rampant as the enemy is always on the alert to use every opportunity to attack the saints; to make it mean what it should not have meant, to create confusion and destruction.

Recently this happened to me. I was misunderstood for what I did not intend. However, I cease to believe that such misunderstanding can halt a spiritual progress of a believer. If mere words can hinder a person's growth, it is very doubtful of that person's stability and spiritual soundness. Nevertheless, I would not allow such minor case to be a stumbling block to a weaker saint. May the Lord forgive me.

This brings me to the matter of the tree of life. Anything apart from Christ as the tree of life can bring in death. If I don't enjoy this tree of zoe, all my deeds, much less mere words, can bring in death. I must eat the tree of life and live by the tree of life. May the Lord preserve me from anything apart from this tree. The tree of life is the solution to all problems. If I am such a one who enjoys the tree of life, my words will be full of life to impart life to others. Otherwise, all that is spoken is of death and darkness, even though the words spoken were good and spoken with good intent.

The Lord reminded me again and again, to mind my words, and bridle my tongue. To speak or not to speak should be determined by the indwelling spirit. Tonight as I had a meeting, I let loose my tongue to comment unnecessarily on certain matter and that created ruckus before our small group meeting. A real life lesson indeed. Later, we switched gear and started enjoying the Lord by singing hymns of praise to God. O we all were transferred to a new realm and we kept singing hymn after hymn until we realised we have spent more than two hours with some ministering of the word and prayer. 

Ephesians 5:19 "Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and psalming with your heart to the Lord," Yes to speak or not to speak is determined by what you should speak. Speak word of grace in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. With these the enemy will have no ground to misinterpret it to the hearer.

Lord, preserve me in the enjoyment of the tree of life and to only speak words of life.