Deny the Self

The "self" is the soul declaring independence from God. What a marvelous statement! 

A genuinely saved person is always dependent on the Lord. He has no meaning in life apart from the Lord. His living and conduct is always dependent on the Lord Himself. Yet here is a critical point of taking "dependence" on the Lord to one extreme. In fact, there are many who have taken this case to its extremity, to the extend that they don't listen to anybody but "the Lord." Such people have no concept of the Body of Christ and they are spiritual egoist living to themselves for themselves under the cloak of "spirituality." To them, they are overtly confident in their dependence of the Lord and generally has a hidden tag on themselves, "The Lord speaks to me.." So their attitude is, "who are you to say anything when the Lord already said?" There is no feeling for the Body, much less, care for the Body. To them all that matter is, "Thus spake the Lord!" And that's it. To me, these people are far more dangerous than a normal believer who fellowship and pray together with the fellows believers. 

Today, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Head of the Body is one with the Body of Christ comprising His many believers. Since the Head and the Body cannot be separated, they are one and uniquely one. To genuinely depend on the Lord, the Head, is to depend on the members of the Body, the fellow believers. If one is genuine in seeking the Lord, he definitely would treasure the fellowship of the members of the Body. In fact, Christ does not speak from the heavens directly, but in many practical cases, He speaks through the Body, with the Body and for the Body.

In the New Testament there are many instances of the Head speaking through the Body. In fact, almost the entire Bible is written by God through men. God did not write them and sent them down from heaven as "the Book." God speaks through the prophets, priests, kings, and many others. That's how God carries out His work. And He still does the same even today.

So, to depend on the Lord is also to depend on the Body as well. 

The self has declared independence from the Lord. To deny the self is to depend on the Lord and also on the Lord's Body; the many believers in fellowship of the one Spirit. This is the message that has been shaping my Christian life these days. 

The saints, including myself, have been experiencing this dependence on the Lord and the Body these days. We indeed have been experiencing deeply this matter of depending on the Lord and on the Body for many practical matters, both great and small. Be it personal or family matter, be it professional or career, or even financial and many other matters, these days we have been enjoying a lot of fellowship. Not that we can solve one another's problems, but in sweet fellowship the Lord does speak and shows the way. This is a good understanding on denying the self; not depending on the self alone, not even merely on the Lord alone. but on the Lord as the Head and also on the Body.

Deny the self, depend on the Lord, and also on the Body! This is the best way to deny the self.  

Half Qualified

The ministry of the word has been so perfecting as I pursue the Lord in the word in the ministry. These as I have been pursuing the life-study of Ezekiel I have been so much supplied by the Lord's speaking. What touched me deeply was the matter of the priest. I am a priest as His saved one, but am I a mere priest who is a "stranger" or a real priest who serves God as a priest should serve. According to the word of God, there is a need for circumcision to be a priest.

Ezekiel 44:9 Thus says the Lord Jehovah, No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, of any of the foreigners who are among the children of Israel shall enter into My sanctuary.

Excerpt from the Liofe-study of Ezekiel Message Twenty Five

THE PRIESTS

Being Circumcised

If we would serve the Lord in His house, the church, we need to be circumcised (44:9). Uncircumcised persons are not qualified to serve in God’s house. Circumcision typifies dealing with the flesh, the natural man, and the old man by the cross. To us as believers in Christ, circumcision today is not something outward but an inward dealing by the cross with the flesh, the natural man, and the old man. If our flesh, natural man, and old man have not been dealt with by the cross, we are not qualified to serve in the church life. Rather, we are considered by the Lord to be a stranger. 

A stranger is an uncircumcised person, someone whose flesh, natural man, and old man have not been dealt with by the cross. We may be real believers, but if we have not dealt with our flesh, natural man, and old man by the cross, the Lord regards us as strangers, those who are not qualified to serve in the church life. We need to bring this matter to the Lord and ask Him about our flesh, natural man, and old man. These things must be dealt with through the working of the cross. Only then will we be circumcised and qualified to serve the Lord in the church life.

Being like the Sons of Zadok

When the majority of the people went astray, some of the circumcised ones also went astray (44:10). Although these ones were circumcised, they went astray from God to idols by following those who went astray. Because these circumcised ones went astray, we may say that they were only half qualified to serve the Lord. On the one hand, they were qualified because they were circumcised; on the other hand, they were not qualified because they had gone astray from God to idols. Their circumcision qualified them, but their going astray disqualified them.

