Fellowship at Allahabad

It was after the Christian Leaders Seminar that three brothers stayed back to fellowship further with the group whose Pastor was our main coordinator for conducting the seminar. He invited was to minister to his congregation the following Lord's day, each brother ministering the word in one of the three meetings each. As a preparation for what to minister, we fellowshipped and prayed together the previous night. What the Lord burdened us was to minister on strengthening the burden of the experience of the "All-Inclusive Christ." 

Three of us ministered the word in sequence and released our burden. My particular burden for the believers was on the growth in life. As the Spirit led me I ministered extensively with experiences on the essential factors of growth in the divine life. And encouraged all the believers to pursue the Lord in His word unto full maturity. Right after the meeting, a couple came and testified how much touched they were. They even testified that it was their burden for this matter that I spoke out what they had been longing for and even speaking about as they also serves the Lord within their capacity as opportunities arises. They are doctor couple whose husband is working for the military. Despite their busy schedules as Indian Army doctor, they found time to preach the gospel and shepherd new believers. It was also to this couple that I introduced Rhema books and the Recovery Version of the Bible. The brother immediately purchased the New Testament online. 

This one day staying back also gave us the opportunity to fellowship with the main pastor. Few significant things we fellowshipped were: the burden for the distribution of the ministry books all over Allahabad, the burden for sending some twelve brothers for the training to Gurgaon where our training center is, and the burden for conducting seminar in other cities as well.

Though a cordial relationship was established, the crucial points are, the seeing of the vision of the Body of Christ, the oneness of the Body, the practice of the church-life for the building up of the Body of Christ. If not for these crucial points there can be a danger of human organization as a repetition of the degraded Christianity. I only hope and pray that they may see the vision of God's economy, Christ and the church, and be for the Lord's testimony in Allahabad city.

Christian Leaders Seminar

"The Ministry of the Word for all!" is the motto behind conducting Christian Leaders Seminar for the first time in coordination with the coworkers and Rhema free Christian books serving ones. This was a well planned event with much prayer and fellowship with all the entities involved. And the first ever of its kind in India with the specific burden of reaching out to the Christians in general by reaching out to the leaders in particular.

The event came into fruition when I first came to Allahabad and met a Christian pastor for introducing the ministry books. As I introduced the ministry books with much burden and the release of the word, he immediately proposed a Christian leaders seminar as a platform for the spreading of the truth. This matter was brought into fellowship and prayer. After several rounds of fellowship we finally concluded for a date and a topic. The topic was, "The All-Inclusive Christ."

Prayer burdens to the churches and preparation followed suit. Then a team of six brothers landed in Allahabad for the seminar. The seminar was attended by over one hundred Christian leaders, Bible students, and seeking believers. Selected messages from the book, "The All-Inclusive Christ" were present in four sessions covering the following points of truth.

• The All-Inclusive Christ- An Introduction, The Goodness of the Land- Its Spaciousness and Ascendancy
• The Goodness of the Land- Its Unsearchable Riches, Water, Food, and Minerals
• Entering the Good Land and Life in the Good Land
• The Issue of the Land-The Temple and the City

There were some genuine seekers who were closely following the speaking; some have taken notes and some later came for fellowship during tea-break and lunch-break. Over all the response was positive and the seminar was conducted as planned. Our burden now is that those who have heard the word and received the ministry books may be graced by the Lord to further pursue the Lord in the word and that the Lord may manifest the ones who would stand for His testimony. 

Personally, I had the advantage of handling every little bit of things from planing to execution, including the budget. My one consideration is, the same could be carried out in a proper coordination in various other cities as well, even perhaps, with a lesser or no budget at all. But the element of paying the price for anything precious cannot be mulled either. Price or no price, the ministry of the word must be spread as the ministry the Lord has blessed us is for all.

This is just the beginning. May the Lord continue to open doors for the spread of the ministry of the word all over India!

Two Brothers' Visit

Today is a significant day and a special day too. Two brothers who have been leading many people to salvation and have been Christian leaders for years came to fellowship with me in Gurgaon. One of them is a brother who has been in touch with the ministry of the age and also in fellowship with me for few years now. 

Few weeks ago he called me, as being led by the Spirit in his prayer to do so, and expressed his desire to come to personally fellowship with me what the Lord has been doing in his lives. My immediate response was that I would also fellowship with the other brothers and let him know when the best time would be. In his fellowship over the phone he expressed in urgency his need to obey what the Spirit had told him to do; to come to fellowship with me and be recovered back into the fellowship of the Body of Christ and also be helped in the matter of baptism. It was rather shocking to me as he has been leading a considerable number of believers and now he wants to set the basic right? I dared not comment anything as I deemed it best to leave it to the Lord. The Lord's will be done.

