Two Weddings

Last week on the 16th of March 2014, I and my family had the privilege of attending two weddings, one was one  of my wife's friends' and the other a brother in the church life. The contrast between the two was that of heaven and earth. It was indeed an experience of two realms. Nevertheless I bless both the couples equally.

The first wedding may be graded a 5 stars if the grading scale were physical; like the outfits, the ambiance, the food, the venue and the kind of people attending the feast. Indeed, full of glitter and glamour. My only wish and prayer is that the couple may get to know the true meaning of marriage and be saved to fulfill the reality of the type portrayed in human marriage; a marriage between Christ and the church.

The second weeding was of a brother who loved the Lord dearly and even served with me in the same locality in Gurgaon a couple of years ago. The testimony of the bride and groom was amazing. Both loving the Lord and giving themselves fully to the Lord; a wonderful pattern for all the young saints. Moreover, they both have the same burden to serve the Lord full time and even go abroad to preach the gospel. What a blessing!

The latter wedding is also a good testimony of parents loving the Lord and giving themselves to the Lord, with all their family. The parent's labor, shepherding and prayer for the children can in no way be set aside. In fact, it was the Lord's blessing out of the good heart of the parent; they basically commanded the Lord's blessing because of their love for the Lord. This reminds me of my own need to pray for and shepherding the three children the Lord has blessed me with. I have literally seen patterns right in front of my eyes. Now, it is my turn to follow the pattern and reap the same harvest of the Lord's blessings in the coming days.

This also is a reminder of the coming wedding day of Christ and the Church. As the brother and sister had been prepared by the Lord, there is an urgent need for the believers to prepare themselves for the wedding with Christ. The parable of faithfulness in Matthew 25:1-13 is a good encouragement, to be filled with oil in our vessels daily; to be filled with the Spirit daily in our being to be ever ready for the wedding day.

In Laws in the Lord

This time in my family reunion with my in laws in Taiwan, the Lord graced me a deeper experience of family life in the Lord. Universally, "in-laws" always has a problem, perhaps because it is in the law. And no laws under the sun is perfect. In fact, the laws only brings in death. However, being in the Lord is truly above the laws of man. My visit to and a family reunion in Taiwan this time is an enjoyable experience of the Lord, in the Lord.

I felt as homely, if not more, here even as it would have been in my own home in India with my relatives in the flesh. The secret is being "in Christ." All the fellowship and prayer, all the outings and blendings are just as sweet as it would have been with any other saints. Though in physical marriage we are in laws, but as being in the Lord we are all of the family of God. I can freely relate and fellowship as saints in the church-life. This indeed is a real blessing which the world is truly deprived of.

My father and mother in the Lord are real pattern for me to follow. Each of them unique and special in their own way, as God apportioned it to them. My dad is a century less a score year old now, still he does all the household necessity of running the family. He is well trained and disciplined to manage the household, everything from financial management to waste management. Everything is well preserved, and there is hardly anything that can be called waste as a waste. Herein is wisdom behind the scene, he will never be in lack as he really is today; truly self sufficient and in fact, in abundance. A deep lesson I have learned by my short while sojourn here.

My mother is a lover of Christ, a well attested lady, of good reputation and well spoken of by many. She has devoted her life for Christ and the church absolutely. And a lover of the ministry of the word, proven by the fact that the house is literally a library, full of the ministry books both in English and Chinese. Where have I found such a sister? No where except here, no one except my mom in the Lord. No wonder, her daughter is blessed as I am being blessed in a marital tie and serving in the ministry of the word!

My brother is a genuine and faithful person. Though a Stanford graduate engineer, he decided to serve a humble company with all dignity and faithfulness though qualified for a much better option. Through thick and thin, he chose to sail through with his boss when the world today is filled with "rat racing" for better pay and better fortune. Such a vessel is deemed to be honored by the Lord. As a seeker of the truth too, I had a sweet time of fellowship with him, as friend yet as brother. My prayer goes with him dearly.

This family reunion in laws in the Lord is a true blessing indeed. The Lord's sovereignity of making me a part of this family deserves praises to the God of arrangement; glory be to Him! 

Lord, bless our family.

Priest

Ezekiel 44:

15 But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near to Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to present to Me the fat and the blood, declares the Lord Jehovah,

16 It is they who will enter My sanctuary, and it is they who will come near to My table to minister to Me, and they will keep My charge.

17 And when they enter the gates of the inner court they shall be clothed with linen garments, and no wool will come upon them while they minister in the gates of the inner court and inside it.

