Gospel Meeting

It was on the 1st of December that we had our Gospel Meeting after a long gap. Though we preached the gospel, brought new ones to salvation and baptism, and have home meetings regularly, we lag behind in gathering our new ones for the gospel meeting. As a church, we prayed and fellowshipped and felt good to have one. Therefore, all preparation was made ready.

This was like a new beginning all over again. The Lord gave us much peace in our arrangement of services. The sisters all coordinated for the physical food preparation and the brothers for the spiritual food of gospel message. As we have been praying for this meeting, the Lord gave us a very good coordination and also brought a good number of new ones.

The unique nature of this meeting was that the two testimonies of salvation were shared by a sister and a brother who were both saved from a Hindu background and both of them are native Hindi speakers. They both testified in Hindi. That was one key point in the gospel meeting among the local Hindi people here in Gurugram.

Besides, the main message of the gospel meeting was also translated orally to Hindi with the concluding word on leading the new ones to receive the Lord with an explanation on baptism. 

The message was taken from the gospel of John 6 and 7 on taking Jesus into out "boat"  and coming to the Lord to drink of the Spirit to be satisfied. 

John 6:16-21

And when evening fell, His disciples went down to the sea, and they got into a boat and began crossing the sea to Capernaum. And it had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. And because a strong wind was blowing, the sea was churning. Then, when they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they became frightened. But He said to them, It is I. Do not be afraid.  Then they were willing to take Him into the boat; and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

John 7:37-39

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes into Me, as the Scripture said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. But this He said concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed into Him were about to receive; for the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified. 

The hymn on "Coming to the Lord" was sung over and over again as a prayer to come to the Lord.

I hear Thy welcome voice,
  That calls me, Lord, to Thee,
For cleansing in Thy precious blood
  That flowed on Calvary. 

I am coming, Lord,  Coming now to Thee:Wash me, cleanse me in the blood    That flowed on Calvary.

The meeting was truly blessed by the Lord. Out of two gospel candidates who received the Lord, one of them got baptized! 

Though this was officially a gospel meeting, it was also a time for the new ones and the saints to gather together. After the meeting, the saints enjoyed a good time of fellowship and blending over the lovefeast dinner.

Such a gospel meeting should be more frequent and regular as a harvest of the labor on gospel preaching. Praise the Lord!

May the Lord save more and more people for His testimony.

Time with a Brother

Two weeks ago a brother from USA came to visit India for a training class at FTTND. By the way, he also spent a couple of days with the saints in the church in Grurugram. I was privileged to be able to pick him from the Airport, drive him around, and took him to different meetings of the church. In fact, I have been learning how to give hospitality to the visiting saints. I have enjoyed much hospitality in many localities in different parts of the world. As much as I enjoyed the saints' love and care, I am reciprocating the same within my capacity. 

Time with the brother was a good time of learning for me. Not merely in physical matters of taking care of a "guest" but much more in the matter of spiritual and mutual fellowship. Every time I drove him, we enjoyed praying together for different burdens as the Lord led us to pray. At times, we fellowshipped on different matters and learn from one another. In fact, it was this brother who inspired me in the matter of giving hospitality to the saints. Because he himself was the one who took care of us when we visited California last July. He had been with us and driving us around the entire Bay area of California, and took us to different localities for fellowship, blending, and church visit. I personally was very impressed by his sense of duty and responsibility despite he not even been a "full-timer." He really served us like a full-timer. To me, he was a wonderful pattern in serving the saints and the church, though he himself had not officially served a full-timer. Praise the Lord for such a wonderful pattern; a very human yet divine way in which he cared for us. It was a blessing to learn from him and a privilege to be able to serve him when he visited my locality. 

Praise the Lord for such a brother!

Family Day Out

Last Friday being a holiday for my children, my wife and I decided to take a day out with all the children. The day out was mostly for the purpose of health checkup from Tibetan healthcare center using natural cure technique for healing. I have heard of this technique from different people but have never gone myself. I decided to go and find out for myself by consulting the "doctor" and checking them out. Perhaps, that was the first time all the members of our family did a health consultation. Though we did not have any specific disease, for health sake, we got some naturally blended health products. It was more of a prevention rather than cure approach and backed up with health supplements.

