Nehustan

Nehustan, meaning “a piece of bronze.” 

In Number 21:4-9, the Israelite became impatient on the way around the land of Edom and complained against God through Moses for lack of food and water and loathed the light bread of God’s provision which triggered the anger of God ensuing in sending forth serpents who bit to death many of them who rebelled. Then on their pleading for prayer for deliverance from the serpents, God charged Moses to make a fiery serpent, to set it on a pole, and everyone who were bitten had to see it to live. That bronze serpent, a type of the redemption of Christ accomplished at the cross, was the means for salvation. However, in their superstition, the Israelite regarded the bronze serpent as an idol, which was called “Nehustan.”

Hezekiah, the king of Judah, in 2 Kings 2:1-8 broke down all the idols including that piece of bronze, which many deemed as worthy of worship. This deed of dealing with idolatry brought him prosperity, and Jehovah was with him.

What the Lord spoke to me in this regard was the need for dealing with superstition, even those that sounds scriptural or spiritual. God is God and there can be no substitute for Him. Even today’s Christian's crucifix or commonly known as “the cross” in form, picture, sign, ornaments etc. are all idols. The reality is Christ, and He cannot be replaced by any person, matter or thing. 

Our “Nehustan” must be dealt with, broken down and completely destroyed. There must be no religious symbol as such, as believing into Christ is not a matter of religion, but a life relation with God in Christ. And there must not be and cannot be any substitute for Christ.

Furthermore, all forms or idols or even images of religious deities, even for the Christians like “Jesus”, “Mary” and “the cross” must all be torn and broken down. God cannot be drawn by an artist, or printed on a piece of paper by a printing machine, or sculptured by a sculpture. God is Spirit, and can be worshipped, touched, experienced, enjoyed only in the spirit. A genuine Christian will have nothing to do with these substitutes. To do so would be following the custom of the nation in their religiosity or superstition or spiritual blindness. In fact, that would be idolatry. May the Lord fully deliver all His children from all falsehood, religiosity and superstition.

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness. John 4:24  

O Young Man!

It was indeed an urgent reminder for the need for prayer with burden for the young ones in the church life. Though my burden has been always on the new ones and saving people, still I cannot overlook the young ones in my own backyard. When fighting the battle outside against Satanic kingdom, the safeguarding of and within our own kingdom must be taken care as well. In subtlety, the enemy will for sure attack the vulnerable ones by all means.

The recent incident of a young brother’s disappearance for a couple of days, creating scene at his home with emotion running high and sending shock wave across acquaintances, was a tap on my shoulder to heed to the growing juvenile amidst the glowing glitters and glamour of the tempestuous world. My whole being was on intercessory prayer, prayer for the safety and protection of the young man and the Lord’s covering against the attack of the enemy on the Lord’s testimony in our locality. To me, it was a “spiritual warfare.” I do not condemn anyone for this, but rather was convicted of my lack of shepherding. As much as I shepherd “others” I must shepherd the ones within my vicinity and closer proximity. Children and relatives of the serving ones of the Lord needs much more shepherding and prayer.

On the contrary, this incident also was a litmus test for our care of one another. Through thick and thin, we learn to stand together as one family. Despite the enemy’s attempt to overturn us, we stood together more firmly; in fact, I can testify, our care for one another grew much more. Whatever humdrum the enemy managed to commemorate, our care, concern and prayer was made more firm. Praise the Lord!

An insight to me through this incident: Teenagers cannot be caged in a family zoo, they need to hangout often, not in the company of gentiles, but with those of the same flock, the children of God. Herein is also a lesson for the need for the young one’s outing and blending under the overseeing of the matured serving ones.

O Young man, may this be a reminder. Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, I have no pleasure in them; Ecclesiastes 12:1.

Proper Person

The work of a person depends on the person of the work. What he does and how he does and why he does depends entirely on who he is. Methods, ways and means are secondary to the outcome of the person himself who does it. His work expresses and represents who he is. If he is proper, the work he does will be proper-that goes without saying. So here is the need for a “Proper Person.”

In serving the Lord, or in doing anything, the being of the person is of utmost importance. I have been so impressed by this matter of my need and the need of my fellow brothers in Christ to be proper person. To our blessing, we have the Lord Jesus Christ as the perfect pattern of the proper person. Even apostle Paul dare say, “Become imitator of me” in 1 Corinthians 4:16. Having patterns before us, I must be faithful to imitate Christ and the apostles, in life and in spirit, trusting the supply of life and grace to be like them.

This “imitation” entails many things, prominent ones among them would be “Character.” In one of the recent speaking of the Lord, I was reminded again of my need to be “discipled,” disciplined and exercised in my daily living with proper scheduling of time. In an organic way, doing the right thing at the right time for the right cause or purpose. May the Lord grace be to be a proper person.

In my recent fellowship with the serving ones I have emphasized this matter again and again; the need to exercise our character to be proper person trusting the Lord’s grace. Only then, with prepared vessels the Lord can pour out His blessings. Faithfulness in service and fruitfulness in productivity of both quantity and quality will be the result of a proper serving one.

Lord, make me proper person.

Rejoice and Exult!