18 They shall have linen turbans on their heads and have linen trousers over their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything that causes sweat.

All the believers in the New Testament are priests. This is our spiritual birthright. Though the reality remains the fact, the practicality of being a priest is not without conditions. As my Bible reading portion was on these verses, the Lord shown upon me to see something deeper and higher. Certain necessary conditions to be priest in practicality are:

1. Come near to Me to minister to Me : To live in the presence of God daily. There needs to be an exercise of coming to the Lord everyday through the exercise of the spirit through the word and through prayer. Many dear Christians have neglected this simple, basic yet crucial exercise, thereby, forfeiting the enjoyment of the spiritual birthright inherited of God. Time and again, my burden whenever I fellowship with the saints is this matter only, and ever it will be. How can a person be healthy without normal and proper eating and drinking of a healthy diet? None can break this natural law, so much the more, the spiritual law; of eating and drinking the Lord everyday. Our exercise to experience the Lord by eating and drinking Him is a ministering to Him. We can minister to God only what God has ministered to us. God minister to us when we eat and drink Him to enjoy Him.
2. Stand before Me to present to Me : Only after condition number one is fulfilled, can one be able to stand before God. Standing is a matter of readiness for service. Every spiritual service is the overflow of the enjoyment of the Lord's presence and His ministering into us as our life and life supply. Without being ministered we cannot minister, without being served by God by eating and drinking Him we cannot stand before Him to serve Him. The presents to be presented to God are "the fat and the blood". The fat signifies the preciousness of the person of Christ, our daily subjective experience and enjoyment of the all-inclusive Christ. And the blood signifies the redemptive work of Christ through which we are saved, being saved and will be saved.
3. Enter the gates of the inner court : The inner court is the place of our priestly service. For this a proper attire is needed, "They shall have linen turbans on their heads and have linen trousers over their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything that causes sweat." Linen signifies a daily living and walk in the life-giving Spirit by the life of Christ which is pure, clean and fine. As a functioning priest, our living must be proper before God and before man. However, this is possible only by the Lord's life supply, therefore condition 1 and 2 must be fulfilled to be able to actually serve as priest. Moreover, one must be warned: No human effort is required to utilise. This is signified by the prohibition of the use of woolen garment that causes sweat. Our service to the Lord must be by the Spirit in the spirit by eating Him and drinking Him, not trying to do something for God and laboring and struggling in our soulish-natural man.
4. Prohibitions : Verse 20  They shall neither shave their heads, nor let their locks grow long; they shall only trim the hair of their heads. This signifies the need for genuine humility before God and submitting to His authority, honoring His headship, giving no ground for pride, self-glory, self-dignity, ambition, position and leadership. Verse 21 And no priest shall drink wine when they enter the inner court.  This signifies, a functioning priest must be absolute for God and be separated and sanctified from all kinds of earthly enjoyment and pleasure. His sole enjoyment must be God Himself.  Verse 22 And they shall not take as their wives a widow or a divorced woman, but rather they shall take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel or a widow who is the widow of a priest. This signifies a normal and proper humanity having a good relationship with others, being pure and of good testimony.
5. Inheritance : Verses 28-30 And they shall have an inheritance: I am their inheritance. And you shall not give them a possession in Israel - I am their possession.  They shall eat the meal offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering; and every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs. And the first of all the firstfruits of everything, and every heave offering of everything, of all your heave offerings, shall be the priests'. You shall also give the priests the first of your dough to cause a blessing to rest on your house. God is the only sole inheritance of the serving priest. All the food supply and place for their living and service is God Himself. As a serving priest our true inheritance is the all-inclusive Christ with all He is.

What a blessing we have today as New Testament believers! Our spiritual birthright is to be priest and to function as priest we have all the life supply and inheritance of God in Christ as the Spirit! What a blessing! 

Lord, grace us ever to be functioning priest serving You in the inner court all the days of our lives.

Flow of Life

Today morning my enjoyment of the Lord is on the scriptures quotation below. The blessing of the flow of life; this flow of life is from the sanctuary.

Ezekiel 47

3 When the man went out to the east with the line in His hand, He measured a thousand cubits; and He led me through the water, water that was to the ankles.

4 Then He measured a thousand cubits and led me through the water, water that was to the knees. Then He measured a thousand cubits and led me through the water, water that was to the loins.

5 Then He measured a thousand cubits, and it was a river that I could not pass through; for the water had risen, enough water to swim in, a river that could not be crossed.

The four measuring of the flow in verses 3-5 indicates the Lord leading us through different kind of situation testing us and training us and even judging us of the degree of the supply we can receive from Him. The flow of the river is out from the sanctuary, from the house of God, the church. As we are in the church enjoying the church-life the Lord will grace us many different experiences both positive and not so positive, yet always with the supply of life gracing us through. Stage by stage, He leads us till our self is dealt with thoroughly and till we are fully carried along by the flow of the grace of life.

7 And when I returned, there were very many trees on the bank of the river, on one side and on the other.

8 Then said He to me, This water flows out toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah and goes to the sea; when it flows into the sea, the water of the sea is healed.

9 And every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes shall live, and there will be very many fish, when this water comes there. And the water of the sea shall be healed, and everything shall live wherever the river comes.

10 And fishermen will stand beside the sea from En-gedi even to En-eglaim; it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Their fish shall be according to their kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea, very many.

As we experience and enjoy the flow of grace, there will be enlivening wherever the flow leads us to. This flow brings forth trees and when it flows into the sea, the water of the sea is healed. The death situation in our environment will be enlivened as we are in the flow of life. Death can never overcome life; and there is no human problem that cannot be solved. What is needed is life. This has been my experience too. Whenever I am in the flow of life, there is life wherever I go and there is a ministering of life to whomever I minister. Being in the flow bear forth trees bearing fruit for food; we become spiritual food supplier to others and can turn the dead situation into life!

The fish with the fishermen are for the increase. When in life, the manifestation will be fruit bearing. There shall be an increase wherever there is life. For life generates and reproduces. Barrenness in the church is a strong indication of the lack of life flow and life supply. Perhaps, the church is living, but may not be fruitful if the flow of life is not sufficient.

Warning: 11 But its swamps and its marshes will not be healed; they shall be left for salt.

Swamps and marshes are places which are neither dry nor wet; a situation of lukewarmness, compromise and lethargy. These places will not be healed. Though life can heal all and make all fruitful, the condition of the people is also a factor that determines if the healing and enlivening will be subjective. God's work is always in the principle of incarnation where He needs man's cooperation for Him to do His work. Man's thirst for God and supply of life is needed for God to carry out His work; a condition of absoluteness is needed. If a person's heart is half-hearted it is very unlikely he will receive God's blessing even though God always want to bless. This must be a stern warning not to be lukewarm but be absolute in our pursuit of life, of God.

May the Lord make me and the saints to be absolute under His divine flow of life from the sanctuary, in the church, for the bearing forth of abundant and remaining fruits all the days of my life. And that this verse be subjectively being experienced in my normal Christian life in the normal church-life. "12 And on the banks on both sides of the river will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail; but they will bring forth new fruit every month, because the water for them flows out of the sanctuary. And their fruit shall be for food, and their leaves for healing."

Specific Burden

Colossians 1:

28 Whom we announce, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man full-grown in Christ;

29 For which also I labor, struggling according to His operation which operates in me in power. 

These day the Lord pleased to bless me with a specific burden. Though many prayers have been offered for many people, yet not many of them are real-thorough and specific. These time, it is for my own relative in the flesh who are wavering in faith and wallowing in the world. The only thing I could do was pray and pray and pray until the Lord would fully deliver them. Moreover, the Lord burdened me to meet them, one by one, one on one and have fellowship face to face; not to teach but to minister Christ. My specific prayer for these ones have been that the Lord would minister Himself richly to them by all means and gain them as He did Jacob, even transforming him to become the Israel of God.

Every morning revival portion this week is on this matter as well that I must labor and struggle to shepherd these ones and present them full grown in Christ, not by my strength but by His power which operates in me. The speaking of the Lord is real and has been confirmed in many ways. 

In my burden to carry out the Lord's burden in me, I am ready to face any opposition whatsoever. Often times, I consider to go ahead when they are ready, but the Lord reminded me last night in my prayer time that as a mother cares for her baby I must care for them. Perhaps, they are not ready to receive any care as such, as with a baby, out of ignorance and immaturity, but a good mother walks the extra mile and do what she needs to do, welcomed or unwelcomed. This is exactly how I should shepherd my relatives in the flesh. May the Lord grace me to execute His burden. The more I thought about it and prayed about it, the more I am confirmed and comforted within to go ahead.

Lord, grace me to shepherd your beloved who are also mine.

God's Blessing : Family

Lord, if Thou bless, we are blest,

Do Thou bless us.

Make our vessels proper;

To command Thy blessings,

To contain Thy blessings,

And to multiply Thy blessings.

Lord, Thou indeed art the Blessing!

Thou art all that we need,

Bless us with Thyself

Lord Jesus Christ!

Family is a blessing from God, a type of God's great family, the church. Often times I evaluate my spiritual status with my own standard and concluded with a negative note. Even to the extend that I reclined my soul in utter dismay. For my judgement is based on the solid spiritual remaining fruit through the shepherding being carried out week by week. Nevertheless, on the contrast, the Lord actually blessed me with wonderful family, beyond expectation; not prayed for nor deserved, but the Lord's blessing.

For half a year, my wife and two children have gone to Taipei for the third blessing. Physically, I was left alone and had lesser burden but was actually  not more blessed. Family life with all its care and concern is a real blessing. Physically void of this is no blessing at all. I begin to learn and understand the importance of family life. Many deeper lessons of life cannot be learned without a normal family life, perhaps, that's the reason God ordained a family life with the phrase, "a help meet." In the absence of this "help meet" is "void and emptiness."

This period of temporal separation taught me more lessons of life. Out of my deep realization of the importance of family life, my prayer ever has been that of the verses above. If God blessed, indeed we will be blessed. For the only blessing is the Lord Himself.

Six months later, I am reunited with my family here in Taipei. Our love for one another has grown much deeper and stronger. Now the third baby is three months old and is mature enough to come back to India, our days here have been numbering. Everyday is a family time; time out to some places of interest or time in with "akong and ama." What a blessing indeed is a family. Never even in my wildest dream I dreamt of such, but the Lord has arranged everything and made everything beautiful in His time. What more can I say except to thank the Lord for the great blessing He pleased to bestow upon this undeserving worm. "Lord, thank you for Your blessing of my family."

Fight for the Brother

I have been maintaining a list of prayer the Lord has specially burdened me to specifically pray an intercessory prayer for. The names of the list keeps growing by the day. Now and then, the Lord would remind me of certain person to add to this list. 

Three days ago as I was driving on my way to Delhi for a prayer fellowship, the Lord reminded me of certain brothers who needed to be prayed for. I literally conversed with the Lord in a friendly manner that I had enough on the list to pray for. Why He had to keep burdening me to pray for so many. I probably cannot handle too much. I am man too, with flesh and blood, who needed to be pray for too, as much as I do for others. I even reasoned with the Lord as these many on my list are mostly believers who needed to be recovered to a proper fellowship in the Body of Christ, I'd rather pray for more unbelievers to be saved, to gain the gentiles for the local church where I am in, in Gurgaon. Those on this list needs to see the Lord's further appearing and the revelation concerning His economy, why bother? But the Lord's burden is the Lord's burden; I should rather give up my opinion and thank the Lord instead, for such an honor and privilege to be able to care for these children of God who needed to be recovered back to the good land and build the temple in Jerusalem.

Last night, as we were entering into message five of the Crystallization-Study of Genesis (2) "Fighting for the Brother", the Lord confirmed the reason why He burdened me with those brothers who needed to be prayed for. I got my answer. It's no longer "Why?" but a "Wow!" A privilege indeed to be honored with the burden of praying for the brothers.

In Genesis 14 when Abraham received the news of Lot's captivity, he did not count on the weak point of his brother, nor did he take pleasure in his suffering and calamity. Rather he considered it a shame to see his brother being captured. Immediately he took his 318 men and fought against 4 kings and their armies, defeated them, rescued and recovered back his brother Lot. Behind the scene of the battle was a prayer to Jehovah and an interceding of Melchizedek. This settled all my natural opinions. Irrespective of the conditions, reasons for my brothers' failure and being capture by Satan, I cannot stand to tolerate the shame of my brothers being put to shame. Whatever may be the reasons behind the failures of my brothers, I must pray for them and fight for them by all means until they are fully restored and recovered for the fulfillment of the Lord's heart's desire.

Fighting for the brother is mainly by two ways. First, by interceding for them according to God and His economy. This is the reason why the Lord kept burdening me to pray for my brothers. The list keeps growing and thank the Lord that it grows. And may it grow as He will grace to pray for the growing burden. Second, by ministering the processed God into the brother for their overcoming supply and enjoyment. This is by shepherding them in all ways possible that the brothers may be restored to normalcy to live an overcoming life for the church life.

Now I am at ease and thank the Lord for such a blessing of burden to pray for. As burden grows, grace will grow much more to meet the growing burden. Faithfully and prayerfully, in oneness with the Lord, fight for the brother!