Shining Star

Matt. 2:1 - Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 

Matt. 2:2 - Saying, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star at its rising and have come to worship Him. 

Note from the Recovery Version Bible 

The Jews had the Scriptures concerning Christ. The magi from the east saw Christ’s star (Num. 24:17). The Jews had mental knowledge in dead letters concerning Christ, whereas the magi received a living vision concerning Him. After receiving the living vision, the magi were misled by their human concept and went to Jerusalem, the capital of the Jewish nation, where its king was presumed to be. Their being misled caused many young boys to be killed (v. 16). After the magi were corrected by the Scriptures (vv. 4-6), they went to Bethlehem (vv. 8-9), and the star appeared to them again and led them to the place where Christ was (vv. 9-10). 

Last Lord's day in our Hindi meeting we read and fellowshipped on Matthew 2. As I ministered the word to the saints, the living word flowed forth like a river when the speaking of the Lord was on following the shining star that leads to Christ. 

The magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, but the shining star definitely did not lead them to Jerusalem, for Jesus was not born there. The star led them from their Locality in the east all the way and they followed faithfully until the vicinity of Bethlehem. But as they journeyed nearby the city of Jerusalem their human wisdom was applied and they stopped following the shining star. It was indeed humanly wise to reckon that the king of the Jews would indeed be born in the King's Palace in a kingly city of Jerusalem. But they were foolishly mistaken in their human wisdom, which led them to Herod, the king. 

Now that they had spilled the bean, Herod became aware of such a tragic news. Their human wisdom ignited the jealousy and wrath of the king that ultimately led to the murder of innocent babies, two years and under. That was how wise they were, when they stopped following the shining star. 

Spiritually, that is how many Christians follow the Lord. The shining star is the Lord Jesus Christ as the life-giving Spirit dwelling in the human spirit. The Spirit is the shining star that Christians must follow steadfastly and faithfully all the way to the end. Alas, many have began well in their Christian walk by following the Spirit, but only to a certain point. Then they apply their human wisdom and trust in their own human understanding and discernment rather than the Spirit. And the result is, a total mess, invoking the wrath of the enemy and leading to the "murder of innocent babies", resulting in sufferings, pains and woes. This often is my spiritual experience too. And the saints to whom I ministered this words are suffering the same pain as they left the Lord and the fellowship of the brothers in the church for few years. 

But still there is a reason to praise the Lord. The star did not disappear due to our folly, it waited and waited to be followed on, the Spirit still waits until we turn back to Him for His further leading. 

Matt. 2:9 - And after they heard the king, they went their way, and behold, the star which they saw at its rising led them until it came and stood over the place where the child was.Matt. 2:10 - And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.Matt. 2:11 - And they came into the house and saw the child with Mary His mother. And falling down, they worshipped Him; and opening their treasures, they offered gifts to Him, gold and frankincense and myrrh.Matt. 2:12 - And because they had been divinely instructed in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed by another way to their country. 

Finally, as they continued to follow the shining star, it led them to where Jesus was born. The result, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy! Whenever we follow the Spirit the issue always is life, peace,  and joy!

Though we fail often trusting in our own understanding and wisdom, the Spirit is always there waiting for us to turn to Him. Whatever mistakes we might have committed in the past, we must leave them behind. Now, turn to the Spirit and continue to follow Him, on and on, until the end, to meet the Lord and rejoice. And remember finally, the magi did not turn back to meet Herod again. So do not make the same mistake of the past but continue to follow the Spirit all the back to where the Spirit led us. 

I myself enjoyed the Lord's speaking even though I happened to be the human speaker. The saints were all supplied as they testified thereafter. Later, in another home meeting, the Lord led me to minister the same burden to people of my father's age, and they were supplied too. 

Lord, grace me to follow Your Spirit, the shining star,  all the days of my life. If by human wisdom I fall short, restore me by Your mercy and lead me on to follow Thee to the end, never to deviate and repeat history. 

Daniel's Supplication

Dan. 9:2b - I, Daniel, understood by means of the Scriptures the number of the years, which came as the word of Jehovah to Jeremiah the prophet, for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, that is, seventy years.

