A Mango Tree

When we first shifted to the address we are in now in DLF 1 ten years ago, we sowed two mango seeds on our front lawn. The two seeds grew to become a tree in few years time. One of the trees was uprooted during a rainy season. The other stood tall and kept growing. This year it began to blossom and ultimately bore fruits abundantly.

The tree is as young as my first daughter. It was sown in the same years when she was born. Somehow she got a mysterious connection with the mango tree. When it began to blossom and bore fruits, my family members were so excited. Because it is the first fruit tree that bore fruits that we can hope to partake of. Even my wife connects this to our spiritual condition in the church in Gurugram. We have not been bearing solid fruits for many years. Perhaps, this tree is a sign of our beginning to bear fruits after many years. Well, may or may not be. Only God knows. Definitely, we can learn from nature that if any living things grow normally it should bear fruit in due time. So it should be the same with our spiritual life.

When a sandstorm struck our city at the beginning of this month, the mango tree could not stand the test of time: Strom and heavy rain just blew the tree from its trunk and the two main branched that bore many fruits succumb to the merciless blows and lashes of the hurricane. And alas, all the lovely mangos with its branches dropped dead on our empty lawn. So sad... My daughter who has an emotional connection with the tree could not help but weep for days... 

In fact, I was sent photos of the blown off branches when I was on my way back home from my recent training tour to Pune. The first thought that struck me was: Do not be superstitious. Because my wife had one time prophesied in the meeting, symbolically connecting the mango tree with the bearing of spiritual fruits henceforth. The Lord's speaking to me was not to give heed to a human natural interpretation of things. Its prone to be error-laden at best, and the devil could as well inject his poisonous thoughts with the natural incidents at worst; tempting us to not believe in the Lord's promises and deeds. 

Bearing fruits is by spiritual laws; it is of the Lord's blessings and also according to spiritual growth. Though analogy can be drawn from natural laws, the two does not fully conform to one another. What applies to the natural may or may not apply to the spiritual, nor vice versa. One should never allow natural incidents to necessary match with the spiritual one.

Despite the mango tree incident, we still continue to pray and labor in gospel preaching for the increase of the church in Gurugram. Mango tree or no tree, the gospel must be preached and bring in much increase for the church.

Training at Pune

The serving ones training at Pune this month was unique to me. Especially because, apart from the Lord's speaking and fellowship on the Lord's move in India, I also got to witness with my own eyes the faithfulness of the Lord in caring for His children. Three meetings with three brothers were very remarkable.

The first one was a brother, whom I termed it, "a prodigal son," who left his home for more than a decade. But now have returned back to the church and also to his family. When I met him, I was awestruck. It was like a miracle. Because I used to coordinate with his father for the literature distribution and I remembered how he lovingly and desperately shared about his son's situation. I also remembered what I told him that one day the Lord would bring his son back like in Luke 15, the prodigal son. I literally could witness the fulfillment of what I spoke a decade ago. God is faithful!

Another brother was also of a similar case. He had to leave the church life because of his family condition. When I realized that he left the church life a few years ago, I felt very sad. I blamed in on the religious Christianity that has plagued many children of God. But when I met him this time, I was glad to learn of him of how he has been praying and waiting on the Lord that his whole family would be recovered. He is very much in the Lord and the truth he has learned in the Lord's recovery has been preserving him. He has a burden too that one day, the Lord will fully recover his whole family.

Finally, the most memorable part was a friend and a brother, who I have been in fellowship with over the phone, for years altogether. I got to spend time with him daily during break time for fellowship, for prayer and pursuing the ministry together. This time of fellowship was very precious. We hardly could meet face to face, nor fellowship, pray and blend except in times like this. The training was not merely for word of God but also for the walk with God with the brothers. Praise the Lord!

Besides all these, I could witness the Lord's move in a very practicaly way in India. I was impressed by the matter of material offerings the Lord has led us through, the saints in India. When a report was given about the offering for the blending center in Chennai, it just blew my mind away. My fallen natural concept about money has been renewed ever since. The Lord indeed worked in many saints in India. We truly are witnessing the breaking and poruing out for the Lord's interest.