In a fellowship over dinner just few day ago I came to realise subjectively what it means to be reproached and persecuted by religionists. Never did I realise that the Lord's recovery is spoken against by religionists in my hometown, even dubbing me of spearheading the "movement." In fact, I never remembered an occasion fighting with the religionists. Every time I went to my hometown, I would only minister the word of God wherever and whenever I was requested to. In fact, to all whom I have ministered, all of them have received with much joy. And I had not faced one person questioning me on the authenticity of the revelation of the truth. Besides, wherever the Lord led me to minister, the issuing result is the people turning to God in a much more serious and deeper way, some even experiencing life transformation. Even the opening of the divine truth has led some seekers of the Lord Jesus Christ to take a stand for the testimony of Jesus in their localities as the local churches. No wonder, when light shines, darkness has to flee; when truth is revealed, falsehood has to recede; when the genuine testimony of the Lord are raised up, degraded religionists for sure would oppose and fight back. The pure work of God will stand the test of Satan's attack from all angles, but the gates of hades will never prevail against the builded church. 

This realisation of the religionists' attack reminds me of what the Lord said in Matthew 5:11.

11 Blessed are you when they ¹reproach and persecute you, and while speaking lies, say every evil thing against you because of Me.

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11¹ When we live a life for the kingdom of the heavens, in the spiritual nature of the kingdom and according to the heavenly principles of the kingdom, we are reproached, persecuted, and evilly spoken of, mostly by the religious people, who hold to their traditional religious concepts. The Jewish religionists did all these things to the apostles in the early days of the kingdom of the heavens (Acts 5:41; 13:45, 50; 2 Cor. 6:8; Rom. 3:8). Recovery Version

To such, my reaction is that I turned to the Lord and thanked Him for this opportunity to experience what He had said when He was on the earth. Indeed, it was a privilege to be able to experience such an undeserving honor. I rather felt humbled in that I was honored with such an experience of reproach. For the Lord will vindicate Himself in due time. Truth always triumphs! 

 

So "rejoice and exult!" is the word of the Lord. To be able to receive this ninth blessing is a real blessing indeed! To be ill spoken of, defamed, falsely accused, lied upon... all these are nothing new to me, as the Lord grace me to face these a decade ago when I came out of degraded Christianity to experience and enjoy Christ in a normal Christian life. And it wouldn't be any wonder if I continue to experience the same; it is the grace of God.

Praise the Lord for all "ill speakings" because of Jesus Christ! Therefore, rejoice and exult!

Matthew 5:12

12 ^aRejoice and exult, for your ^1breward is great in the heavens; for so they ^cpersecuted the ²prophets who were before you.

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12¹ This reward of the ninth blessing indicates that the results of the foregoing eight blessings also are rewards. This reward is great and is in the heavens; it is a heavenly reward, not an earthly one. Recovery Version

A Train Journey

A train journey from New Delhi to Chennai was not a strange trip to me any longer; for I had frequented the city for various reasons, ranging from academic to spiritual even to personal. However, the trip this time was special as the Lord's speaking during the journey was spectacular. As much as I was on a train journey literally, so much the more was I in a train journey spiritually. This reminds me of human life that begins from a source and ends at a destination. Between these two stations are the journey of life. The "bon voyage" of the journey depends on two crucial factors: the tract and the engine, of course, the passengers' coach is dependent on these two. 

In our life's journey, the tract that has to be followed is the word of God; the written word of God, the logos, and the Spirit's speaking through the written word, the rhema. These comprises the tracts. Upon the word of God with its logos and rhemas, there is the need for the "engine," the Holy Spirit, that drives the train. Basically, our life's journey too must be by the power of the Holy Spirit based on the word of God. 

Such was my experience in this trip. As I was reading and studying the word of God as my daily portion, the speaking of the Lord was so marvelous. 1 Kings 2:1-3 records the journey from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho to Jordan, and finally the receiving of the double portion of the spirit of Elijah upon Elisha; a step by step guide for a normal Christian life to be clothed with the Holy Spirit for the economy of God.

Gilgal was a place where God's people were circumcised to deal with their flesh (Josh. 5:2-9); Bethel is the place to give up the world and turn to God absolutely, taking God as everything (Gen. 12:8); Jericho, the first city that Joshua and the people of Israel had to defeat when they entered into the good land, signifies the head of God's enemy, Satan (Josh. 6:1-27); and the river Jordan, where the New Testament baptism began, signifies death (Matt. 3-5-6 and note 6,2). To cross the river Jordan, Elijah struck the water with his mantle, which typifies the outpoured Spirit, the Spirit of power (v.8). The Spirit of power dealt with the river of death so that the way was opened for Elijah and Elisha to cross over. All this signifies that in order for the age to be changed from the Old Testament to the New Testament in our experience, we must deal with our flesh (Gal;. 5:24), give up the world and turn to God (1 John 2:15-17), defeat Satan (Rev. 12:11), and pass through death (Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 2:20). Recovery Version footnote 1 of 2 Kings 2:1.

Life's journey as a normal Christian life to fulfill God's New Testament economy is much the same. Subjectively in experience and objectively in truth, there must be the dealing of the sinful flesh, the leaving of the world to absolutely be for God, the defeating of Satan by the Lord's leading and the overcoming of death by the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit. In fact, these are what a normal Christian experiences in his life's journey. The issue of this experience is the receiving of the outpoured Spirit typified by the mantle of Elijah, and then the "tearing of our clothes into two pieces" in verse 12, signifying that we no longer treasure what we are and what we can do. With all these experiences, we are fully transferred from the Old to the New Testament.

This will result in our living and services being blessed by God. If one take a proper "train journey" of life, he will be a man of God filled with the Spirit of God and there will be the manifestation of what He is in all that he does. This is the precious lesson I learned from my train journey; a journey that taught me lesson of life.

This enjoyment of the word has become my portion as I shared the same with the serving ones in the office here in Chennai today morning. What a blessing that I can be a part in this train journey!

Bon voyage to the train journey of life!

Gospel Living

It has been my burden to preach the gospel in season and out of season as far as practicality allows.  Generally as a church I go with the saints on Saturdays evening. However, yesterday, it was raining the whole time and was not conducive to go out to a park. While I was studying the word and praying, I received a call from a brother inviting me for a dinner cum gospel preaching.

After we had a wholesome meal with the gospel friends who were young engineers, the burden to preach the gospel was realised. These two friends became our gospel candidates. One of them I have already met and he received the Lord already, but needs a lot of shepherding for spiritual growth, while the other was a brand new one. To the new one, we preached the gospel in a friendly way. As we ministered the word, the Spirit moved in him, and he was so convicted and convinced that he called upon the Lord's name and received the Lord. Right after the sinner's prayer with him, he clarified certain doubts about a Christian life. We presented the word as it is and gifted him the New Testament. In fact, we read some verses together. It was a wonderful evening of love-feast and gospel feast. 

The Lord was so faithful in giving us some to whom we can preach the gospel to. Even when circumstances were odd and going out to contact became impractical, still He arranged someone, somewhere, somehow to preach the gospel to, and then lead them to salvation.

The gospel is of Jesus Christ; He died for the sins of mankind. In fact, He is the Savior. Only that we, believers, have to pass on the good news of salvation to mankind that it may be applied to them in reality. The burden that I had for the gospel preaching was honored by the Lord, so He arranged people, place and time to release that burden.

Where there is a burden, there is a way. As long as one has a burden from the Lord, the Lord will always honor the burden and make way for the burden to be released. This He will do it, especially, in the matter of gospel preaching. Praise the Lord!

May we be those who are burdened by the Lord for the gospel and may we be those who live the gospel living; always burdened for the gospel and leading men to God.

Lord, burden me with Your burden to preach the gospel and bring people to You all the time. Make me a one who lives the gospel.      

Two Speakings

Time will reveal who is who in the eyes of the Lord. As for myself, I am optimistic type and always trusted in people, not because they are trustworthy, but because I trust them in the Lord. And I do continue to trust the Lord that if the ones I trust are not really trustworthy still the Lord would somehow work in them to make them truly trustworthy.

Of late, I have been "dealing" with two brothers whom I trust them despite some manifestation of "untrustworthy-ness". Though their words at times are "white-lies", still I trust them with the burden of perfecting them ultimately in this matter. The issue at which this matter of trust is in the matter of money. Money, indeed, is a true litmus test, of blue or red. No wonder, the Lord Himself said that there are two masters, God or mammon- material riches, which is measurable in monetary matter.

I have been through the thick and thin with these brothers involving money matters. And many times, there were reason not to trust them at all, if not ever. Somehow, the Lord restrained me from any form of condemnation or judgement within. Rather, as  I brought the matter before the Lord, I still have peace to trust them, for reason still not clear to me. I believe the Lord wants me to shepherd them even in money matter, perhaps, even through me?

To add more oil to the burning fuel, every time I heard of these brothers it is almost negative. This often cause me to shrink back a while and ponder over again of their integrity. Even my own feeling often condemns them as unfaithful. Yet again, as I turned to the Lord, all these cloud  of confusion faded away. And am not sure how long these two speakings, either of good or ill, will be oscillating like a pendulum. Perhaps, when time "stops?" 

Still, in the Lord, I trust them. And I hope I will continue to trust them until the end, only by virtue of being my brothers in the Lord. And I believe, ultimately, they will be perfected to be trust worthy one day. This is my hope, and this is my prayer for them too. 

Despite all that I have heard about them, yes, even despite my own feeling about them, the Lord still grace me to trust them. Whatever speakings I hear of them, either good or bad, still I will still trust them. The two speakings will gradually become one speaking, the speaking of Christ, concerning His children. 

To my discernment, often this kind of two speakings is an attempt of the enemy to create discord among brothers and create enmity, hatred, and finally divide and destroy God's children. With this discernment, I would in no way give in to the enemy's lies. And still continue to trust my brothers in the Lord, and pray for them and perfect them to be pillars for the Lord's testimony ultimately.

Lord, fill me with Your speaking only, concerning any person, matter or thing. Let any two speakings be merged into one speaking of the Lord, concerning anything. And that I may heed to Your speaking only.