Dan. 9:3 - So I set my face toward the Lord God to seek Him in a prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 

Dan. 9:17 - And now hear, O our God, the prayer of Your servant and his supplications, and cause Your face to shine upon Your sanctuary that has been desolated, for the Lord’s sake.

Dan. 9:18 - O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city that is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You based upon any righteous doings that we have done, but based upon Your great compassion.

Dan. 9:19 - O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! Do not delay, for Your own sake, O my God; for Your city and Your people are called by Your own name. 

As I pursued the life-study of Daniel I was so enlightened by the way Daniel made his supplication to God and how God answered him instantly. I learned a very precious lesson of supplication. 

First, the supplication was based upon the word of God; meaning Daniel was a man of the word, he read and understood the word, as indicated by the phrase, "understood by means of the Scriptures". Thereby, he supplicated according to the revelation he received from the word of God. Genuine prayer issues from the revelation in the word. But for such, one must read the word. Not merely read, but understand and pray over the word.

Second, through the understanding from the word of God, Daniel made his supplication, seeking God seriously in prayer with fasting, "seek Him in a prayer and supplications with fasting". A prayer life is the issue of the burden emanating from the Lord's speaking. Without a genuine burden from the Lord, prayer would be monotonous, habitual, religious and even superstitious. With genuine burden, fasting is a spontaneous reaction, not a religious law to abide by. I personally believe, a genuine man of prayer will have a regular and normal living of fasting and prayer according to the burden the Lord imparted. 

Third, when such man of prayer prays, his full focus and burden is not  on himself or his personal and petty burdens, but on the Lord Himself. He prays for the Lord's interest and according to His economy. Daniel prayed, "cause Your face to shine upon Your sanctuary." This is definitely a prayer according to God, praying for the house of God, the Body of Christ, and for the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose.

Fourth, a man of prayer never prayed based on himself, never claiming righteousness of himself, even if there is any. He fully is aware of his own unrighteousness and supplicated base on the righteousness and compassion of God as proven by the phrase, "base on Your great compassion."

And finally, in such prayer, there is always a confession of one's sinfulness and asking for the forgiveness, not merely of his own, but of the people he represents and prays for.

Ministry excerpt from the Life-study of Daniel, message fourteen:

III. THE WAY TO OBTAIN THE VISIONIn Daniel 9:3-23 we see the way to obtain this vision—Daniel's desperate seeking of the Lord God in prayer and supplications with fasting.
A. Confessing His Sins and the Sins of the PeopleIn his prayer Daniel confessed his own sins and the sins of the kings, the chief men, and the fathers of Israel, and of all the people of Israel (vv. 3-15, 20a).
B. Supplicating for God's Interests on EarthIn his prayer Daniel also supplicated for the holy city of Jerusalem, the holy mountain of God, and the holy people of God (vv. 16-17, 19b, 20b). This means that he supplicated for all the interests of God on the earth, not for his own interest.
C. Asking the Lord to Forgive ThemFurthermore, Daniel asked the Lord to forgive them, not based upon their righteousness but based upon God's great compassion (vv. 18-19a).
D. God's Answer to Daniel's Prayer and SupplicationIn verses 21 through 23 we have God's answer to Daniel's prayer and supplication. God's answer was Gabriel's relating of the seventy weeks commanded by God. 

In his desperate prayer, Daniel requested that God recover the holy land, send His people back, and rebuild the holy city (vv. 15-19). But God answered him by giving him the report through the angel Gabriel of the seventy weeks (vv. 20-27). This answer exceeded what Daniel requested. 

My understanding concerning prayer has been uplifted. Thank God, I can follow this pattern and pray accordingly for the burden the Lord imparted to me through His word. With this understanding and burden, prayer is a joy and a treasure to grasp for. And I pray for more grace that I too can be such a man of prayer, praying according to the word of God, seeking God and His face, and praying for His holy sanctuary, even with fasting. And also enjoy the joy of answered prayer.

A precious lesson on prayer learned from Daniel's supplication. What a grace! May my life be such, my prayer life, as I learn and follow Daniel's pattern of prayer.

Lord, make me a genuine man of prayer.   