Yesterday they came to Gurgaon, and today the whole day we had fellowship on various burdens as the Lord led. They joined our Life-study of Matthew pursuit on being a salt of the earth and a light of the world as Christians in the church life in the kingdom of heaven. Later, I ministered to them on the greatest miracle in the whole universe, "God became man to make man God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead," with crucial verses in 1 John 3:1,2; 2 Peter 1:4 and Romans 8:28, 29. We also fellowshipped on the heavenly vision Saul saw in Acts 9:1-5, and Paul's faithfulness to the heavenly vision in Acts 26:19. Then they opened up their main burden for which they came.

According to their testimony, they were led by the Lord in prayer that they should come to Gurgaon and meet me and fellowship on their inward situation they have been going through. They narrated the turn of events that actually led them to come all the way from down South to up North. They opened up confessing their lack in the basic matter in their Christian lives; they wanted to be properly baptised. They both have a very strong conviction that they need to do this as they were not helped in a proper way, perhaps, a biblical way in this matter. The case at point being serious, I fellowshipped with another brother to join me in understanding their actual need. We both then fellowshipped with them and ascertain that they were indeed genuine in their fellowship and what they confessed as urgent need. Then we both were convinced that it was truly of the Lord that they should be properly baptised, and we prayed together. In their prayer it was also became clear of what the Lord has been doing in their lives.

In the evening, we made the arrangement, and before they were baptised, they both spend a considerable amount of time in prayer on their knees. They were indeed very genuine and came with a genuine need. Just before baptism I shared on one of the most important aspects yet neglected point of baptism; a baptism into the Body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:12, 13 For even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ. For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether  slaves or free, and were all given to drink one Spirit.

Thus, they were baptised! And the purpose for which the Lord brought them here was fulfilled. Besides, they also wanted to be fully recovered into the fellowship and oneness of the Body of Christ. For this we suggested that we will have more fellowship with other brothers as well and see how the Lord would lead some thirty nine Christian leaders and about two thousands believers in their future course of their lives. Nevertheless, we also frankly told them that taking the way of the Lord's recovery is purely of the Lord's mercy and grace, it entails seeing of the vision of the Body of Christ, paying the price, and even of persecution from fellow Christians who have no vision of the Lord's economy. We even made them clear that not everyone can take this way; and inquired if none of their believers or leader are willing to take this way, will they still take this way? Their answer was in the affirmative, and an emphatic "yes." Time will tell. May the Lord grace them so and recovery all the believers in thirty nine localities spanning two states of India.

For this reason, I term this meeting as significant and special. May the Lord's will be done. Amen. 

Shepherding Care

Last Lord's day was as ordinary as it used to be. But what was special was, after the meeting, as a shepherding gesture I proposed to drive a brother's family back to his home, not knowing what would happen later.

When I drove the family home, I got to meet another spiritually dormant brother who hardly joins the meeting. I could spend some time cherishing him, then prayed with him. This one visit has enthused him to even come for the following week training of the church. It was very unexpected of him, who missed almost every meeting to suddenly turn up for a training, that too, a whole day training on the Crystallization-study of Ezekiel.

Later, with a brother, we went to visit a family who has not been in touch for five years or so. God had sovereignly arranged the visit in such a way that we could meet and spend solid time of fellowship with the entire family. Beginning with the father, then the son and then the mother. It was like a spiritual awakening for the family. All the three of them were very happy that we visited them, especially the father, who himself has been struggling in his life, in spiritual matters. The son wanted to have more personally time of fellowship which we fixed up for the following Lord's day, the mother also wanted to have more fellowship, and the father has already decided to regularly come for the church meeting. They, as a family, however are considering to start a Bible study in their home too as I proposed for their own benefit. May the Lord recover this family. This meeting was supposed to be just thirty minutes, as I proposed, but it turned out to be three hours long. And we did not feel time went so fast.

Later, I met another family again; mother and son. They were very happy with my visit. With few words of encouragement, I prayed with them. Though I wanted to spend more time in fellowship I had to rush to another family meeting.

Finally, I met another family who is undergoing intense mental pressure due to their grandma's hospitalization for almost two months now. It was just a cherishing time allowing the sister to pour out all her feeling, anxiety, concern, and my simple responsibility is to listen patiently to all she said. In that way, the burden deep within her was all poured out and I prayed for the family.

