Shepherded into Baptism

It was about a week ago that two brothers decided to get baptized as the ones who have been shepherded by the saints in the church. The two brothers are comparatively new in time as they recently came into contact with us. Nevertheless, their reception of the word and participation in the church life is commendable. The two of them were supplied by the ministry of the word when they first came. The saints have faithfully ministered the word to them until they reach a point where the word enlightened them of their need for baptism. I personally was glad that we did not "push" them nor in any way "coerced" them for baptism. This was their own personal decision before the Lord and the Body.

One of the brothers particularly has been graced by the Lord to seek the purity of the word. He was introduced to the church through a sister who was also introduced by another sister. When I first contacted him, he came with much hunger and thirst for the word. My first meeting with him was accounted in the first part of this blog: http://palmeichung.blogspot.com/2018/05/shepherding-new-ones.html

From day one, I mentioned to him that as a genuine believer he also needed to be genuinely baptized, both in the Spirit and in water according to the Bible in John 3:5. But I asked him to take his own time and make his own decision. Since then, the Lord has been supplying him with the ministry of the word, until finally he actually took baptism out of his own decision.

Though there are different opinions on baptism depending upon whose opinion it is; the Bible has a firm word that answers all. He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned-(Mark 16:16). Blessed are they who simply believes into the Lord Jesus Christ and obey His word. The Bible did not mention any preconditions for baptism except believing into the Lord Jesus Christ. It is religious, superstituous, human concepts that insert conditions as though the written word of God is not sufficient. Blessed are those who obey the word as it is. And our two brothers finally obeyed. Praise the Lord!

Churching: UC Berkeley and Stanford

As a part of our churching to the bay area of California, the brother also took us to Standford University and the University of California, Berkeley. These two universities are within the top ten ranking of the best universities worldwide. Just to get the feel of the highly, scholarly, and academically charged ambiance of the campuses we visited both the campuses. Thank God, the churches nearby are burdened and are propagating in these campuses too. The church in Palo Alto is within the vicinity of Stanford University and the church in Berkeley, UC Berkeley. Visiting these campuses made me wish I could be younger again to study. I hope that many of our young saints be enrolled into these top universities for the Lord's testimony, besides the academic reason.

At the church in Berkeley, the leading brothers took us for a love-feast and campus tour. The fellowship with these brothers was very enlightening. In fact, the earlier opposition to the Lord's recovery stemmed from this university with a publishing house that published a negative book located just near the university campus. I was impressed by the wisdom the Lord gave to our brothers in handling such a fierce opposition diluted with false allegation. Believe it or not, I read a negative article against the Lord's recovery sixteen years ago when I was still a student and seeker who was not yet in the church life. That letter was straight from the heart of an opposer from this university in Berkeley. Though that letter was intended to spread "bad news" about the Lord's recovery, to me it was a "good news," as the content of the letter cited a testimony of a brother who left his girlfriend after he got saved through the saints and brought into the church life.

The church could never be defeated as it of Christ, so also His recovery. The church bought a very good building from the Baptist many years ago, renovated it, and now is being used for multiple purposes. Besides the church meeting hall, brothers and sisters' houses were also part of the building usage, and this is also the building from where defense and confirmation of the truth was started and carried out. The brothers labored in the truth writing theological articles to refute the false claims of the opposers. I deeply respect the brothers whom the Lord pleased to use in upholding the truths. And I felt honor and privileged to be able to visit the church and fellowship with the brothers.

Another interesting matter is, a brother who had done his Ph.D. and is now working in UC Berkely. Twelve years ago he visited the church in New Delhi as a student and working ones yet without informing his boss. It was then that his debit card was blocked out of suspicion. Then helpless with nothing at hand, he somehow was introduced to the brothers in the church at that time and was financially and spiritually restored back. This brother was so happy to meet us from India and reminded us of his visit to New Delhi and Gurgaon with throwback photos.

May the Lord gain many top students from these top universities for His testimony!

Churching: San Francisco

A brother and his daughter drove us all the way from Southern California to the city of San Francisco. As a part of their hospitality, they drove us past various scenic landscape to the Golden Gate Bridge. They took us around to view the wonder bridge from different angles with many photo shots as memoirs. Then we joined a group of saints from Taiwan for a lovefest fellowship at the meeting of the church in San Francisco.

While we dined together with the two leading elders of the church in San Francisco, the brother enquired about India. In fellowship, we presented a brief report about the Lord's move in India. They were so encouraged that they wanted to encourage the saints in their locality to aggressively propagate the gospel of the kingdom in California. 

One of the elders also mentioned about the opposition they faced from the opposers in the recent past. At that juncture, I was burdened to present how the sovereign Lord would even use the opposers' opposition to gain me. Their false accusations and misaiming online in a bid to curb the spread of the Lord's recovery worldwide only helped to ascertain the orthodoxy and authenticity of the truths and practices of the church life purely and strictly in line with the Bible. What was intended to harm actually became a trigger point for me to deeply research the truths and be recovered! I testified of how even negative propaganda worked out for good to gain me. 