All these experiences are the real subjective training as a serving one. Praise the Lord!

Community Gospel

According to Indian standard, the community God has placed us is a posh area in comparison to many other communities in Gurgaon. We have been here for the past ten years now. Though we have been praying a lot for this community for the Lord to save some local families, we have not really been able to break through. I don't know how to express the feeling within me: Should I be ashamed or should I still hope for the Lord to do something? I would rather choose the latter.  So we keep praying for the residents of our community, DLF-1.

We have done at least three rounds of door knocking for the gospel preaching and attempted various other ways to preach the gospel. But, till date we have nothing concrete to count. The Lord does give us some good family friends, to my count, five of them, all locals and well to do materialistically. Indirectly I have shared the gospel to them. They all know that I am a Christian and I am involved in Christian ministry.  But this is just the tip of an iceberg. They have to be brought into the full salvation of Christ, and this is my prayer burden.

Of late, through some sisters in the church, we began to contact some other old friends. So far we have met two of them. The meeting with them was very interesting. Both of them are well to do single women owning properties and business in the community itself. The two of them are independent, carefree, and strong ladies. Both have a strong religious background but at the time are seeking for God; though they profess to find Him in their own sight. The meeting and conversation with them was very interesting.

To the first one, I preached the gospel by beginning with the thirst and hunger mankind have for God, in general, and explaining the spirit of man. After a detail explanation of the mystery of human life, she was open and I led her to pray to receive the Lord. Though she had her own preconceived notion about sin, still she could not deny the fact that she was a sinner too, besides all mankind. As I preached the word she was convicted of some of her past life and had a reaction that made her express her feeling. I was glad that she was convicted and she was also open for fellowship. We are now looking forward to more followu up on her and pray that she be fully saved and be gained by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Another lady was into some kind of psychological-cum-spiritual profession using "supernatural power to heal." I was well informed of an expected reaction even before we met, but we prayed and gave ourselves to the Lord to lead. Interestingly, our conversation soon entered into God and His plan in creating man. This gave me an opportunity to preach the gospel, Beginning with the plan of God, the fall of man, Christ's redemption, and man's salvation, consummating in the prayer to receive the Lord, I wasted no time, but preach the gospel. To my surprise, she was so excited and she felt very blessed that she could pray in her house, Our visitation for prayer and fellowship on the word of God was so timely. She even narrated of how she anticipated this as she was pre-informed by some of this day. Later, as I suggested for a Bible study she immediately responded with much enthusiasm. Instead of waiting for a set date, I felt to start right away, so we studied the gospel of Matthew 1:21-23. on the name Jesus and Emmanuel. That was a great gospel: Jesus, Jehovah God becoming our Saviour and Emmanuel, God with us. The Lord was so sovereign in leading us to visit this seeker, preach, pray and study the Bible with her. We now praying and looking forward to the continual shepherding of the new ones.

Lord, save, shepherd and establish such seekers for Your testimony in our community, DLF-1!

Family Visit for the Gospel

A distant family member has been under treatment in Delhi for the past few months now. I was informed of the sickness when the treatment began in New Delhi. But I never got the opportunity to visit him nor his family. All the daily schedule kept me occupied all the time, and then I had to travel twice out of station until I could finally visit them a few weeks ago. I knew I could do nothing except encourage them in the word and prayer. I finally took time out to visit them. My main burden was neither to comfort them nor for consolation. But to minister the word of God and bring them to the Lord. 

When I did meet them, they all came together for a family time. I shared from John 4 on the Samaritan Woman and the need to worship God in spirit with an explanation on the three parts of man with body, soul, and spirit. Though I met the children of the family for the first time, they were very receptive. I gave them books on Shepherding Material for them to study lesson by lesson, encouraged them to have daily family prayer, Bible study and prayer. And finally, I prayed for all of them. That was the best I could do.

To me, the Lord is using the sickness to draw and gain the entire family to Himself. The sickness, though serious it may seem, was the channel God used to gain His beloved. They all agreed to this matter too. And I was comforted that the parent at least are learning this lesson.