Fellowship in Coordination

These days I have been learning and experiencing "fellowshipping in coordination" with few responsible brothers related to my official service. It has been a great deal of lesson that I have been learning in the matter of coordination. As event after event were unfolded, the lesson of fellowship was very precious to me. With each turn of event I could fellowship with my coordinator and then with brothers serving in the work in India. Then further fellowship followed suit, each time the leading of the Lord was "a step at a time." Thereby, step by step, the Lord showed me the way to take as we sail forward in our literature service in India.

One precious experience in each fellowship was "adjustment." My proposal and view were adjusted to be in tune with the brothers' suggestion. My only response was to "amen" the brothers' fellowship and learn to be adjusted. Right or wrong is the not the realm to be in, it is the fellowship of the brothers in one accord in life, that matter most. And as I simply obeyed the brothers' fellowship and move forward to the next step, I could experience the life-supply and peace as an incentive from the Head of the Body. It was not a matter of "success" as far as the point of fellowship was concerned, but the oneness and the Lord's blessing that matters.

In this matter of adjustment there definitely was a part of "cutting" by the cross through the Spirit. My "ideal ideas" or "opinions" were "cut" and dealt with. I thank God for that. It is a blessing to be with the brothers whose fellowship is my guidance and the Lord's leading. Gone are the days when I would simply cling to the age old dictum "thus spake the Lord" in a very individualistic way. Now is, "thus speaks the Lord in and through the Body" for the building up of His Body.

In "amening" to the brothers' fellowship I had to coordinate with my coordinator to write important mails to certain co-workers, fellowship with certain brothers for certain matters, most of which were never in my consideration. But in carrying out the fellowship, I learn coordination, I learn to fellowship, I learn blending, I learn building up with one another, and  I learn the Body life, all in real life. 

What transpires after all these fellowship is not too much of my concern now, but what I have learned and gained in the process is very precious and dear. To me, it is the gaining of Christ, and the growth in life that is worth all these fellowships. Definitely, the Lord will carny out what is in His heart related to what we have been fellowshipped, and above all, He is gaining all of us in the process. This indeed is a win-win situation. Praise the Lord for the Body! Praise the Lord for the coordination!

Recently I was graced to experience five such serious fellowships with different co-workers, besides the regular fellowship with my coordinator on all important matters in our service.

In addition to the personal lessons on life and building, the Lord is also carrying out the matter we were fellowshipping in a very practical way. Things that could not have been accomplished by myself have now all become possibilities; all in fellowship in coordination. This is the age of the Body indeed, when the Lord does things in the way of fellowship and coordination. And I am blessed to be able to learn this lesson.

Lord, preserve me in Your Body; in sweet fellowship in coordination with the Body in one accord. 

Learn to be Abased

I know also how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to hunger, both to abound and to lack. Phil. 4:12  

The first quarter of this year has been a peaceful experience of being abased. I have been learning this lesson the apostle Paul had already learned, "I know how to be abased.." 

I have been tasting the contrast feeling of being abound, and now its time to learn the other lesson as well. The Lord sovereingly arranges things in such a way that I need to spend a lot on something inevitable, mostly related to my family life. Learning to be a proper father in taking care of my family I have been spending my time, energy and all that I could to enjoy my family life. 

Firstly, I take care of all the essentials of the family, not to allow any lack in the matter of family needs. I spend and am spending generously for the family, to cherish and keep the family happy. Now I focus more on the happiness of my family more the the saving of money in my bank account. What is money good for if it is not for the building up of the family life and spending it for the Lord's purpose? Money comes and money goes, never love it nor be a slave to it. Spend wisely and spend it for the maximum benefit. 

Even though I am not abounding as I used to, as far as taking care of the need of my family is concerned all are well taken care, without any lack. And no one, even my wife, t know and bear the burden that I have been bearing secretly. I would rather that my family be in peace and in happiness than letting know of the burden a father is bearing, which in any case is the responsibility of a father. In bearing my family responsibility, the Lord is training me to be abased. It is no easy lesson to learn to be abased. To abound is a much easier burden to bear.  