When the brother heard my testimony of how I came in touch with the Lord's recovery, how I read all the negative comments online, yet how those negativities turned out to my deeper understanding of the truth and gained me into the church life by the very propaganda that was intended to keep seeker like me away. He was so excited to hear my testimony. The brothers even requested us to come again and stay longer to have a time of fellowship with the saints in the church in San Francisco. 

After such a fellowship over love-feast we left for our next destination, New York City. The Lord was sovereign in leading us to visit the church there and in His time we will visit the church again. May the Lord bless the church in San Francisco. 

Churching: Fremont

A brother who came to India twice on a business trip and who have visited me was the key person in our visit to the church in Fremont. Each time he visited, we had a sweet fellowship in the gospel preaching and also in a home meeting. The first time he came, I took him to a Saturday afternoon gospel preaching; he preached the gospel with all of his heart and brought three gospel friends to call upon the Lord. The next time he visited, we attended a Life-study of the Gospel of John meeting. His visit was very apt as the host's son was applying for a college in California and his visit was a relief to the family as they needed a contact in California. His visit was very helpful both in shepherding the new ones and also opening the door for us to visit his locality in Fremont.

When we arrived in the city, we attended the church's prayer meeting. Co-incidentally, that night the burden was on gaining the Indians working in the city. They have been praying for a proper represenation of the demographic of the city in the church life. The Indian living in the city amounts to about 21% of the entire population, next to the local Caucasians. Therefore, our visit was very timely, in line with the church's burden.

The next day we had lovefeast with the elders of the church and an afternoon walk at the Central Park (Elizabeth Park) and enjoyed fellowship as we walked round the park. Later in the evening, the church hosted us a lovefeast and a time of fellowship. We fellowshipped what the Lord has been doing in India with testimonies particulary of the church in Gurgaon, on gospel preching, shepherding and the practice of the God-ordained way. The saints were very encouraged and we all prayed together for India and the bay area of California, especially, Fremont.

While I was accommodated in a brother's home, I enjoyed a sweet time of fellowship with the family over breakfast. Since they enquired about my testimony, I shared with them how the Lord saved me, how He called me to serve, how I got married and how the Lord has been faithfully blessing our family. The fellowship was very sweet and an encouragement to them.

Our visit was apt and a blessing to the church as a whole. The elders even talked about a possible visit to India for blending in the near future. Overall, the churching was really wonderful and truly of the Lord.

May the Lord bless the church in Fremont, even with their burden of gaining many Indians into the church life.

Churching: New York

The Lord arranged a day for us in New York City to meet with the brothers in the church in New York. As we arrived at the airport in the morning, three brothers came to pick us up by a Cadillac, the same make and model of car the president of the United States is using. The brothers took us for a drive to downtown Manhattan and to Kingston to visit a campsite, Rosendale.

On our two hours long drive, the brothers wanted us to share our testimonies. One by one we shared, it was a joyful ride in fellowship. I also shared my testimony of salvation, how I came in touch with the Lord's recovery, and how the Lord shepherded me into the church life, and how the Lord called me to serve Him fulltime. As I shared what all the Lord did in my life, especially, the experience in which my parent strongly objected to my serving the Lord fulltime, and that how in May 2003, I told my parent in faith, "Thank you for supporting me till today for my education. Now, since the Lord has called me, I am going to serve Him. From now on, I will not receive anything from you. The God whom I serve will supply all my needs. If He blesses me I will share the blessings with you." I further testified that even in the following years till today, the Lord honored the words I spoke by faith.

At that juncture, the leading brothers among the three could not contain himself but broke out in tears and started praying and thanking the Lord for His faithfulness. Then we all prayed together in the car until we reach our destination, Rosendale, in Kingston, the rural part of New York. 

Rosendale, a campsite of 232 acres with 32 houses, lake, mountains enveloped with evergreen trees, a lake teeming with fish, the lush green surrounding, and the playground are amazing. The testimony of the brothers who was instrumental in purchasing this land was even more thrilling- a life of prayer and faith; how the Lord led him step by step to meet the need of the church in New York and New Jersey; how the money to purchase this land for about 3 million dollars was met through the offering of the saints; how useful this campsite has become; how many saints have been laboring on this land and have been perfected in service; and how they prayed a "sniper" prayer to pray specifically and strategically. 

My personal experience can simply be explained in one word, "wonderful!" Thank God that the Lord took us there on a flight transit from San Francisco back to India via New York, from morning to evening, one whole day. It was not merely a city tour, but a day of brotherly fellowship. I was very much encouraged by the testimonies of the brothers and also the church in New York.

