Friend of Sinners

Friend of Sinners- Matthew 11:19

Yesterday night I was introduced to a friend for the first time. I had no idea who this friend was until I met him and listened to him for over an hour. The scene at his house was of a party atmosphere where a couple of youth walked in and out freely with their nightly activities. Since the Lord brought me there I believed in the Lord's sovereign arrangement and focused on this friend with his colleagues as our gospel candidates.

What struck me first was how the Lord Himself was dubbed as "Friend of sinners" when He freely mingled with the sinners to save them. Today the Lord is not physically on the earth any more, but we are there physically for the Lord to save them. I took courage and prayed within to minister something divine into these friends. The initial lesson I went through was listening to whatever he had to say, from religions to philosophy to lifestyles and opinions. Though I tried to interject something from the Bible in between, the response was not positive. So I decided to silently prayer within and listen to him. 

The more I listened the more light I got concerning him and finally when the opportune time came, I spoke something that impressed him deeply and subdued him concerning his need for God. Thus, the ice breaking session was done and we became friends. One very impressive thing was that this friend had a lot of friends, a very good friends circle, I believe, for the Lord.

After I came and read my Bible, the Lord gave me these verses concerning these friends. 

Jeremiah 24 

6 And I will set My eyes upon them for good and will bring them back to this land and build them up and not tear them down, and I will plant them and not uproot them.

7 And I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am Jehovah; and they will be My people, and I will be their God; for they will return to Me with their whole heart.

Immediately I texted these verses to my vital group members and asked them to pray for their salvation and recovery, and follow up on this group of friends with a virtual banner "Friends of Sinners". They all need to be saved.

This matter burdened me a lot and I prayed for them. Something that dawned on me was to pray for them daily, establish a good friendship and start a group meeting in his home on a weekly basis, and shepherd them to the Lord Jesus Christ. I had a very bright hope within as I prayed for them, in spite of the outward situation of sins. The more I thought about it the more hope I have that one day, sooner than latter, they all will be pillar for the Lord's testimony here in Gurgaon.

Jesus, the Friend of sinners, makes us friends of sinners.

Quality

As a serving one in one of the entities of the Lord's move here in India, I have witnessed many works and things done out of commission. Sometimes, things were done for it must be done without much care for the quality of the work done. Even in the secular world, there are big corporates who focussed mostly on quality products, which makes them a big time corporates and yet there are multitudes too with duplicates at a very sub-standard quality, of the same kind. However, time is the best test to validate who is who and what is what. And the whole world acknowledges both.

These days too, the Lord impressed me so much on "quality" work. I loath to do a sub-standard work any longer. I hate to compromise on quality of works. In fact, in our official daily prayer, one of my prayer points has always been for the Lord to uplift the standard of our work and uplift our skill and quality in all the matter we handle or are under our responsibility. No doubt, quality always come with a higher price tag. But ultimately in the longer run, it pays off for the price it was paid for. 

This is the reason why I insisted so much on higher or even the highest quality of the ministry books to be produced. In fact, I have tied up with the best printing company in the world for the printing of the highest truth. Even everything done, as God graces on, will be focused on quality. 

When it came to my notice some of the substandard quality of works done in the past, I literally prayed within to the Lord to grant me the grace and bless me to improve in all my works. These days, as I was designing for the yearly calendar as a part of the company's promotional item, I prayed and considered a lot. I hate to produce yet another mundane product from any designer and printer with the excuse that that is a mere calendar and it hardly matter at all. I would pay any price to personally research on what kind of products to produce, and I personally designed the calendar myself. Still to discover how imperfect I am. 

As I presented my design to the saints coordinating with me in the office, I was so enlightened to discover my own shortage. So I literally had to redesign the whole thing. And lo and behold, the design after the saints coordination is much better. I gradually learned that in myself I am fully of imperfection. I, as an individual, has only two eyes and one mind to discern things; however, in coordination, effective suggestion sprang forth. When I acknowledge in humility my shortage and accept the Body's fellowship, I found out, what came out was much better.

Quality in what we do is a must, but this must be done in coordination especially that concerns the Lord's work. The Body's feeling is much better than an individual's feeling. What a precious lesson! Though this way is painstaking and time consuming, or rather much slower and harder, but always better and worthy of all the price behind it.

Even as I applied for a certain scholastic program, I chose a topic "Quality and Efficiency" to learn as much as I can, and as much as the Lord grace me, to be person of quality for the Lord's sake. 

My principle of service to the Lord is to offer the best to the Lord at all cost. Yes, even to break my alabaster flask of ointment, of a very costly nard to anoint the Lord, as a noble deed; a waste to the world, a worth to the Lord.

Lord, grant me Your grace to be so...

Journey On

The Lord's speaking through the ministry of the word has impressed me so much these days. From the life of Jacob, a supplanter, who eventually was dealt with, broken, transformed and matured to be become Israel, the prince of God, a man who blessed and blessed, the Lord infused into me the burden for journeying on in my Christian in the church life. 