Somehow, the Lord provides the need to meet all the important and timely need of the family, ranging from children's educational expenses to the daily necessity of the family, and still providing the need, now and then, to make them happy, even with pretty little things. And in this midst, I do not shy away from considering to buy a house for our family, for the long run. Somehow, deep within me there is a a positive indication that I must go ahead in this direction sooner than later. The Lord is faithful as He has always been.

In learning to be abased, one important lesson is not to shrink back from dreaming big. It is easier to dream big when one abounds, but it is more significant to dream big even one is abased. This is the lesson I am learning these days. The same goes with the official need for buying our own office space. For both, I have the faith that the Lord will faithfully provide our needs.

It's amazing, this consideration of buying property is at its highest when I am at best abased. Feels like Moses leading the Israelites in the wilderness, simply trusting Jehovah for the daily manna with a hope of the goodland, Canaan. And that hope becomes stronger when in abased rather than in abound. Though, sometimes, I admit, I used to consider the servings ones like myself in other countries where they have all things set up; office premise including land and buildings, they simply focus on their specific service. But here in India, as of today, we still do not have the basic infrastructure of our own. Besides caring for the literature service, I also have to care for all the necessary infrastructure to carry out the official responsibility almost all from scratch, and that too when we hardly have anything in competence of this magnitude. But the trust and the faith within, irrespective of what is without, is at its best. 

Thank God for this lesson. And may I learn it thoroughly well this lesson, that I may be one with Paul in declaring, "I know also how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to hunger, both to abound and to lack."

Be Joyful!

Jehovah your God will bless you in all your produce and in all your undertakings; therefore you shall be nothing but joyful. Deuteronomy 16:15

In the midst of uncertainty, especially when one is holding responsibilities, the word of the Lord has become very soothing, the instant speaking of the Lord. Such was my experience last night as I read my Bible. The word of God was so sweet and satisfying that I proposed the same verse for pray-reading with my fellow serving ones in our distribution fellowship. And we all became joyful just by pray-reading the joyful word of the Lord. "Jehovah your God will bless you in all your produce and in all your undertakings; therefore you shall be nothing but joyful."  

These days my feeling has been as though I have been going through "dry season." Seemingly, nothing transpires significantly yet I have been busy the whole day. I would have expected more efficiency in my own service yet was ignorant of the way how that could transpire. At least, all the daily chores have been carried out regularly. I only can expect the Lord's blessing in all these. And at this juncture, the speaking of the Lord is so soothing, "Jehovah your God will bless you."

Since it is Jehovah's blessing, in all my "produce and undertaking," whatever that is suppose to mean, I must indeed be joyful, indeed, be nothing but joyful. There are indeed times for everything, and perhaps, this must be the dry season. Despite being so, the daily exercise of a normal Christian life, church life and office life still preserves me to not waste and wail away my time. The real joy indeed will be to be joyful in times when there seems nothing to be joyful for. In the Lord, I can and must always be joyful. Be nothing but joyful. Jehovah's presence and blessing is always a thing a joy, to be joyful for.

And the joy of the Lord is my strength. Nehemiah 8:10, "Then he said to them, Go your way; eat the fat, and drink the sweet wine, and send portions to him for whom nothing has been prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of Jehovah is your strength." In dry times as this, do nothing, go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet wine, do not be grieved, still carry on with your work, go on even as mundane as it seems, the joy of the Lord will still be my strength. Therefore, be joyful!

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Philippians 4:4 

Be joyful in the Lord, whatever betide. The Lord is in me and with me, just be joyful. Whatever season we are in, rejoice, and rejoice ever more.

This is just my experience these days.

Lord, make me joyful.

Turns of Events

Since last month it has been rough terrain for me as I journey through life and my official responsibility in combing through my community, DLF 1, for a possible rental or purchase as we have are looking into every possible option of relocation. As far as I am concerned I have been doing all that I could so as not to regret in the future concerning carrying out my responsibility and making decision. This all began when our house owner notified us of relocation. 

First, I tried all possible online search for rental in the same community without the help of brokers. I could manage to find few villas and contacted the owners. By the way, some brokers came to know through the online site I have been researching and was showed a handful of houses. Nothing materialised thus far. Then I looked into possible relocation of my family separately from the office which led me to another angle of research. Then came the idea of office space in commercial space which ultimately worked out to be too expensive. And now instead of rental our, consideration shifted to buying our own property, either land or ready to move in property. 