Besides, we also enjoyed a time together over Tibetan meal. Eating out as a family was overdue for our family. We clubbed the matter of eating out and health check-up together and enjoyed a family day out.

Time with the family was much needed. Despite my busy schedule I often need to spend time with my growing children. They are very precious; my wife and I are really blessed with wonderful children. My bonding with my children, especially my son, became sweeter and sweeter these days. The two girls are sometimes too smart to handle; they know exactly how to convince me with what they want from me. Out of my love for them, in most cases, I comply with their "demands" as I deemed them OK for their ages for now. The point is, spending time together with the family is a great joy! Family life is God's gift. Family life also typifies, in miniature, God's big family life- the church life. What a blessing to have a family and be a part of the family! 

God bless my family! God bless the church life!

Afternoon Revival

Two weeks ago, a brother and I visited a new one who has been in contact for the past ten years but has never been properly shepherded nor brought into to the church life. Our visit that day was a turning point for this family, though for me it was my first visit. The Lord used that visit to get introduced to the family and I also invited him to come over to my house for a lovefeast.

A week later, the family came to our home for a lovefeast. Though we met for the first time, the fellowship and bonding were very sweet. Parent and parent with children and children; a wonderful time of bonding and blending! Hope one day, we all will be built up together in the church.

The meeting on Saturday night was so enjoyable that the brother opened up his spiritual situation. It was all very clear that the Lord has been working on him and his family, and the time has come now for them to be shepherded into the church life. The many years of shepherding have begun to yield fruit. I firmly believe, the Lord is faithful to reward all the labor put in by the saints. Discerning his need, I fellowshipped on the matter of the church using relevant Bible verses, briefed him on the church history, expounded some crucial portions of the word on the ministry and the Body of Christ, and also gifted him with a New Testament Recovery Version Bible and HWMR Crystallization-study on Leviticus Vol. 4.

The following Lord's day, the Lord burdened me about this family, especially the brother. I was led to send a text message if I could spend time with him over the phone in the afternoon for an "afternoon morning revival." He replied back emphatically with an agreement on my proposal. Therefore, beginning from the following Monday, I have been enjoying a time of afternoon revival with him over the phone; pray-reading Bible verses, reading through the text of HWMR, sharing and fellowshipping over the crucial points and ending with prayer. To my surprise, the brother's grasp of the truth was amazing; the Lord has already prepared him to receive the ministry of the word. We could easily get into the same flow in our pursuit of the ministry of the word. Most importantly, he amened to all the points of truths and received the word of God as a hungry and thirsty seeker and lover of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I am so glad, that the Lord blessed and filled my hands with new ones. In shepherding I am being shepherded. And in such a process, my understanding and enjoyment of the truths have become richer and higher. Praise the Lord for the afternoon revival!

I have been blessed with morning revival in the morning with my family, in the afternoon with a brother over the phone, and in the evening with another brother. Hallelujah, for the revival in the morning, revival in the afternoon, and revival in the evening!

Glory, Glory, and Glory

Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.Blessed are you when they reproach and persecute you, and while speaking lies, say every evil thing against you because of Me.Rejoice and exult, for your reward is great in the heavens; for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Mathew 5:10-12

It was on the 3rd of Nov 2018 that my father was called by the highest authority in the village, Peikai, to clarify his stand, basically, our family's stand, on the village dictate of everyone participating in the rituals of the tradition and custom of the Rongmei Naga which from ages have been handed down from generation to generation. The Lord graced my father to stand for the truth that there can be no compromise on our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that we professed; that we cannot participate in the rituals of the villages whatsoever as we have been saved and have become Christians and have forfeited the old heathen traditional religion of our forefather in the flesh; that we will not and cannot compromise on our standing for the truth; and that the village authority may take whatever action if they deem our faith and standing for the truth of the Bible as a violation of the pagan practices of primitives. The action taken for our stand for the truth was, in a single word, ex-communication. This means that none of our family members can communicate either verbally or in visitation with any of the other villagers and vice versa.  

