New Ones: Gospel Preaching

As we have been praying for quite a while now for the practice of the God-ordained way of gospel preaching and shepherding, the Lord begins to answer our prayer one by one. First, He stirred up the spirit of the saints in our church life with the burden of prayer. Then He led us to His word concerning going out to preach the gospel or visit people. He led us specifically to a Bible verse with a footnote in Johnn 15:16. After one Lord's table meeting we all enjoyed pray-reading and fellowshipping on "go forth."

John 15:16
You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and I set you that you should go forth and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give you.

Note from the Recovery VersionThe Greek word for go forth means to depart, implying to leave for another place; hence, it is rendered go forth. It is the same Greek word as that for go in 14:4 and 16:5. The fruit borne by going forth in this way does not denote the virtues of the fruit-bearer's character, such as the fruit of the Holy Spirit in the believer's living, mentioned in Gal. 5:22-23, but it denotes the believers produced by the fruit-bearer. This corresponds with the subject of this section, 12:20--17:26, which is Christ's multiplication. The virtues we possess through our abiding in the Lord cannot be counted as Christ's multiplication. Only the believers that we produce in the Lord are the tangible multiplication of Christ. The Father's house in ch. 14, the true vine in this chapter, and the man-child in ch. 16 are all related to the multiplication of Christ.

As we enjoyed a time of fellowship as a church, we all are burdened to first pray for all our contacts and plan to meet the relatives of all the saints this coming month. The Lord led us in such a way that every Lord's day after the meeting, we would fellowship on how to practically carry out our burden. Last Lord's day, we practiced preaching the gospel in Hindi in order to reach out to the local Hindi speaking people. The Lord also blessed us with new ones.

The Mother of a Paralysed Boy

A sister who is a nurse by profession is working for a family whose child is paralyzed due to a brain hemorrhage. She requested a visit for prayer which led me and my wife with another sister to visit. When we saw the situation of the child lying on a bed, our burden was for the mother and her family's salvation. I wasted no time to preach the gospel and led her to the Lord Jesus Christ and also led her to pray to receive the Lord. Of course, we also prayed for the healing of the boy child. Then my wife established a contact with her over the phone. Our prayer is for the healing of the boy and also for the spiritual healing and salvation of the entire family. 

Life Insurance Agent

A week ago, a new one brought by one of our brothers attended the meeting. He works for a life insurance company. Though he indeed to sell life insurance to me, I took that opportunity of "life-insurance" into a gospel. I preached the gospel to him and expounded the truth concerning the receiving of eternal life which has been insured from eternity past to eternity future. To receive such an eternal life insurance, the only condition is the believing into the Lord Jesus Christ. After preaching the gospel to him, he received the gospel and prayed to receive the Lord.

A Seeking Engineer

Last Saturday, during our gospel preaching, a seeking one was contacted, who also attended the Lord's table meeting. Though he did not partake of the bread and the wine, he enjoyed the meeting so much that he even stood and spoke his enjoyment in the meeting. After the meeting, he testified how much joy and happiness he felt by attending the meeting. We also preached the gospel to him in a fine and thorough way and led him to receive the Lord in prayer. Since he is such a seeker, we also gifted him the New Testament in Hindi for him and his wife. His promise was that if he continues to enjoy, he would take a step further for baptism and start a home meeting in his house. 

Besides, we also met another an engineer who received the Lord in the park during our gospel preaching. Then, we preached the gospel to two Muslim seekers; as they wanted to know who Jesus is. We spent over an hour to preach to these seekers. These are few notable accounts of how the Lord begins to answer our prayer and honor our burden. 

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.