In words or in deeds, whatever the situation of the saints may be, cherishing them with human love and care, and nourishing them with the divine word and prayer, is a good way of shepherding. All the messages that I have been learning in ministry for shepherding has now been carried out one by one in reality. My next challenge is to bring all the saints to do the same work of shepherding care. Not I alone, but with the saints as the church, then the Lord will revive the church and gain a strong testimony, both in quality and quantity.

Lord, thank You for Your shepherding care. Shepherd us further to carry on the shepherding care of the church.     

Subtle Satan

Last week had been an intense attack subtly by Satan. How events unfolded were noteworthy; a life lesson for precaution. All attacks  were very subtle and it went from one degree to another degree. This attacks were mostly to do with my "Onesimus."  

Many temptations that befalls men are all planned out. It caught the believers unware if he or she is not living and walking by the Spirit and is not grounded and constituted with the word of God. Therefore, the basic failure of every Christian is do with the basic itself, which are very simple and easy. 

It all began with my cousin brother who missed the morning revival time, which is our regular time with the Lord corporately. Than, he missed out on corporate pursuit of the truth and prayer. Then he even missed out on the regular office service. Finally, he missed out any any meeting, either official, church, or family. I know what he has been struggling with; he simply cannot handle finance. The moment there is cash in his hand he will misuse it to his own ruin. For this reason I did not let him have hard-cash the past few months. But as he requested that he would be able to handle this time, I gave him a chance. Few days later, he fell into the same trap of misusing it.

To help him, I have prayed with him, for him, and done all that I could. I literally am running out of option. I often have also been battling between physical restriction and spiritual solution. Often, I weigh the latter more, believing in the work of the Holy Spirit rather than my own natural help. But I discovered, this alone did not suffice. When the physical restriction are not imposed it is too easy for weaker vessel to fall into the tempter's snare. So I tried both the physical restriction and spiritual means of shepherding him. The two must go hand in hand. As much as we trust in the Lord, there must also be corresponding physical support. Blind trust in spirituality may not work all the time. This is what I have discovered, at least. Praise the Lord for all the spiritual lessons.

When he was fully in a defeated state, I quietly helped him by starving him with the physical abusive substances. Yet at the same time, I helped him to exercise his spirit and prayed together with him. This experience of reviving a weak brother has become my way of shepherding people these days.

As long as the Lord tarries His return and we are still alive on this earth, we have to face the world with all satanic attack. But thank God, Christ has overcame the world with its ruler, Satan. Our only responsibility now is to allow Christ to live in me and through me. 

I have been facing the same spiritual attack upon me, my family, and the church at large too. But the Lord has taught me a lesson of turning to Him in prayer. So I emphasized the importance of the church prayer meeting, personal prayer life, and the basic spiritual exercises like Bible reading, morning revival, truth pursuit, and fellowship with fellow members of the Body of Christ. 

Paradoxically, God allows many such attacks in our lives too; for if He wouldn't, it would never have happened. Since He allows in His sovereignty, there are lessons to learn. Not to let go the lessons is the best spiritual lesson to learn. Through such attacks, learn the lessons and we will be victoriously maturing in life.

Satan may and will subtly attack, for he exists for such, but we must simply take Christ as our lives and our living, and he will be, and simply, a defeated foe. Simple spiritual exercises are the best way to counter the subtle attacks of Satan. One need not be a spiritual giant to be an overcomer, a simple Christian with all the basic spiritual exercises suffice to live an overcoming life.  

Blending Fellowship

Finally, brothers, rejoice, be perfected, be comforted, think the same thing, be at peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11 

Make my joy full, that you think the same thing, having the same love, joined in soul, thinking the one thing, Philippians 2:2 

I am being graced and being blessed to serve in the literature service in India with my fellow brothers in a way of fellowship and coordination. Though we serve One God in the one flow of the one ministry of the age, we serve in different entities with varying functions and responsibilities. Thank God, as we have been serving in this way the Lord has sovereignly ordained; we serve in fellowship with one another and also in fellowship with some more senior and  matured ones. It was through the fellowship of one such matured brother who suggested that all the literature serving ones and those serving in overseeing the Lord's work should come together and have more fellowship and prayer that we began to meet on Tuesdays for the same.

Last Tuesday we just had the first of such fellowship. It was truly of the Lord that we were grant mercy to find time to fellowship. Our relationship and coordination became very sweet and dear. I can personally testify that it has indeed become sweeter and dearer than when we had such fellowship before. Though we serve the Lord together, sometimes, there were some feelings and thoughts within on some matters that did not harmoniously blend as it should be. It was simply due to the deficiency in fellowship. At some points, difference of entities that we serves seems to work as hidden justified barrier in many aspects of our services. Now that the entities that we are involved in have been growing by the year, and the Lord also has been blessing us more  and more, without a proper and adequate check and balance in coordination, it can subtly lead to discord. Fellowship, prayer, blending and building of the serving ones are the remedy to possible anomaly. The Lord knows best and He arranges such a fellowship. To me, this is a great salvation. 

