Preparation

God needs man and man needs God. God will not do His work without man's cooperation, and man cannot do God's work without God's operation. God and man have to work together; God in man and man in God can only carry out God's work. This is the principle of incarnation.

Not acknowledging this fact would be an insult to God. Christians today needs salvation from two extremes of  "just God only," passively waiting for God to do things without him lifting a finger, and of "just man only," actively working for God as though God needs help and exerting all possible natural forces mixed with religious zeal and enthusiasms with the stirring up of emotion, exercising of strong will and scheming in the unrenewed mind. The extremes must be strictly avoid, perhaps, should even be prohibited. A balanced Christian life and work is called for as an utmost necessity in this age.

These days, I too am learning lessons on prayer, planning and preparation. God definitely do have His desire, and He needs man. As man, once His desire is made known, there is a need for prayerful preparation. God would not send the rain yet until there is man to till the ground. God will send send the rain yet until Noah's ark building was ready.

Genesis 2:5 And no plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up — for Jehovah God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to work the ground,    

In a similarly fashion, these days we have been learning Greek and preparing our selves in every possible way to bring out the word of God into various Indian languages. Two years have elapsed since we started the Greek learning course, and I honor and appreciate the Lord's leading in the brothers who teaches us the lessons. In fact, preparing us patiently. May the Lord bless them richly. Here is a practical lesson of preparation. Besides, the Lord has also burdened me to prepare further to be academically or otherwise professional equipped, in the principle of incarnation, to be able to accomplish the task righteously and faithfully. Yes, even to the extend of taking additional academic course, if need be, or research on this line. However, the Lord  may lead the way as I prepare. 

A recent trip by a group of saints to India to research for a suitable venue for a possible event to hold one of the international feasts in the near future was a good learning for me on preparation. I was impressed by the minute details the saints were looking for, considering almost everything related to the training; the location, accessibility, facilities, prices and others. They took nothing for assumption but checked out every practical matter. The opportunity to accompany them in this preparation tour for two days in Delhi and Gurgaon was indeed a preparation learning for me. 

Likewise, trusting the Lord and abiding in Him, the Lord's work must be carried out; praying, planning and preparing, that in time, He will accomplish His desire. And we be sanctified vessel prepared for the Master's use.

2 Timothy 2:20, 21 But in a great house there are not only gold and silver vessels but also wooden and earthen; and some are unto honor, and some unto dishonor.If therefore anyone cleanses himself from these, he will be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, useful to the master, prepared unto every good work.     

He Believed Jehovah!

Genesis 15:6 And he believed Jehovah, and He accounted it to him as righteousness.

With almost nothing and no hope, not even an iota of evidence of Jehovah's promise being fulfilled, mingled with the impossibility of a normal biological human reproductive cycle well past the age, and contemplating an alternative to "fulfill" God's promise out of desperation, Jehovah spoke to Abram again, and this time, Abram believed Jehovah. The result, God accounted it to him as righteousness. Though this is a history, the word of God is ever living, and in fact, this is our story too, very much mine. 

I have solid promises of God in hand, some have been fulfilled, and many more are yet to fulfill. Often, I looked at my circumstances and there seemed to be no way that these promises be fulfilled at all. Often I wondered if I misunderstood God at His word? Or perhaps, I am lost in my own imaginative fantasy? But time and again, for over decade, the promises of the Lord have been coming alive again and again; reminding me that He has promised it and He will accomplish it. I only have one word, "amen!" Lord, save me from the sin of unbelief. 

Now I have begun to see drizzling of torrential rain on the way ahead. Things are slowly yet steadily and stealthily coming into shape. I also could see myself better in the light of the Lord's promises; and the peoples, matters and things surrounding me are converging into the fruition of what the Lord has foretold. The Lord's timing is best, only human find it hard to wait, especially me. Thank God, I was saved from eating an unbaked cake.

Genesis 18:14 Is anything too marvelous for Jehovah? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Nothing indeed is too marvelous for Jehovah. He has His appointed time; according to the time of life. This is what comforted me much, "God has His appointed time," and that time He only knows unless He specifically reveals it to me. I need not be anxious and investigate when is God's appointed time. In the time of life, it will all be fulfilled. Praise the Lord!

Now I simple do not try to "fulfill" God's promises, but simple go on in my normal Christian life as He leads me. What a blessing to simple rest in Him!

Yes Lord, I believe You; Your words, Your promises, all will be fulfilled at Your appointed time, at the time of life for me.       

Come to Me!

Come to Me all who toil and are burdened, and I will give you rest.Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28, 29

The Lord's command to all the believers today is "Come to Me!" If there be any do's that have to be done it must be "to come to the  Lord Jesus Christ and abide in Him continually" all the days of our lives. In fact, this is the best commandment to be obeyed. For in Him is all the fulfillment of the laws, the statutes and the ordinances. Just come to Jesus!

I recently have been experiencing the intrinsic significance of coming to Jesus in a very intimate, sweet, restful and peaceful way, beginning this year. Though I had been knowing objectively that I should come to the Lord Jesus, take His yoke and learn from Him, but in my living and service in the past, it seemed that I was far away from this reality. My understanding of coming to Him is often that of prayer for His guidance and help in carrying out a service or work that I was burdened for or assigned to. So often, I would come to the Lord for His help, blessing, grace etc...

The Lord's word here is a "sweet command" to come to Him, not just for help, grace or blessing, but to be one with Him organically, inwardly, subjectively as our life and living and even outwardly to testify Him, magnify Him and glorify Him for His eternal purpose. When brought into such oneness, the result is that of abiding in John 15, where we bear fruits, and the fruits remains.

These days, I did not sense any struggle which I used to have in my Christian life. The Lord just carries out His work in Him and through me, little by little, one by one. For instance, one of the point is in gospel preaching where I used to "change" my position and condition to exercise the Lord's authority to save sinners. But now, as and when opportunity arises, I simple preach the word and lead sinners to salvation. No sensible outward struggle at all, not even a weigh of burden, but living out the Lord's life, speaking forth the Lord's word and shining forth the Lord's light. It is so light and so easy. 

A big struggle that I used to have is in saving sinners, shepherding and even raising up the church. Yes of course, it is the Body matter, and lot of prayer and coordination involved, but this time, my experience is, through all our coordination in the Body, in time, the Lord just prepares His chosen ones and gathers them together to be the church in that locality. Not undermining the fact that we should cooperated with the Lord in the principle of incarnation in praying, planning, preparing and propagating, yet I did not sense any struggle like I used to when participating in raising up churches in other localities in the past. This is not just my experience, other brothers and sisters testified of similar experiences; the Lord working in us and through us as we "come to Him."  The following notes from Recovery Version have simply described my subjective experiences of coming to the Lord these days. 

Note on "toil" from the Holy Bible, Recovery Version

This refers not only to the toil of striving to keep the commandments of the law and religious regulations but also to the toil of struggling to be successful in any work. Whoever toils thus is always heavily burdened. After the Lord extolled the Father, acknowledging the Father's way and declaring the divine economy, He called this kind of people to come to Him for rest.

Note on "yoke" from the Holy Bible, Recovery Version

To take the Lord's yoke is to take the will of the Father. It is not to be regulated or controlled by any obligation of the law or religion or to be enslaved by any work, but to be constrained by the will of the Father. The Lord lived such a life, caring for nothing but the will of His Father (John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38). He submitted Himself fully to the Father's will (26:39, 42). Hence, He asks us to learn from Him.

Lord, I come to Thee, to rest in Thee.

The Sin of Objectivity

Last week I went to an international book fair in Delhi and stumbled upon a group of religious zealot; who attempted vainly to convince me that the Lord Jesus is just a prophet and not God. The more they spoke to me, the more I discerned their blindness and immaturity in their understanding of spiritual things. Paul rightly said about interpreting spiritual things with spiritual words to spiritual men in 1 Corinthians:

 2:11   For who among men knows the things of man, except the spirit of man which is in him? In the same way, the things of God also no one has known except the Spirit of God. 2:12   But we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is from God, that we may know the things which have been graciously given to us by God; 2:13   Which things also we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things with spiritual words. 2:14   But a soulish man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he is not able to know them because they are discerned spiritually. 2:15   But the spiritual man discerns all things, but he himself is discerned by no one. 2:16   For who has known the mind of the Lord and will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

---

The more they spoke to me, even childishly trying to quote the Bible when they hardly know and experience the Spirit of the Bible, the more I pity them for their ignorance and spiritual blindness. I only prayed for them inwardly that one day the Lord would open their spiritual eyes to see Jesus as God as revealed in the Bible. This rather remind me of the religious Jews who searched the Scriptures but never came to the Lord.

John 5:39You ¹search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that testify concerning Me.