What should the Lord do with them, and what was His attitude toward them? The Lord said that such persons could serve in the house, but they could not come near to the Lord or to the holy things (vv. 11-14). They could minister in the temple by helping the people to present their offerings, but they could not come near to the Lord and serve Him. Some of the saints in the church have followed the majority in going astray from the Lord. Because the majority of Christians have gone astray, they have lost their qualification and position to serve the Lord in a direct way. They may still have a part of the church service, but it is an indirect service to the Lord.

Perhaps, one may be spiritually circumcised, yet there is a possibility that he may go astray, deviating from the God-ordained way. Perhaps, such one may still serves as priest but not in a consecrated and absolute way. Qualification wise, one may still be qualified but in reality, the genuine spiritual function is already lost. There such one is only half qualified. 

This is an alarm and even alert to pay heed to, with utmost urgency and attention. My response to this message is such; "Lord, I do not want to be merely half qualified. If at all I serve, I want to serve as fully qualified one." The only Person who judges between qualification or disqualification or half qualification is the Lord himself who is being served. I thank the Lord for such a timely message.

Now, I simply look to the Lord for His mercy and grace that I can go on in my service of serving Him as a priest with full qualification; spiritually circumcised, and also being absolute to the Lord, for the Lord.

Lord, grace me to be fully qualified to serve You all the days of my life.     

Rhema through the Word

Iron Floats

2 Kings 6:6 - And the man of God said, Where did it fall? And he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick and threw it there and made the iron float. 

Note on "float" from the Recovery Version of the Bible

Elisha’s causing an ax head that had fallen into the water to float by means of a wooden stick signifies Christ’s recovering through His cross in resurrection the lost power of sinners that had fallen into the death water (Eph. 2:1-6)

By properties of Iron, Iron cannot float in water; this is against the law of nature, and science has no answer to this incident. But the Creator of nature has the answer, in fact, a very definite answer. God spoke and it was so. Elisha, a man of God cut down a stick and threw it there and made the iron float. Well, when science has no answer, it is a miracle. God's word stands firm and is true. Blessed are those who believe it.

Many incidents in my life has made me very skeptical about certain brothers under my care. Perhaps, I know too much about them inwardly, with all the bitter experiences. But as I prayed for them, the Lord's speaking was "Iron Floats." Believe it or not, the iron axe of the Bible did float! But it float at the word of the man of God, Elisha. What was, and is, and will be impossible, is and can be made possible at the word of God. The Lord's rhema word was, "these brothers whom I am too concerned of, will actually float in their lives!" They have been sinking deeply into the mire of sins, the world and the flesh, but through the application of the cross of Christ with the resurrection power, the lost power of sinner that had fallen into the death water can be restored! Praise the Lord for the resurrection power!

The Lord actually has restored the said brothers into normalcy when I came back from a trip to the South of India last week. The first meeting and fellowship I had was a brother who came to fellowship with me and confessed the sins he had committed. Though the matter was serious, the Lord's precious blood is more powerful to forgive them all. I was very glad that the Holy Spirit worked on this brother, even taking away his sleep until he would confess and set the matter right. This was also a part of the answer to the prayer in my blog in "Burning Burden." The Holy Spirit convicted him to confess the particular sins he committed. Then we both prayed together for the Lord's covering and grace to never commit the same sins again. Iron does float! The Lord can do the impossible. I simply has to trust the Lord and His word.

No Longer

2 Kings 6:23 - Then he prepared a great feast for them; and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the bands of Syria no longer came into the land of Israel. 

Israel was challenged by Syria, but the man of God spoke to the king of Israel concerning Syria, not to fear as God was with them despite the massive army with horses and chariots of the Syrians. The incident turned out to be that Israel had to take Syria as captives and instead of killing them as "enemy," the man of God asked Israel to feed Syria and sent them away, never to return.

The light I received was, though Satan with all his fallen angels as massive army tempts and tries to destroy us, the God of Israel, the true and living God, would come into our defense, defeat the enemy, sent them away to never return. After some victory now and then, often there is a doubt how long the victory will last. There is an eminent fear of another defeat after a victory. But the word of God confirms,"the bands of Syria no longer came into the land of Israel." And it shall be so. Amen. 