Churching: Bay Area California

The Blending Together of the Members-1 Corinthians 12:23-27And those members of the body which we consider to be less honorable, these we clothe with more abundant honor; and our uncomely members come to have more abundant comeliness, but our comely members have no need. But God has blended the body together, giving more abundant honor to the member that lacked, that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same care for one another. And whether one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or one member is glorified, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the Body of Christ, and members individually.

Churching and Blending

After attending the live summer training in Anaheim, California, a brother and I went for churching to the bay area of California. Though the initial plan was a visit to a brother's relative for introducing the ministry, in fellowship, it turned out to be an extensive churching to the main churches in the bay area.

A brother who used to visit India took the lead to drive us around to different churches. Therefore, we visit the following localities:

1. San Jose
2. Santa Clara
3. Palo Alto
4. Morgan Hills
5. Fremont
6. Hillsborough
7. Berkeley
8. San Francisco

Besides, we also visited the city of Los Angeles, Millbrae, Mountain View, Campbell, and Cupertino. There are local churches in all these cities too and many more in California and in all the states of USA, we did not have enough time to visit all of them. Even in our short visit to a few local churches, we learned a lot. 

One important lesson I learned practically which the ministry has been trumpeting is, "Blending is the reality of the Body of Christ." I even mentioned a couple of times in our fellowship with the brothers, the importance of blending. Indeed, there is a need to pay the price to go churching for blending; it's definitely worth it. Otherwise, I even warned, we might end up like any other Christian groups that have been established for centuries, but due to the lack of the vision of the Body of Christ, and the blending and building up, they all ended up to be dead organizations. And we, in the Lord’s recovery must not repeat the hose of Christianity. 

The blessings in this churching are manifold. Our hearts have been enlarged and our views broadened in relation to God's eternal purpose on the earth. To my knowledge, no other Christian group has such a view, vision, blending, fellowship, oneness and reality of the Body of Christ. The Lord has been merciful to us and we must consecrate ourselves to the Lord again and again for the fulfillment of His eternal purpose on the earth.

In all these localities we visited, the Lord had arranged for the brothers for fellowship over breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In every fellowship, we just felt that we were meeting our own brothers though we met for the first time. The life of God that we all received and the ministry of the word that supplies us, have all indeed kept us in the one Body and in one accord. We all spoke the same thing, had the same vision and goal. Our churching confirmed it all, that we are indeed in the ministry of the age. 

My conclusion to all these visit is: May the Lord bless us all for His Body to be His matured Bride to bring Him back, by our fellowship, blending and building up with one another in oneness and one accord.

A Memoir: Thank You, Brother

It was the last day of the semi-annual training in the last session of the last message, a brother who I owe much in the Lord and who has been perfecting me since my first meeting with him, gave a two minutes testimony of the deeper experience of Christ he had in his service in the past few years. I was so supplied by his real-life testimony. As I went back to rest for the night and was reading my daily Bible on my knees in a brother's home in Anaheim, the Lord clearly told me to write a pleasant memoir I had with that brother. Therefore, I wrote immediately and sent it to him (brother JS).

Praise the Lord brother!

I truly enjoyed your prophesying tonight at the training. What a blessing to be able to learn from you and enjoy the fruits of your labor in India!

In the principle of incarnation, declaring the fact as fact, I will always be thankful to the Lord for all your shepherding and perfecting work you consciously or unconsciously did to me, and still have been doing, though indirectly now.

The Lord knows, I worship Him for a brother like you and others whom I can take as my pattern and learn from. 

The first time I met you as a student, not yet in the church life in the Lord's recovery, you told me prophetically, "Come to the full time training!" I simply was shocked and surprised. I thought to myself, "How dare you? I don't even belong to your church." Two years later, I ended up in the Bible Truth Church Service Training in Chennai in 2003! 

The fellowship you had with me at a beach in Chennai when you clarified my last remaining doubts, before fully coming into His recovery, concerning "mingling" and "overcomers" will still and ever be my sweet memories, and the lovefeast that followed at your home, my first rich lovefeast ever in a home of a "foreigner."

The book you gifted me, Christ Versus Religion and The Ultimate Significance of the Golden Lampstand had completely renewed my understanding of a christian life and a church life. In fact, it changed my christian life from that point on, after studying them. Even my hairstyle was changed to what it looks today when you charged me to change it in an intensified training we had in my second year training in Chennai. I thank the Lord for this too. 

The testimony can go on and on. I just felt led by the Lord to write these few memorable testimonies to you. Therefore, in obedience, I wrote.

Thank you so much brother. 

Feel free to shepherd me even like those days when you were with us in India.

In Him, Palmei 

Later I received a reply by mail of a photo shot of a verse in Luke 17: 10So also you, when you do all the things which are ordered you, say, We are unprofitable slaves; we have done what we ought to have done.

My reply was, "We are indeed unprofitable slaves. Our prayer and pursuit will always be those in Mathew 24:45, 46  Who then is the faithful and prudent slave, whom the master has set over his household to give them food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.