Another cousin sister came into contact with me after twelve years indirectly through the sickness of this brother whom I visited. Before we met, the burden the Lord gave me was to lead her to the Lord and help her go on in her Christian life. We made and appointment to meet at  Mc Donald, Vasnat Kunj, New Delhi. 

As soon as I met her, she narrated all her life story. I was glad to learn of all that the Lord has been doing in her life. She used to be one of the lost cases in my list, but still trust the Lord can recover. Gradually, as I fellowshipped with her, the Lord reminded me of the Samaritan Woman. This sister of mine has been one such running after the world for so long. Now that she has come to her sense, I preached the gospel to her and prayed for her. Within that hour or so in the restaurant, I just felt the burden for her was lifted and that she indeed has genuinely been saved. Of course, she needs to be properly shepherded for her spiritual growth and brought into the fellowship of the church.  From my side, I have done all that I could. I gifted her a pocket NT Bible and a Basic Element of a Christian Life Vol. 1. 

I have the strong faith in the Lord that all my relatives, near and far, will be brought into salvation. All of them, household salvation. Only for this reason, I find it worth to visit my natural relations. It has also been my prayer to bring all my kiths and kins to the Lord and to the Lord's heart's desire, the church life. To this extent, I have created a WhatsApp family group for fellowship and also prayed for them almost every night in the family night prayer time. 

Lord, my household salvation!

Recovery of Saints

When a new one brought into the church life suddenly rebels and starts speaking negatively about the church, the ministry, or the saints, it is very painful within. If opposers outside of the church life oppose the ministry, it is tolerable as they are negative towards the ministry, and they intended to oppose it anyway in every way possible. But when the new ones who are our spiritual babes turn negative, the pain within is nothing comparable to the affliction caused by outsiders. I have come across a couple of such ones in my fifteen years of church life. But I still do not cut them off altogether, I still hope and pray for them that the Lord would have mercy on them and recover them back one day. Hoping indeed that all of them would be fully recovered.

Recently two such cases came to my notice and fellowship. One brother kept calling me regularly asking me all kinds of questions from the Bible and the practices of the church life. Every time I answered his call, I did my best to shepherd him. First by simply answering his questions using relevant Bible verses, and then praying with him over the phone. This has been going on for months altogether. But recently I was very happy to learn that the Lord is recovering him inwardly.

One morning, he called me to confess the mistakes he had committed by his negativity. He acknowledged his ignorance and after roaming around in different Christian groups, meeting all kinds of pastors and believers, questioning, researching, and suspiciously doubting the ministry, he finally came to a conclusion of his own research after two years or so, the ministry is the ministry indeed. The truths are the truths of the Bible properly interpreted, the practices are the normal and healthy practices every normal Christian should practice for growth in life and for the building up of the Body of Christ. The very thing he criticised badly is now the very thing he embraces gracefully. In his own word and finding, he testifies that the ministry is the ministry indeed. he is recovered in life, in truth, inwardly. In fact, some brothers in his locality started warning him of his deeds, but now he has come back to his home, the church life. Of course, I helped him also to reconcile with the brothers whom he spoke negatively against and also set things right with whom he spoke negatively in his ignorance against the ministry. 

Praise the Lord for the ministry of life, the ministry of the Spirit, the ministry of the new covenant!

A similar case is with a sister here in our locality. She, in fact, left the church life for a while with complaints of her own. We simply prayed for her regularly and tried our best to shepherd her whenever she was open for fellowship. Gradually, the Lord worked in her environment, and she finally came back with much hunger and thirst for the word of God and for the fellowship with the saints in the church. And when she came back, she also began to enjoy the fellowship in the church and participates in the church life. Now she even openly shared her burden for her household salvation and is very desperate for the Lord to gain her whole family. 

Praise the Lord for such inward recovery by life first, and then the outward recovery too!

Both subjective experiences and objective truths prove the ministry is the ministry indeed. Whoever touches the ministry will be gained by the ministry. This ministry is the ministry of life, the new testament ministry, and this ministry is for all! This ministry builds up the Body of Christ and will fulfill God's economy. 