 

Never Doubt God’s Word

In 2 Kings 7, the captain of Israel did not believe the word of the man of God, the word of hope and the word of promise. The captain in disbelief refuted the word of the man of God. But the word of the man of God became true, and because of his disbelief, he could not partake in the fulfillment of the word of God. Instead, he was trampled upon and died. 

Regarding this record of the word, the Lord reminded me that I should not doubt God's word at all. Lest I face the same fate as that captain of Israel. When God said He would recover his people, He will indeed recover them, and I must simple take God at His word.

This morning the Lord led me to read these verses again as a reminder of what He would do concerning the brothers I am shepherding that He would fully restored them; He will make the Iron floats, and the Syrians to never return, and I must simply believe in the word of God. Indeed, these brothers are manifesting a miraculous change in their living these days; repenting and confessing their sins, spending time with the Lord in the word and in prayer, and functioning in the meeting. I myself has to repent for some of the harsh words I used to rebuke them before.

Praise the Lord for His living, instant speaking, Rhema! 

I believe in the Lord's word, if for some reason I doubt, "Lord, help my unbelief." 

Family Propagation

Last weekend, we went to visit a brother and his family who visited India from Taiwan for the gospel propagation in Delhi. Our plan was to have a dinner fellowship and love feast together. But as we fellowshipped with him it went on and on at the house rented for the gospel work, more gospel friends were brought in for home meeting as a result of which some took baptism, and we ended up joining with the saints in the gospel propagation work as a family. Our plan was to eat out, but we were caught up eating the word together in small group meetings with new believers. Meanwhile our children enjoyed playing with other children, and we all enjoyed as a family, our participation in the Lord's move.

I was particularly caught up with one new brother as we fellowshipped on Romans 8 : 28, 29, the Lord's speaking was so timely for the new brother. He asked the meaning of the "first born Son of God" and how one can be conformed to the image of the firstborn Son of God? With that our fellowship took turn to expound the truth concerning the firstborn Son of God and the need for a normal daily Christian living of all things working together for good to gain God. Further, we explained the practical need for a companion and living the church life and kind-of introduced him to the church in Delhi. 

Once we were done with this new one, two gospel friends came in to our group meeting. Our fellowship then took a new turn again; preaching the gospel to the gospel friends in Hindi. Four of us coordinated to share the gospel by turn, leading them to pray and receive the Lord, and finally the two got baptised. Which then was followed by dinner fellowship and appointed made for further follow-up shepherding. May the Lord shepherd these new ones through the laboring saints.

All this while, the children were engaged in their own home meeting, playing and enjoying.

By the way, this day happened to be the last day of the propagation that has been going on since the past five weeks. A propagation in coordination with saints from Hsinchu, Taiwan and saints in India. The Lord indeed blessed His move and over a 100 new ones were brought to salvation. The next urgent step is cherishing and nourishing them to live a normal Christian life in the normal church-life. 

Though not planned, God had planned it for us to participate in His move in Dwarka Mor, New Delhi, and this turned out to be our family propagation. The verse that I expounded to the new one actually and practically was applied to our experience that day. 

Rom. 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Rom. 8:29 - Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the  b image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers;

Burning Burden

As I flew back from Chennai after a coworkers training, a deep burden consumed me as though fire was burning intensely in my heart. The feeling was so strong and the burden so heavy that I could only groan for the brothers whom the Lord burdened me to pray for. The anxious concern for them bled my heart and I felt as though a knife was pierced deep into my heart; and was bleeding, and as if dripping down drops of blood. Yet I thanked the Lord for this blessed burden. I reckon it as a blessing from the Lord, to learn to pray and intercede for my fellow brethren. 

There are seven brothers in this burden. And all them are extreme cases to my discernment of their condition; the feeling the Lord gave me, as I interceded for them, was the yardstick. 

The first one is a dear brother with whom I used to have sweet fellowship and prayer from my college days. He is a wonderful and spiritual brother. He has a feeling of not being free to even meet me as he thinks I have endorsed a particular gifted member legitimately or "cultistically." Though I, with all sincerity and purity of heart, extend my brotherly fellowship to him, he wrote me back on his reservation of meeting me. Though I was not offended at all,  but I had a deep feeling to just pray and pray that the Lord would remove any hindrance that prevents our brotherly fellowship. Deep within, I dearly love him and pray that the Lord would bless him, no matter what. I  would rejoice in his prosperity and one day, perhaps, we will restore our brotherly fellowship. My blessing to him and his wife. 

