Strange Fire

Leviticus 10 :

1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer, and put fire in them and laid incense on it, and they presented strange fire before Jehovah, which He had not commanded them.

2 And fire came out from before Jehovah and consumed them, and they died before Jehovah.

The work of God must be done in God's way and in God's time. The offerings presented by Aron according to the instruction of Moses in Leviticus 9 resulted in God's glory, Verse 6, "And Moses said, This is what Jehovah has commanded you to do. And the glory of Jehovah shall appear to you." Whereas, similar type of offering in Chapter 10 resulted in the judgement and killing of the priests. Because "Jehovah had not commanded it." What a striking incident!

These days, the speaking of the Lord to me is also such. I am alarmed and warned, timely. To confirm the same, a brother fellowshipped on the subject of "Serving According to Revelation." I was so touched by the brief overview of the recent coworkers' training in Taiwan.

Our service should be according to the revelation of God, otherwise it would just be an offering of a strange fire, ignorantly assuming that we are serving God, to please God, when on the contrary and actually, are offending God and commanding His judgement. We should never do anything out of ourselves, everything we do should be out from God. God must be our unique source, initiator, executor and accomplisher. We should not do things even out of a good heart, a good concern or even out of responsibility to meet the outward need, even if it is urgent. Lest, we be offering strange fire.

Whatever we do should be out from God, by receiving the burden from God out of our contacting with God and according to God's revelation. Ample examples are recorded in the Bible of our forefathers--Cain, Abel, Noah, Moses, Solomon etc..Some negative, some positive. Cain too did a good thing in offering sacrifices to God, but not according to God, whereas Abel did the same according to God's revelation. Noah built the Ark because God asked him to do so, similarly with Moses in building the tabernacle and Solomon in building the temple. They did what they did after God appeared to them, gave them revelation and burden. And the issue of doing things according to God was God's glory and God's blessings.

Saul, was a jealous religionist and wholeheartedly persecuted the believers because he thought it was that way he should serve his God as in John 16:2. But after God appeared to him in Acts 9, he took a 180 degree turn and persistently preached the very Christ he persecuted purportedly. Later, he was bold to death and proclaimed in Acts 26:19, "Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision." He did thing according to God's revelation.

So must we, in all our services, serve according to the revelation of God on that particular things we are serving in. First of all, go before the Lord in prayer, looking away unto Him, giving Him the preeminence, receive burden from Him and serve accordingly.

Lord, preserve us and save us from offering strange fire. May all our services be out from You, through You and unto You.

"I Am Sorry!"

At times, setting priority right is a big challenge. Two days ago I decided to hit two birds with one shot. But practically it was taxing and not feasible. The things I decided to do coincided and I had to choose what should be done first. One was a Taiwan visa application and the other a regular weekly fellowship and prayer. As I was driving on my way scheming as to how to handle both wisely, I could find no way out except to sacrifice one. Though I was mentally prepared for both, I kept calling on the Name of the Lord and prayed through as I drove. When I reached the cross road, the driveways that would lead me to two different plans, I spontaneously decided to give priority for fellowship and prayer; yes, visa could wait. Then my divided heart was peacefully calmed to peace and settled at ease.

Yet, on may way for the fellowship, an interesting thing happened. On a jam packed road at high traffic time, a car beside me on my right was about to hit my right rear viewer mirror. My reflect action steered toward a jerking right that scratched another overtaking car on my left. Then the traffic halted. I had to stop and get down to see as the other driver too did the same. It was hard to reckon who was right and who was wrong, naturally I was blamed for the un-welcomed game. But the Lord within me immediately reacted to apologize and say, "I am sorry!". I repeated that sentence a couple of times both in English and in Hindi. That simple sentence, cooled down the high voltage temper that was to burst out on the middle of the Delhi jam packed road, with other cars just speeding away leaving just the two stranger cars; who cared, mind your own business. That simple but powerful "I am sorry!" just calmed my friend down and we proceeded on our journey.