When the decision was conveyed to me in our family fellowship, my first reaction was, "Glory, glory, glory...to the true and living God!" We have been graced and counted to be persecuted in such a glorious way we do not deserve. The Bible verses that came to me are the Lord's word as quoted above: Blessed are you..., Blessed are you..., and Rejoice and Exult...

I felt like the glory of God has finally been bestowed on our family. I could imagine our two families, my family and my aunt's family, in our village who are in the church life are like to pillars of cloud by day and pillars of fire by night. And that we have come nearer to what the Lord has promised us, what we are and what we should be - the salt of the earth and the light of the world in Mathew 5:13-16.

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt has become tasteless, with what shall it be salted? It is no longer good for anything except to be cast out and trampled underfoot by men.
You are the light of the world. It is impossible for a city situated upon a mountain to be hidden.
Nor do men light a lamp and place it under the bushel, but on the lampstand; and it shines to all who are in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in the heavens.

I also reckon this incident as a direct answer to our prayer for the salvation of my village Keikhu and my own people in the flesh, the Rongmei Naga. As we have been praying regularly, the hand of the Lord has started to move. This is the first step of separation that is very much needed as we live in the midst of the heathen. What will follow is sanctification by the blood of Jesus Christ and saturation by the life of God. This first step has stamped a clear-cut distinction between the believers and the non-believers. It is like crossing the "red sea" so that there can be no going back to "Egypt." I see this as an answer to our prayer for my younger brother too. What man cannot sanctify positionally, God has to do it by all means. Therefore, whatever has transpired was the Lord's doing; His invisible leading hand behind the visible. 

Since the incident, our prayer for the salvation of our village Keikhu and the Rongmei Naga has been much more intensified, with much more faith, and with much more hope. My overall reaction is to simply thank the Lord and give Him all the glory. 

Glory, glory, glory to God the Father who planned,

Glory, glory, glory to God the Son who accomplished,

Glory, glory, glory to God the Spirit who applies.

Salvation to Keikhu! Salvation to the Rongmei Naga!

Coordination in the Body

The most important experience in the recent World Christian Expo 2018 at Mumbai was the coordination in the Body. The church in Mumbai was so burdened for contacting seeking believers in the city. They have been praying for the Lord to gain many more saints for the increase of the church. Christian exhibition that we attended was a good opportunity to contact seeking believers. The church had arranged everything for our hospitality. Besides, some saints would come every day during the exhibition to be with us. Sometimes, they invited us for a meal to their homes, other times they brought a meal for us at the exhibition center, and other time they brought tea, snack, and fruits. We enjoyed the love and care of the saints. Praise the Lord for the Body!

The coordination, love, care, and concern of the saints touched us so deeply. In return, we strongly prayed that the Lord would gain five seeking families. The number "five" was an instantaneous burden the Lord gave us as we prayed in our corporate prayer. Our burden became very strong when we realize the church in Mumbai needs a strong testimony. The city is the financial capital of India, and we have the burden that the Lord must gain a strong testimony in this city.

Faithful is the Lord and He ever will be. As we prayed for five seeking families, the Lord gave us five seeking families for the church to follow up. During the five days exhibition, we know who are the genuine seekers and who are not. There is a principle by which we know the genuineness of a seeker: A genuine hunger and thirst for the word of God, an ardent love for the Lord Jesus Christ and an appreciation for the ministry of the word. Two such seeking brothers came and fellowshipped with us at length. Both had left the denomination they were in before, and both are meeting with few believers at homes and pursuing the word. Both of them also have few other families with them with the same burden. Both of them also meets in small groups in the suburban area of Mumbai, thereby, opening new doors for the Lord's testimony to be raised in two new cities, Besides these two brothers, there are also sisters in three groups, all of them received the ministry books and are open for further follow up. May the Lord gain all these ones for His testimony in Mumbai.