In all these turns of events, at least in my consideration, I have put in my best. Every single step I reckon to take I have done all I could. For I do not wish to regret for complacency nor negligence. In all these considerations I have done my best. Whether or not any of the research will materialise I have the inner satisfaction that I  have done what I need to do. 

Now,  for any direction the Lord leads us to, I have solid and specific point to contribute for fellowship with all stakeholders. I would not make blind blunder and dead decision. Fairly well, I have now come to know the real estate of the Real Estate of Gurgaon today. With this knowledge even, my burden for this city increased all the more. I must pay the price to gain the local residents for the Lord's testimony in this city. 

Now, I feel is the time to take definite step to be established in this city for the Lord's testimony in a way of official operation and family settlement, if the Lord so wills. Having done all I feel need to do, now I leave all to the sovereignty of the Lord who is on the throne. May He decide what is best for His divine economy even through us, our service and our living. 

Praise the Lord for all these turns of events, experiencing the Lord in every single step. Above all, the will of the Lord be done. Amen.  

Hindi Fellowship

There used to be a regular Hindi meetings in the new ones' home for years in the past which somehow have not been faithfully continued. To some, they have been lost, it as it seems, but to me, deep within, they are our own spiritual children and cannot be lost by any means. Though I myself stopped visiting them for over a year with the hope that some other saints would pick up the burden which never actually happened. But in my personal prayer life, church prayer, and family prayer I have been praying for them, simply trusting in the God who cares. The Lord indeed is faithful to preserve these ones for His testimony till date. 

Since last week I have revived the burden of shepherding them one more time with the faith that the Lord would establish them this time, solidly. It was indeed amazing that the Lord does care, though they have been through so many turmoil in their lives. How it all began was sovereignly of the Lord. 

It was two Saturdays ago that I was about to go for gospel preaching. But the burden within me was for these saints who long have been neglected. For some reason a thought came to me that I have been preaching the gospel to gain new ones, that's good, but how about those that have already been baptised? Yes, I am burdened to gain many new ones more, but how about the ones already gained and not being kept? Should I indeed fish and let the fish out of the vessel and keeping fishing and let the fish jump out of the vessel? That definitely is not wise. Better shepherd the gained ones first, and still preach the gospel but not at the cause of safeguarding those that have already been gained. 

I called up first and went to meet a brother. To my surprise, he has become a big business man, holding 50% shares of a branch of a famous sporting school in Gurgaon. I was glad that the Lord has been taking care of him. And as we met, we had a friendly yet brotherly talk. He took me around his 2+ acres campus of sporting school, introducing all his business activities. Besides, he proposed a Bible study in his school on a weekly basis and also was burdened for the gospel in his own way. Deep within I was very happy for the Lord's sovereign care for all His children. 

Meanwhile, as we talked, another brother turned up to the campus for His personal work. I took no time to introduce them to one another. As they discussed their own businesses to one another it turned out that they could be in partnership in one of the sporting activities, Cricket. They both were glad and they immediately acknowledged it as God’s arrangement; He who cares for the soul and spirit also cares for the body as well. 

Later, after all the brotherly and friendly talk, we all prayed together and dismissed for the day with a consent to come together regularly, at least once a week. And thus, the fellowship for shepherding was restored. 

Similar incident transpired with a family who has now started a saloon business in DLF-1. In this case, Monday was first fixed for Bible study with their employees. The first Monday, two of the employees received the Lord and the following week another two employees. The saloon has now become a gospel hall for employees to hear the gospel. So far, in two Mondays, two boys and two girls received the Lord. Besides, recovering this family, new ones were gained weekly. Praise the Lord! 

My one draw back is, I still preached and ministered in English with a brother translating for me. It's a bane or a boon, only God knows. Now that I need to coordinate closely with another brother to translate, I count it a boon. But the fact that I could not minister directly in Hindi may perhaps be a bane. Nevertheless, the gospel is preached. And these are Hindi speaking ones and Hindi fellowship. 

May the Lord grace them all, and stabilize them as pillars for His testimony in Gurgaon, these local indigenous brothers.