Note on "search" from the Recovery Version of the Bible: To "search the Scriptures" may be separated from "come to Me" (v. 40).The Jewish religionists searched the Scriptures but were not willing to come to the Lord. These two should go together; because the Scriptures testify concerning the Lord, they should not be separated from the Lord. We may contact the Scriptures, yet not contact the Lord. Only the Lord can give life.

I determined not to enter into any debate which I used to do when I was much younger and immature, but I smiled at them and told them to read the Bible carefully with prayer, perhaps, that the Lord would have mercy on them and open their eyes. I did give them an example of explaining the taste of sweetness to someone who never tasted what is "sweet". No amount of theoretical explanation, however accurate and convincing, can make it understand what is sweet. But a crystal of sugar put in a tongue will solve the mystery in a second. 

Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that Jehovah is good; / Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him."

To proclaim to  have read the Holy Bible, perhaps, even to study them and yet not to believe into Jesus of whom the Bible speaks about, and never touching the Spirit or being touched by the Spirit in the human spirit is a grave misreading. Hilariously, on top of being so objective and questioning the divinity of Christ is even more heretic.  To me, its a sheer waste of time even to talk to such people, much less debate. Unless the Spirit opens their eyes, its real futile to engage such blindness. 

The sin of objectivity surely is not to see Jesus Christ as the Saviour, and not to believe into Him to be saved. This experience, on the one hand, confirmed and strengthened my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as He is so subjective to me, and yet on the other hand, alerted me of the danger of being objective, even as I read the Word daily. The objective logo-Word should become the subjective rhema-Word every time I come to the Word of God.

No revelation, no interpretationNo light, no sightNo vision, then only confusionTis how the unsaved reads the Word of God.

 Lord, be more subjective to me day by day. Save me from the passivity and deadness of objectivity. May You shine upon me and feed me subjectively every time I come to Your Word.

One Fruit, One Month

..producing twelve fruits, yielding each fruit each month.. Rev. 22:2

A week ago the Lord intuitively spoke to me in my time with Him in the Word that I should bear one fruit each month, twelve remaining fruits in a year. As I prayed over the burden the Lord imparted, it was made more clear to me that as a family we would pray for this to be true each month. Few days later I fellowshipped with my wife. Though she responded with a faint "amen", later she agreed to bear the same burden as we started to pray for this burden. First, to set a pattern as a family, then be a testimony to the saints to follow suit; that all may bear abundant and remaining fruits.

To my assessment at least, I cannot tolerate being fruitless. Not that I don't have any fruits, but that I should have more fruits, in fact, remaining fruits. This is the promise of the Lord to all those who abide in Him, and a command of the Lord to go forth to bear fruits.

Following the receiving of the burden and the prayer with it, the Lord led me to meet some of the new ones to fellowship and pray together. To those I could not meet physically, I called them over the phone for fellowship and for prayer. Besides, the Lord also brought new ones back to fellowship even with my wife. So we both prayed together and bore the burden together. Our goal for this month is a baptism of a brother and  the recovery in the a normal Christian life and church life of a sister. By faith, we reckon it accomplished. Praise the Lord!

With this new burden, my view towards the new ones, towards the Lord's promises and towards the situation of the saints and churches had a radical change. With this burden I would pray for the saints and the new ones, and shephereded them as much as possible leaving no stone un-turned. Whenever we meet, I would grasped the opportunity to fellowship, minister the word and pray. Especially on the Lord's day prophesying meeting, I would release my burden based on the present speaking of the Lord in the HWMR with a review of the foregoing messages as a reminder and repetition for constitution. 

Trusting the Lord's mercy and grace, I look forward to the Lord's abundant blessing this year. Even in my personal pursuit, the Lord graces me to divine into the ministry writings with a definite goal of completing the pursuing of the collected works of Watchman Nee. I have now grasped every opportunity, redeeming my time to get into the ministry of the word, especially while travelling in Metro or at any free time. This indeed is a very enjoyable exercise. What a grace to be under the Lord's blessing in following Him!

Lord, grace and bless us to be Your fruits bearing branches by eating of the Tree of Life and drinking from the River of Water of Life.

Satanic Schemes

"That we may not be taken advantage of by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes." 2 Corinthians 2:11

Satan is no fool in playing with people, especially those of the household of faith. And we should be no fool either to be played fool by him. The Christ within us has defeated him at the cross of Calvary; in fact, he is the defeated foe. Nevertheless, we should not undermine his schemes as he is too crafty the serpent is, and we should be as prudent as the serpent too (Matthew 10:16b).