In addition to the seeking believers, there are also seeking unbelievers from Muslim and Hindu background. The Lord brought them to come into contact with us. We preached the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to them. They all heard the word, and two men among them genuinely received the Lord. These two also were gifted with the New Testament Bible. 

We pray that the Lord would fully recover the five seeking families into the church life in Mumbai, and also raise up two new local churches, in Vasai and Virar. Though we did not witness many attendees during the exhibition as expected, we definitely thank the Lord for bringing some genuine seekers whom He has sovereignly reserved. We praise the Lord for all His arrangement. 

Lord, bless the church in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Panvel, Thane, Kalyan Dombivali and gain the entire stare of Maharastra!

Seeker, Seeker, and Seeker

The Lord has His chosen ones everywhere. It is for this reason that we came all the way to Mumbai to attend a World Christian Expo 2018. Our main burden is for the introduction and distribution of the ministry of the word. It is in an expo like this that the genuine seekers will come to search for what they have been thirsting and hungering for. We are willing to pay the price to participate in such an event mainly to attract seekers to the Lord through the ministry of the word. The Lord knows our burden and has been blessing us too.

Here are seekers who came and found the Lord and His heart's desire.

A Seeking Christian 

A brother who received a book from our stall on the first day of the expo came again to get hold of more ministry books. Besides purchasing a bag full of books including the Holy Bible Recovery Version, I also fellowshipped with him on some crucial aspects of the truths concerning Christ and the church. 

Our fellowship began with "sonship" -being born of God in His life and nature, then "priesthood" -being called to serve as holy and royal priesthood, then "the ministry" -being the perfecting of the saints for the building up of the Body of Christ, "the church" -being the Body of Christ comprising every genuine believers irrespective of time and space with her local expression in a locality, and finally the present day recovery of these truths with its life practices. The seeking brother was so amazed and joyful that he finally found us, as he out of his spiritual draught and desperation, left the denomination he used to be in. Now he meets with few believers at home, following the pattern in the book of Acts. I was so glad as much as he was too, to have met each other. It was definitely for seeker like him that a price need to be paid to receive him into the flock of God. 

May the Lord fully recover him into the church life in Mumbai and may He also recover the church in Vasai, the families of believers he has been shepherding.

A Seeking Muslim 

A group of young men came to our stall and were addressed by a brother, introducing the word of God. When they were done, I got the opportunity to speak to them. One of them introduced himself as a Muslim, truly seeking for the true God. That statement was a shot in my arm. 

I testified of how I found the true and living God at the age of nineteen. I encouraged them to open to God and ask Him to reveal Himself to them. Since He is God, He would definitely reveal Himself. I also told them not to seek God in religion. Religion is serving God without God Himself. Debating over holy scriptures of different religions leads to nowhere. It is only religion that divides people. The true and living God has no religion. He is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the very God incarnate and is now the Spirit to be receivable and dispensable. In Christ Jesus is the answer to all questions on God and in Him is the end of all spiritual search. He must be experienced subjectively, not merely known. And He can be experienced by simply calling upon His name, Lord Jesus Christ, and praying to receiving Him as life and life supply, and believing into Him. The seeking man was gifted with a New Testament Recovery Version. May the Lord save them soon!

A Seeking Hindu 

A young man walked into the expo with a quest to learn something about God. The Lord sovereignly brought him to our stall. He introduced himself as a believer in Jesus but a Hindu by religion. His statement truly caught my attention. On further conversation, I discovered that he is an MBA student from Yale University  USA. Since I know of a professor from Yale University, he immediately requested me to introduce to him and the brothers in Yale at the University or its vicinity. He being so seeking for God, I deemed it best to preach the gospel afresh, and I showed him crucial Bible verses and lead him to receive the Lord. He prayed to receive the Lord and was so happy. A New Testament Recovery Version was gifted to him for his daily study.

At least for these genuine seekers, it is worth paying every price to shepherd them to the true Shepherd and the true living God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and to the flock of God, the church.