The second one is an elderly brother and sister who loves me so much, and always treat me as their own son. Though I enjoyed their love and care, my burden for them is that they would be fully blended into the Body life. He had warmly agreed to be introduced to the brothers in the church for further fellowship. May the Lord bless them and grace them to see the Body, know the Body and live in the Body. 

The third one is a spiritual son of mine from my training days some fourteen years ago. This time round I could not meet him due to his busy schedule. But at least I had the consolation that he had apologized for not being able to meet me. My prayer for him is for his family and his marriage that he would find a match and be a living testimony for the Lord in the church life in Chennai. 

The fourth one is a dear brother who has been going through extreme difficulties in his marriage life and job life. Now and then I used to pray with him and fellowship with him. I could feel the same pain and pressure he has been going through. Our prayer has always been for the Lord to gain us through the circumstances and that the Lord would turn the work of the enemy into His multifarious wisdom and put the enemy to an open shame. And that his family and in-laws and all their relatives be recovered for the church life, and pray further that his family become pillar for the Lord's testimony in his locality. 

The fifth one is a dear brother and also my former teacher who was instrumental in ushering me to the church life. My love for him as a teacher and brother has never died down. Every time I visited Chennai I would try to pay a visit to his family. And almost all the time I did so, he would invite me for love feast along with the fellowship on our subjective experiences of Christ. May the Lord bless him and his family. 

The sixth and seventh ones are the brothers who lives with me and are on the process of recovering from their own problems. These are not spiritual in nature at all, in fact very worldly and are almost beyond human control. But still they are my brothers and I love them. Despite their condition whatsoever, I pray with my family daily for their complete recovery, psychologically, physically and spiritually. Trusting in the Lord and believing in our own prayer, I look forward to the day they would be pillars for the church in Gurgaon. 

These seven wonderful burdens have consumed my time on my flight journey from Chennai to Delhi last night. Having released all these burdens before the Lord in prayer, I was unloaded in peace as the flight landed. 

Thank God for these brothers. Though they may not be aware of my prayer and burden concerning them, at least it gave me a solid time of prayer and fellowship with the Lord. If not for these burdens, my two hours flight would have been very boring, and that time would just have been wasted. Praise the Lord for the prayer burden that burned me and burdened my time to fruition!  

Burning burdens are blessed burdens!

Family Appreciation

The sure mercies of the Lord and His amazing grace has been an inexplicable blessing to our family. Since the time Jane and I got married, in the will of the Lord with the witness and blessing of the Body, we have been graciously blessed both spiritually and physically in many aspects of our family lives. Many times I have no words to express my thankfulness to the Lord for all that He has been doing. Sometimes I thought I have been dreaming, but it is indeed real. Praise the Lord! 

The Lord's blessing of three children thus far have, time and again, proves His faithfulness in taking care of us. And now these children are growing up and I have been witnessing the Lord's blessing hand upon each one of them. Our family prayer daily is also for the Lord's covering and blessing as we live out our family life day by day. 

Recently, my son has been showing signs of outstanding academic performance. The Lord has blessed him to be the most excelling one among his classmates, and his teachers have reported about their appreciations. One particular school event on general knowledge has earned him a gold medal at school level, and he had just attempted the inter-school one too, and reported to me that he has done it quite well. My promise was, if he would score a centum or an outstanding score, I would gift him a coat-suit. He was so excited about it. And he prayed in his prayer that God would bless him to score centum. 

My two daughters are growing up well too. The first one has picked up an excellent skill of reading; quite remarkable for her age. And the younger one started praying daily at age three in the family prayer. Both are manifesting signs of intelligence. Only God knows what the future holds. As their father, I commit them all to the grace of God. 

My wife, with all the pressures of the family, especially the kids and other family matters, has been graced by the Lord to handle matters wisely; she mostly fellowshipped with me for all important matters. We have been coordinating in all possible ways we can, and I have been discovering her worth and preciousness more and more, day by day. Now and then I have expressed such appreciation to her, verbally. She indeed is so sweet, simple and smart. 

Whenever I get the opportunity, I did my best to show my appreciation to all my family members. Recently, I took them out for buying special cake which my wife loves, for ice cream which my children loves, for shopping to buy essential items for all of them, for eating out at the restaurant of their choice, and also buying gifts of their choice. With whatever the Lord blessed, I spent graciously to buy them all the essential needs. And in doing so they were happy, and their happiness is my happiness too. Most of the items purchased were neither luxurious nor wants, but genuine human needs. My wife's choice was an Oven for baking cake, as she loves baking, not a bouquet of flowers or fashionable dresses, just simple household items. That make me appreciate her all the more. Especially, these days, according to the present worldly trend, when ladies are after vain and luxurious items, my wife's choice draws my sincere appreciation. This too is a blessing from God. 

My heart has been filled with joy and gladness mingled with thanksgiving to God. This surely is a blessing from God, and all glory to Him. All these may be simple, down to earth affair, but behind all, there is the hand of God. His operating in humanity, caring for our human feelings and needs, have all lead me to thank God, the One behind all matters and things. In all God's blessings, my family appreciation testifies and reflects in reciprocation.

Lord, grace us unto the end.

Inward Recovery

Exo. 2:11 -  And in those days, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his brothers and looked on their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brothers.Exo. 2:12 - And he looked this way and that, and when he saw that there was no one there, he struck the Egyptian down and hid him in the sand.Exo. 2:13 - And he went out the next day, and there were two Hebrew men struggling together; and he said to the one who was in the wrong, Why are you beating your companion?Exo. 2:14 - And he said, Who appointed you a ruler and a judge over us? Are you thinking to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? And Moses became frightened and said, Surely the matter is known.Exo. 2:15 - Now when Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh to dwell in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well. 

Moses grew up, trained as the son of Pharoah's daughter in all the knowledge and skill of an Egyptian. He thought that he could deliver his people by his natural strength and training he had thus far received from Egypt. But his very natural ability led him to flee Egypt. He could not deliver a soul with what he was and had obtained or achieved. This may just be just a Bible history or story to many, but to me, it is my story. 

With all the knowledge and skill I have learned so far, I have many dos and don'ts concerning a human life. I even treasure some of my knowledge as really good, but the Lord had to expose me to know that all my knowledge are as good as bad, if not worst. This is what I just learned.

Last few weeks I gave a lot of counselling to my Onesimus' according to what I deemed good and proper. But it just proved to me that without the Lord's work in me and in the ones I care for, all human moral and ethical teaching is a vanity fair. I had a good heart and intent to correct my dear brothers, but without the Lord's supply of life, it's as good as speaking to a dumb donkey. The more you speak and teach, the more the donkey boos at you. I initiated something with good intent but ended up in contempt. I just learned my lesson.

After these few experiences, I went before the Lord and prayed for myself and the brothers I care for. I gave up trying to correct anybody; now I know fully well, its a vain and hopeless attempt to do so. I decided to stop all outward corrections henceforth, but spend time with my brothers in prayer, morning revival, and reading the Bible with them. Only the Lord's inward recovery by life is the answer. Though I knew this before, but now I know it better, even subjectively.

The fallen human nature is sinful and beyond improvement. Outward teachings and corrections cannot change a bit of the inward nature and life of the people concerned. Even outward spiritual help of repenting and turning to the Lord did not really work. Rather, through all these repenting and turning to the Lord, there must be substantial dispensing of the divine life that changes people's nature and inward being. No human effort can do this, only the Lord's divine life can. So more dispensing of the the divine life is the need of the hour.

Since I learned this lesson subjectively, I now look to the Lord for His life dispensing to me and to all who I care for.

Recently, my pursuing of Life-study of Ezekiel, chapter 17, helped me in this matter.

The genuine recovery of the Lord is not simply a matter of repenting, turning to the Lord, and enjoying the blessing of the Lord. There also needs to be a change in our life and nature. In His recovery, God needs to touch our heart and our spirit and thereby touch our life directly and change us in life and nature. Therefore, we need both the outward recovery described in Ezekiel 34 and the inward recovery described in Ezekiel 36. Because the recovery in Ezekiel 36 concerns our life and our nature and involves our heart and our spirit, chapter thirty-five is inserted to show the importance of judging our old man. In order to recover us and make us a new man, God must judge our old man, our old creation.

Lord, recover us by Your life inwardly; may there be inward change in our life and nature.