Later, after a short while drive, he signaled me to take a side stop, perhaps, for a talk over again. I in no way would speed away; I am a person not to escape but to solve, if there be any dispute. I stopped and he too. I went to meet him and observed the scratches on his car. O my, he happened to drive a comparatively new, well cleaned, snow white car, now with a bruise of un-welcomed stranger touch! I explained the reason for the "accident" and apologized again, this time in a decent Hindi, "Bhaiya, mera galti hai, mujhe maap kardo!"( Brother, forgive me, it's my fault!) Initially, he was kind-of arrogant. But I maintained my calm and begged his forgiveness. Then I reached out my hand toward him to shake hand which he denied two times. But I didn't give up. I closed up further and stretched out my hand for a peace-shake. Finally, he succumbed to my gesture and shook my hand with a coercive, "Thik hai" (OK). And left with his countenance changed. I was even more calm and serene and thanked the Lord for this little experience of being human. Peace reigned within me, and I hope, within him too. This simple sentence is so wonder working, "I am sorry." 

Lord, be my patient and humility all the time.

Recovery

Jeremiah 

33:6 I am about to bring it recovery and healing and will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth.

32:17 Ah, Lord Jehovah! It is You who have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm. Nothing is too wonderful for You, 

32:27 Indeed, I am Jehovah, the God of all flesh. Is anything too wonderful for Me?

These days, I have the honor and privilege of participating in the Lord's move here in our city, Gurgaon. We have been praying for a recovery of the Lord's strong testimony in this city, especially among the local ones. The Lord is beginning to break us through, stage by stage.

First and foremost is the Spirit's move in and among us, the believers, who take the stand in one accord on the ground of oneness. We first of all offered ourselves up to the Lord with much prayer. I personally enjoyed the Lord's anointing and His operating in me and among us. To me, everything the Lord would accomplish will first be decided on our knees. This is an universal and eternal truth. And we have been practicing this and are experiencing its reality.

Last Saturday morning as we were praying, we were all filled with the Spirit and had a deep confirmation that what the Lord wants to do is accomplished. Later, as we went out, the flow of the Spirit was so strong; wherever we went, the ministry of the Lord was timely and very effective, supplying the timely need of the new ones. For about  six hours, we ministered to six families; the Lord provided the timely rhema word.

In addition, we strongly felt the need for even more prayer, leading us to pray intensively for the specific families that need definite breakthrough from all bondage: be it sinful, worldly, religious or superstitious. Now, we are beginning to witness the release of local families, gradually. Jeremiah 33:6 "I am about to bring it recovery and healing and will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth" is beginning to fulfill. The Lord indeed is recovering...

Nothing too wonderful

The present move is also confirmed in my reading portion of the Word, "32:17 Ah, Lord Jehovah! It is You who have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm. Nothing is too wonderful for You," The Lord is more than able to do His work of recovering. An experience of shepherding that first began five years ago, and had since been considered hopeless case, was recovered back to fellowship in a wonderful way, recently. It's almost impossible even to believe that the same family has been recovered back to the sheepfold. In fact, after these many years, their hunger for the truth and love for the Lord is much deeper. Nothing is too wonderful for You, Lord!

32:27 Indeed, I am Jehovah, the God of all flesh. Is anything too wonderful for Me?"

Nothing is too wonderful for the Lord. The Lord is recovering our love for Him and our faith in Him for all that He desires to do. Our inward being itself is being recovered, and through this He is recovering His chosen ones through us. For nothing is too wonderful for Him.

God's Word Never Fails

Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall by no means pass away.

The Word of God is the definition, explanation and expression of God Himself. All that God had planned, willed and purposed from eternity past are all written in the Word. All that He wants man to know concerning Him or His economy are also in the Word. And all that wants to speak day by day are also written in the Word. The Word is God's breathed (2 Tim. 3;16);  it is God Himself (John 1:1). As much as He is the reality, so are His words. Therefore, even if heaven and earth pass away, His Words will never.

The Lord's speaking today as we fellowshipped and prayed corporately concerning the gospel preaching in this Millennium City, Gurgaon, the New York of India, is Ezekiel 36: 37 Thus says the Lord Jehovah, Moreover for this I will be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. 38 Like the holy flock for sacrifices, like the flock of Jerusalem in her appointed feasts, so will the waste cities be filled with flocks of men; and they will know that I am Jehovah. True to His speaking, today the Lord fulfilled it literally.

As we went to preach the gospel, the first person I met and preached the gospel was the son of peace right away. A gentile in a professional business, but seeker of God. As I ministered the Word, without an iota of doubt, He just received and believed as a thirsty panting Deer drinking every drop of water supplied to him. Though some clarification about the true and living God had to be done in contrary to his partial knowledge of God in religion. Later, He called on the Name of the Lord, and prayed to believe and receive the Lord.