Prayer: In His Presence

Prayer is to be in God's presence. Though we can petition the Lord of all our needs and cares in prayer, sometimes the Lord simply wants us to be in His presence. There is joy in the presence of a loved one. So much more, there is joy in being with the most beloved one, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is to be in an intimate fellowship with the Lord in His presence.

The central work of God is to work Himself in Christ into His chosen people to become one with Him. For this, we, the chosen people of God need to spend time with Him. Not to explain to him our feelings and thoughts, nor to petition Him of our burdens and concerns, nor to praise Him of His deeds and sovereignty, but to simply spend time with Him in His presence that He could intrinsically work Himself into us. This is one of the crucial points in our recent training.

The Lord indeed brought me into such an experience. I had made a plan on my journey back from Pune to Delhi few weeks ago. My plan was to use the entire day on my train journey to do my pending works. But I just could do a bit of it. I was led simply to pray and pray the whole day, in between reading the word; I enjoyed the presence of God so much. The Lord graced me to experience the reality of simply spending time with Him in prayer. In fact, just by being in the spirit, the purpose of prayer itself was accomplished already. Similar experiences followed suit. Sometimes, I had nothing to utter in prayer, but I simply enjoyed being with the Lord in His presence. At times, I wanted to initiate what to pray for, but the Lord simple led me to pray for "nothing" but enjoy His presence. This experience of prayer is very unique and goes against my natural concept. But this is how it should be. Now this experience has been repeated again and again these days. 

By this way of enjoying the presence of God simply, the Lord is gaining ground in me. This is yet another level of God working into humanity. We pray for nothing seemingly, but we pray everything in by enjoying the presence of God. Just like when we breathe in air, it seems we are gaining nothing solid into our system, neither food nor drink. But without this very air, food and drink cannot sustain life either. Pray for nothing outwardly, but praying oneself into God and praying God into oneself. This is an effective way of prayer. 

Prayer, praying in the presence of God! 

Proper Attitude

To have a proper attitude in all things is one of the basic requirement for a normal Christian life. In things big or small, our attitude means everything. A proper attitude on a minor matter is worth more than an improper attitude in major matters. Attitude is the driver of a human machine.

It was a few days ago that I tried to renew my driving license. The one I have is from my home state and issued on a paper card. As I tried renewing it online on government portal I could not do it as my current license is not in the national centralized database. After researching for days I had no choice but to apply for a fresh one. I did apply but I had to begin with Learner's Licence though I have been driving for the past 15 years.   

I applied online and booked a slot for a test. But I did not take it seriously, belittling it as a piece of cake. When I did go for the test, I was placed on a computer with a black-white screen so I could not distinguish between the colors of the traffic signals. Besides, the series of questions were randomly generated online, and I could not answer properly within the stipulated time frame of 30 seconds per question. Once the test was done I could not score the minimum requirement and had to give the test again after a gap of one day. This is a very trivial incident but it sent a strong signal down my system. My attitude was not proper and the Lord taught me a life lesson through this minute matter. "Never take things for granted, deal every matter with a sincere heart and proper attitude."

Today morning I had to take the test again. This time I sincerely prepared for the test using online test questions and even prayed for the matter. When I went and took the test again I scored almost centum. This incident is a real-time and real-life reminder of how I need to have a proper attitude in all things. For others, this may seem to convey nothing, they may take it simply as a part of life or a coincidence. But for me, everything is under the sovereignty of God. And there is a reason behind all that has happened. 

Similar cases happened in the matter of hospitality. A brother came without being fellowshipped or informed. It didn't go down well with me and my attitude was not proper. Later, I regretted my improper attitude and asked the Lord to forgive me. Today, the Lord sent a couple and a sister to be accommodated for the weekend. Though we had no room in our house, they were accomodated in the office guest rooms. And I got the grace to take care of their food. This time, I learned my lesson in taking care of the saints properly within my capacity.

These are incidents in which the Lord lovingly exposed me and taught me the lesson I needed to learn: to have a proper attitude towards all that the Lord arranges.

Lord, grace me a proper heart towards all things.