In fact, I may not be "Israel" as yet, or perhaps, I may be in the midst of being dealt with or learning to be broken, I must in no way be discouraged at my situation. I rather must focus on the goal God has set for me, to be ultimately be matured for and according to His divine purpose.

If I were to look at myself or introspect, I could mostly see my failures, shortcomings and even sinnings, in many aspects. However, the sufficient grace of the Lord keeps me going on, in spite of all the odds on my uphill journey of life, even as a walking in the valley of the shadow of death. Trusting in the Lord's grace, I must journey on and on...from Shechem to Bethel, and onto Hebron; from one degree of the experience of God to a higher degree, from individual to corporate and even unto a full fellowship with the Lord with fellow members in the Body of Christ. This is the driving "engine" in my Christian life, the grace of God to journey on and on.

The prophesying of the saints on the Lord's day meeting was full of life-giving encouragement for me. Many saints who prophesied were on "journeying on" from stage to stage. I received so much supply from the saints' prophesying; it supplied life to me and encouraged me to journey on. Hallelujah!

Help Meet

And Jehovah God said, It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper as his counterpart. Genesis 2:18

The word "help meet" is used in some other translation, while "helper" here. Both means the same thing, some one who helps. Upon careful study and research I discovered that the Hebrew words used are  "ezer" and the word "k’enegdo". The former means "to save" or "to be strong" and the later, "meet for" or "fit for", or a related meaning is "against", or as mirror image "in front of". Paraphrasing it would mean, a woman is intended to be "the savior, to make him strong, to match him". This to me is very much true in my experience of a marriage life for eight years and still going on.

Every time I have to make a decision, be it big or small, more important or less important, the Lord graced me to fellowship with my help-meet, my wife, first, and only after we both have the oneness and one-accord, everything we decided upon is a great blessing. Of course there were times I escaped from this marital bliss and found myself in utter failure. And overtime, I have learned this lesson. My wife is my "savior" indeed, in many aspects of our family life.

Recently, in one of our home meetings, the Lord led me to minister on this line of "help meet" in relation to "Christ and the Church" and the consummation in an eternal marital oneness in the New Jerusalem. This is a good picture of every believers' spiritual destiny as ordained by God. The practice of this marital bliss is a key to the Lord's blessing in our family life, and even in my personal life as a husband.

Today I was on the verge of getting a credit card which I have been considering for months now. But in fellowship with my wife, I sensed a "no no" and that made me stop going ahead. Though I have my own good reasons for getting one, in fact, I have been offered by a bank at no cost at all with many assured gifts in return. However, when I decided to deny my own self interest which was devoid of my better half's smile, I discovered that I actually "saved" myself from being an unnecessary creditor; and the very work for which I thought I needed the credit card for, was today proven wrong, for I found a better solution of meeting what I needed the card for.

This has been my experience all along. All that I do in oneness with my wife have always turned out to be a blessing, even a very great blessing. For a normal marriage life is a picture of the relationship between Christ and the church. Learning from this, there is an urgent need for all the believers, as the church, the members of the Body of Christ to be one with Christ Himself, our one and only unique Husband.

O the wisdom of God in creating a man and building a woman out of him to be his help meet! This help meet in a true sense is also "a savior", "to make him strong" and "to match him exactly as a mirror image." Praise the Lord for my help meet!

Brother Doctor

Ten years ago when I first came to Delhi I met a brother whose brother was a doctor in the most famous medical university in India, AIIMS. It was not a very pleasant relationship then, as naive and immature I was in contacting people. Nevertheless, our relationship went on. Now and then, we would meet exchanging religious "Hi-Byes". 

Few years later, that brother doctor would frequent the church meetings with some home fellowships. But, being from a "Pentecostal" affluence some matter of the local church meeting he would deem incomplete. Undoubtedly because we do not practice nor pay too much attention to minute and peripheral things, our full focus is on Christ and His church only. With this little lack, as he felt, we lost touch for years altogether.

However, his name was somehow listed on my prayer list. For I maintain a record of all those whom the Lord burdened me to pray for. Though some of these are "hopeless" cases to me, because of the Lord's burden in me, I preserve the record and prays for them now and then.

Two weeks ago, this brother gave me a surprise call, and that call led to an appointment to meet him, and we did meet the following week. O things were so different now....

Brother himself testified of the lack among believers in knowing and practicing the Body life. His own statement repeated over and over again was, "Everything else were there, except the Body-consciousness." This statement is purely out of so many years of experiences of his Christian life in the denomination. Now the Lord has brought us together again to fellowship as members of the Body. The Lord burdened me to fellowship on Ephesian 2:15 and Colossians 3:11 concerning the "One New Man." 

After the fellowship, the prayer we offered and the attitude of our brother was so positive and touching. We fellowshipped to meet again and that he would also visit the brothers in Delhi for more fellowship. Later, when I came back home and discovered that his name was indeed on my prayer list, I was so encouraged at the faithfulness of the Lord.

May the Lord fully recover this brother and his whole family into the Body-life as he has been so much burdened for.

God's Speaking : Restoration

With two saints whom the Lord recently recovered into the church life, we visited a brother of their acquaintance. It was my first meeting with him, nevertheless, our acquaintance became so sweet and the Lord's anointing was richly felt in the meeting.

The pre-lunch meeting was all his time to pour himself out. The Lord graced me with a listening ear to patiently listen and discern whatever he had to say. His "ice-breaking" session went on for over an hour, and that was a very good one. For I got to know and understand him more to be able to minister the word later.

After  a lovely lunch was served, the ball was on my court. Beginning with God's plan, creation, the fall of man, the redemption of Christ, the regeneration of man, the growth in the divine life and also church according to the Bible, I went on and on, with some interactive sessions in between. The flow of the Spirit was so sweet that we all get much life supply through the fellowship, including myself; I was so supplied too. It really met the urgent need of the brother.

He had been a zealous lover of the Lord with a strict upbringing from an orthodox Christian family background. However, things did not turn out so good as expected of a religious believer. His matter went to the extreme of marital discord, lies, cheating and even divorce with false accusations and family separations. Not only so, he was literally robbed of everything including finances and properties. At that juncture, he was seeking the Lord to the uttermost with all religiosity and piety. But a time came when all these religious struggling reach a limit, resulting in breaking loose from self-made religious laws. Since then, he came even to the point of not being happy with God for all the unfulfilled promises, or rather, a kind of spiritual rebellion; stopped fellowshipping with believers and stopped the regular church meeting. Just be freed and broke loose from religious ties. 

To this narration my instant and innate reaction was, "Praise the Lord!" But I had to explain why I praised the Lord for such a bitter experience.

Initially, I ministered on the matter of the need for God to stripped us off of all our natural efforts, struggling and striving even for good. And further ministered on the importance of taking care of the basic of our Christian life; normal breathing, drinking and eating the Lord daily. Then he was very much encouraged and confessed that he had neglected these basic necessities. He was so happy that these matters were made clear to him and he joyfully exclaimed, "This is God's speaking; I will definitely do it from today..." Meanwhile, before we left, his mother also commented that she was so happy to see his son being so happy; and further confirmed the aptness and timeliness of the words spoken as she also listened from the adjoining bedroom.

The knowledge of the word and the revelation of the word is important to rescue the children of God from the devil's blinding darts. With the proper understanding of God's words and God's ways, the children of God have a clear sky to walk on in their journey of life irrespective of the circumstances, matters, persons or things on the way. 

It was indeed a great day of restoration as he himself testified. It was indeed God's speaking for restoration of our dear brother and his family and also for the Lord's testimony in that city, Noida.

God's Promises

The speaking of the Lord of late was very subjective. This time it is not to me personally, but corporately for the ones with I am coordinating. When applied individually it does mean very much, but I felt it more subjective and enjoyable when applied corporately. The speaking is from Isaiah 35.

1 The wilderness and the desert will be glad; And the desert will exult and blossom Like the rose.
2 It will blossom and blossom, And even exult with exultation and a ringing shout. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, The splendor of Carmel and Sharon; They will see the glory of Jehovah, The splendor of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands, And confirm the shaking knees.
4 Say to those who are of anxious heart, Be strong; fear not; Indeed your God Will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.
5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped;
6 Then the lame will leap like a hart, And the tongue of the dumb will give a ringing shout; For water will break forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert.
7 And the desert mirage will become a pool, And the thirsty ground, springs of water; In the habitation of jackals, their resting place, There will be grass with reeds and rushes.
8 And a highway will be there, and a way, And it will be called, The Way of Holiness. The unclean will not pass on it, But it will be for him who walks on the way; No fools will err in it.
9 There will be no lion there, Nor will any ravenous animal go up on it; They will not be found there; But the redeemed will walk on it.
10 And the ransomed of Jehovah will return And will come to Zion with a ringing shout, And eternal joy will be upon their heads. They will lay hold on gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

In our distribution service, this season is kind of dry. The challenges ahead of us are like herculean tasks, as we prayed and planed to comb through the whole of North India, beginning with UP, with the ministry of the word. We didn't even know how and where and when to begin; but just planned it. As we pray-read these verses before our fellowship, the Lord enlivened us and gave us a new direction. The pray-reading was so enjoyable that it went on for about an hour, until finally we started fellowship. There was not much to fellowship, for through the enjoyment of God's rhema word we got the answers already. Within seconds we made decision after decision, and later I compiled them and sent it for prayer, to the churches. 

It was no longer "thus spake the Lord",  but is rather, "the Lord promises and thus it will be." 

A week later, in our propagation in Gurgaon when we had our prayer, the Lord spoke through these verses again. With all the trainees, the Lord reconfirmed His promises for the break through and increase in the church in Gurgaon. With much joy we pray-read these verses and declared them as facts already accomplished! The word of God is true and living and it has been fulfilled!