Later, in the afternoon till night too, the Lord led us to four different home meetings where we ministered the Word of God with much Spirit's anointing to meet the hunger in the new believers' heart for God. What God had spoken, He also fulfills. He asked us that  "I will be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock." We inquired of Him and He is gaining the increase.

While in one of the home meetings, out from nowhere, I felt to call one of the very old contacts to whom I preached the gospel to the whole household a couple of years ago; and of which I kind-of gave up for their lame excuses barring continual visits. However, the Word spoken to them will never pass away. Today, when I called, it was confirmed that they were brought to a situation where they have to be ushered into the church life. With two brothers, we visited them and without wasting much time, we went into the Word, Romans 12, Matthew 16:18; 18:15-17; Acts 1, 2, 9 and ministered the Word on the Church, the Body of Christ. To this, their innate response was so apt that they took notes, and received the Word like starving man devouring food and later commented that all the questions within their being were already answered even before asking them at all, and that the visit was so timely that they were awestruck as to how we came to know about their situation. Well, the fact is, we knew nothing about what's going on in their lives, but we just followed the Spirit's leading to call and visit them and ministered the Word as the Spirit inspired. This also the result of "I will be inquired of " and He will recover His children back to His flock.

This is also the fulfillment of the hymn we enjoyed this morning, Showers of Blessing and the Lord honored His Word, as in stanza 3.

There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
  Sent from the Savior above.

Showers of blessing,
  Showers of blessing we need;
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
    But for the showers we plead.

There shall be showers of blessing—
  Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
  Sound of abundance of rain.

There shall be showers of blessing;
  Send them upon us, O Lord!
Grant to us now a refreshing;
  Come, and now honor Thy Word.

There shall be showers of blessing;
  O that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
  Now as on Jesus we call!

There shall be showers of blessing,
  If we but trust and obey;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
  If we let God have His way.

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn.php/h/260#ixzz2skus6dgS

Law and Grace

The ten Commandments in Exodus 20 is the law of God expressing what God is and exposing what man is. The highest standard of living is expressed in the law, but sinful man has no way to even fulfill even one of these commandments. Thank God for that. Let's take a look at some of the least of these:

Idolatry

Perhaps, one may consider he can actually keep the law, but in a very strict sense, far from the truth. For example, verses 3  and 4 says, "You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, nor the form of anything that is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water beneath the earth". These verses may be figure pointed to idolaters, to those who literally worship idols in religions. But the real meaning of idol is "any thing that replaces God; it could be good things or bad things, objects, matters, things or even persons."  Anything in a person's life or heart that takes the preeminence other than the true and living God, Jesus Christ, is the real idol. Beloved children, spouses, friends, family members, colleagues can be an idol. Career, profession, business, entertainment, sports etc., can also be an idol. Even religiosity can be the most deceptive form of  idolatry. If these all replaces Christ in our lives and in our hearts. No wonder John wrote in 1 John 5:21, "Little children, guard yourselves from idols."

Sabbath

Verse 8 says, "Remember the Sabbath day so as to sanctify it." This means God wants us to take Him as our sole rest, satisfaction and enjoyment. He wants us to enjoy Him and Him only. He wants us to take Him as our source and rest and depend on Him only. Otherwise, we profane the Sabbath day. 

Covetousness

Verse 17 says, "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor." One may not out rightly steal or grasp things. However, if there is an iota of day dreaming of things or persons as ours when in reality is not, is covetousness. 

This being the case, how about the remaining seven other commandments? Even just one of them, I personally cannot. No matter how hard I try, I cannot and will never be able to keep one faithfully. The more I try, I am just a replica of Romans 7. So what's the way then? 

Man indeed is utterly helpless. So God Himself became a man, Jesus Christ, full of grace and reality, lived a perfect human life yet a complete God, died and resurrected and became a life giving Spirit. And this Spirit in now in the believers; to be experienced and and enjoyed by them as grace. But for this grace, man is just  miserable. And because of this Grace, man is complete and mysterious. Whatever, the Law demands, Grace graces man to fulfill them all. God's highest demand can be fulfilled by His highest life-supply of grace.

A couple of weeks ago, I was selected as among finalist for a ten million INR sweepstakes win. The greed and covetousness in my flesh was indeed tempted. I went online and checked the veracity of such offer. Surprisingly, it was real, but that further ignited the already burning fuel of covetousness in my flesh. However, the Lord's grace and life supply led me to dump all such offers in a garbage can. And what a release it was to be freed from covetousness! This is possible only by grace that supplies what the law demands.

What a release to know this grace, enjoy and experience this grace! What the law demands, grace fulfills. To know and experience this is a great salvation.

Five, Two and Twelve

Matthew 14:

17 And they said to Him, We do not have anything here except five loaves and two fish.

20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve handbaskets full.

Five loaves and two fish are nothing to feed a crowd of five thousand. It is just a portion for a little boy. However, when the little we have is consecrated to the Lord, the Lord blesses it and is more than sufficient to meet all the needs. 

Five is a number of responsibility borne by man. When man faithfully cares for the Lord's interest on the earth and offers himself to the Lord as a testimony, signified by two, all that he has, God has a way to bless and meet His own need and the need of the one who offers himself and all that he has to Him. The issue of such a love consecration is an abundance of twelves baskets full, the complete blessings for the completion of God's work on the earth. 

To me, to love the Lord and consecrate ourself to the Lord, "2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ constrains us.."  is to live a normal Christian life. Any normal Christian will love the Lord, that is a spiritual law. The issue of such love is to consecrate to the Lord, that is the ensuing spiritual law again. Furthermore, by such consecration, the Lord will have a way to fulfill His economy on this earth. The Lord is the source, He is also the course of all things and ultimately He is the goal of all things from the source through the course.

For this, man's five loaves and two fish must be offered to the Lord as a love consecration and the issue will be a living of a normal Christian life that fulfills the Lord's desires and completes His purpose with an abundance of overflowing blessings of twelves basket full.

May all Christian see this divine principle, then there will never be a further delay in His coming back as His present need will be carried out by man's willing consecration and offerings for the Lord's move.

Lord, make me such a consecrated Christian.

Weeping

Oh that my head were waters,

And my eye a fountain of tears,

That I might weep day and night

For the slain of the daughter of my people! 

                                             Jeremiah 9:1

Jeremiah wept on behalf of God for the chosen people of God, Israelite, for He loved them even in His disciplining. This verse touched me deeply as the Lord has burdened me to pray earnestly for some saints who have backsliden or are not very positive with the Lord's move today. These saints are directly or indirectly brought to the Lord and in the church life through the Lord's grace abounding in me. In a sense, they are my spiritual children in the Lord.

I have done my best to shepherd them in all ways possible; if perhaps, I might have missed some ways, excepting those. Now and then, I tried to call them and text them. But the result does not seem forthcoming. However, I am not discouraged. It only reminds me of my stubbornness too, some decades ago, if not for His mercy that make me what I am today. When all ways failed or does not seem effective at the moment, the only solution is to weep for them. 

Recently a brother's  fellowship on caring for the new ones helped me a lot. When all fellowship of recovering the new ones failed, the only way remaining is to weep for them out of deep and heavy burden before the Lord.

This was the pattern of the apostle Paul. Acts 20: 19 Serving the Lord as a slave with all humility and tears and trials which came upon me by the plots of the Jews; serving the Lord as a slave with all humility and tears. Perhaps, he must have wept for the saints he was shepherding. No wonder, they all loved him and honored him. What a pattern!

As I considered and prayed for the list of saints and seekers yet to be saved, the Lord burdened me to continuously intercede for them day by day. I do not need to shed crocodile's tear, in trying to follow a patter, but as the burden for these ones grows stronger and stronger, shedding tears and weeping for them and their salvation is by life and spontaneous. It is a genuine burden issuing in tears of love, care and concern.

When I was saved, the burden for my family grew so much. I remembered one night, praying and groaning for my family the whole night with tears. I had no words to utter in prayer, as words would not suffice to describe the burden which was so heavy laden within. The only thing I could do was to kneel and intercede for my family members, one by one. The burden was not soon released then. It continued the following days and months and even years, until all of them were saved one by one. Well that's for my own family in the flesh. Now the burden is far higher; for the saints and new ones, of whom physically I have no relation with, except that of the Lord, in the Lord. The Lord is training me how to be a proper shepherd caring for the flock of God.

Lord, grace me to shepherd Your flock faithfully even with weeping.