Last Friday I decided to go forth to preach the gospel in Faridabad and was all ready for the same. But a little official task was pending which I thought would hardly take an hour. But as I did the work it took so much time, hour after hour, to the point that I had to spend the whole day doing the work. Though it was a simple task but I could not let it go as it is my official responsibility to finish important task on time. I knew then, that it was the scheme of Satan trying to withhold me back from preaching the gospel. However, as the official work was being done, I also spent time in the word and enjoyed the Lord's speaking again on the importance of going forth and bearing fruits and that the fruits should remain.(The same was blogged, http://palmeichung.blogspot.in/2016/01/be-fruitful-and-multiply-3.html).

Though I could not for gospel preaching as planned, still I spent time to get into the word and prayer as the work was being done. And later, spent more solid time with the Lord in prayer wherein the Lord reconfirmed many burdens He has given me for this year and the promises He gave.

The next day, I went with all my family for the gospel preaching in Faridabad. Had I gone earlier, my plan was to go alone and stay overnight. But now I could go with my whole family. Praise the Lord! 

And the Lord blessed the gospel preaching as we went house by house, door knocking. Majority of the people we met received the word of God and some called upon the Lord Jesus' Name and prayed the sinner's prayer. And later in the afternoon, we enjoyed two hour long fellowship with two solid brothers whom the Lord confirmed within to shepherd for pillars of the church to be raised up. The anointing of the Lord was rich and sweet as we fellowshipped on the word of God: on the church, the ministry, the Body of Christ, oneness, the ground of oneness, the difference between soul and spirit. It was a wonderful time of propagation and shepherding.

What was planned for myself turned out to be a family matter. Though the scheme of Satan seemed to work, the Lord sovereingly used is for the better. Satan is crafty but the Lord within us is much wiser. Often Satan becomes an useful tool for God to carry out His purpose on the earth through His chosen ones.

Therefore, we must be on the alert, always living and walking in the spirit, and be not ignorant of the Satanic schemes that we may not be taken advantaged of by Satan.

Christ is the Victor! Jesus is the Lord! 

Positive Ambition

In secular field the word "ambition" bears a very positive connotation, and all good students are with good ambitions in life. However, in spiritual life, its connotation is mostly inclined to the self and does not bear a positive image. In fact, many of the division among Christians can be attributed to the spiritual ambition of the spiritual leaders. In the name of "visions", "revelation" and "ministries" the un-dealt self is completely exposed resulting in the various factions and denominations among believers. Due to this ill affect, the word "ambition" is a cautious thing to guard for in the Body life.

However, the fact that the enemy uses certain attribute does not nullify the goodness and usefulness of the attribute itself. With a proper attitude and pure heart, we must indeed be positively ambitious for God's eternal economy. Lest the enemy cripples our God given gifts for the building up of the Body of Christ.

In a recent training, an elderly and mature brother fellowshipped about the need to be positively ambitious. That fellowship opened my eyes. As all this while, I have been keeping a strict guard on anything ambitious within my being, as I would not allow the enemy to instigate my soul-life for any of his crafty and stealthy purpose. Nevertheless, the cautiousness should not be a tool of the enemy to hamper my function in the Body either. I must positively function as the Lord blesses and as the Body coordinates for the Lord's purpose.

With this enlightened understanding, I consecrated my life to the Lord afresh for His heart's desire that all the positive ambitions I have may be properly used for the building up of the Body of Christ. In the Body, with the Body and through the Body, all the gifts the Lord bestows may as well be used for His purpose.

One of the burdens and positive ambitions within me is to be academically upgraded to a higher level of education than what the Lord has given as of now. And to be more fruitful in my official service, and in the matter of spiritual fruit bearing. What I am today by His grace and where I am now is also good, but it can always be made better. This is my positive ambition of doing my best, and giving my best to the Lord. 

The Lord must be loved with the best love; He is the supreme One and the most precious of all. My value of concept should be renewed to value the Lord more than anything else. In fact, to love Him with the best love, and serve Him with the best of my being, and worship Him with the best of offerings is my heart's desire, my positive ambition. To the priceless precious One, no price is too profound; He deserves it all. My "alabaster flask" must be broken for His satisfaction.

Henceforth, in the proper spirit, I would encourage all the saints to have positive ambition for the Lord's interest on this earth and for the fulfillment of His divine economy.

Lord, I love You and offer to You my best.