Personally I am not an outspoken person. I have been learning the lesson of obedience, humility, and submission, taking the Lord as all these virtues. But I am not matured yet, and by virtue of my being on the process of growth and maturity, often I tend to go off-track, at least in my feeling or thinking concerning how things should be done. Therefore I need the Body to measure me and balance me. I believe the same applies to others as well. And such blending fellowship balances out different feelings, thoughts, and opinions; and such blending fellowship too will blend and build us into oneness and one accord. I worship the Lord for the timely speaking and leading of the Lord.

We brothers are on our late thirties or early forties, and the responsibilities we bear are great and important, even covering the entire nation. A little misstep or a little discord can damage the Lord's work and His testimony. Therefore, it is imperative for us to be tuned into the same mind, the same thinking, the same speaking; preserving and maintaining the oneness in the Body for the sake of the Lord's interest especially in this country.

Praise the Lord for the blending fellowship! May the Lord continue to grace us to go on in this way of blending, even blended fellowship, for the sake of His testimony and move in India. 

Adieu, My Neighbour...

Last Tuesday morning my wife informed me of my neighbour being taken to hospital on a car in a very serious state. I simply reckon it must have been a heart attack and after the consultation with the doctor, proper medication must have been given and nothing to worry as such. But on the same night, I saw an ambulance parking on their courtyard, and in the morning the next day, throng of people crowed their house. By that time I guestimate that he must have passed away. Yes, I guessed it right.

Later, I visited the bereaved family to enquire and console them. They simply explained the reason for the death was an impromptu heart attack, the first and the last. The decease was the elder brother of  a joint-family and a wealthy and religious man. He had been taking a walk almost daily with his wife as we could see them go out. Death had caught him so suddenly. Irrespective of how much care one has taken on his health or well being, when the time come, it just came. A very natural death but very untimely and unexpected.

 

This news has left a deep impression in me, and in our morning prayer and pursuit, I chose a hymn, Life at best is very brief.  https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/1043

Life at best is very brief,
Like the falling of a leaf,
Like the binding of a sheaf,
    Be in time!
Fleeting days are telling fast
That the die will soon be cast,
And the fatal line be passed,
    Be in time!

Be in time! Be in time!
While the voice of Jesus calls you,
  Be in time!
If in sin you longer wait,
You may find no open gate,
And your cry be just too late:
    Be in time! 

Fairest flowers soon decay,
Youth and beauty pass away;
O you have not long to stay,
    Be in time!
While God’s Spirit bids you come,
Sinner, do not longer roam,
Lest you seal your hopeless doom,
    Be in time! 

Time is gliding swiftly by,
Death and judgment draweth nigh,
To the arms of Jesus fly,
    Be in time!
O I pray you count the cost!
Ere the fatal line be crossed,
And your soul in hell be lost,
    Be in time! 

Sinner, heed the warning voice,
Make the Lord your final choice,
Then all heaven will rejoice,
    Be in time!
Come from darkness into light;
Come, let Jesus make you right;
Come, receive His life tonight,
    Be in time!

The fellowship and prayer we had was on the need for urgency in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and bringing people to salvation. Especially the ones we cared for and who are not yet saved. 

Since the time we moved to the house where we are right now, the first burden I had was to pray for the salvation of our neighbour in our community. We did have a good relationship as neighbours but not dear enough to freely go and preach the gospel. When his son got married, a brother and I attended his marriage and gifted the Holy Bible, Recovery Version. That was best gift I could think of. Thereafter, thrice I had met him for some enquiries, and in of which a brother, who is also my house owner, preached the gospel to him.

Something has been hindering us from freely and directly preaching the gospel, though we have been praying from them quite often. When the sad news of his demise was known, I could simply call, "O Lord Jesus!" Now, the burden is on the family members of the bereaved. Only the Lord may grace us to preach the gospel and bring them to salvation in a cordial way, and not to regret until another death strikes.

We did attend the "prayer meeting" for the deceased. We could only let our neighbor know that we do care for them and did our best to maintain a cordial relationship. Much more than this, the gospel has to preached as much as we prayed for them. Lord, save them!

Life, indeed, is very brief. I must aggressive labor to preach the gospel and bring sinners to salvation. This incident is a wake up call.

As for now, adieu, my neighbour...

But not another one without the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ.