A Surprise Meet

The Lord is the best planner; He knows when to plan, how to plan, and what to plan. More than five years ago a brother was introduced to me with whom I fellowshipped on the truth concerning Christ and the Church. I even gifted him a book, The Normal Christian Church Life, which he obliged to receive with a word of caution, "Only if the Lord leads me I will read," to which I replied back, "Read, only if the Lord leads you."

Few month later he called up to say that he read the book and understood the truth concerning the church and her local ground, one city one church. But he insisted that he was saved in a Christian group which he termed as "mother church" and he'd rather be faithful there. Well, I had no comment on that, but I let him know that he can fellowship with me any time for any matter.

Now and then, we had fellowship on different issues including his personal matters. But we hardly met face to face though we are in the same city. Two years ago we met in a brother's home in Uttrakhand. And this time, we met in Manali, far far away from the city we both dwell. 

Things have changed as he shared some of the things he had gone through in his life. We enjoyed a good time together in Manali. We even visited his wife's house in a village and considered the possibility of preaching the gospel house to house. As we spent time together, we also prayed for the Lord to save the people of Himachal Pradesh, especially the villagers of our brother's wife. One evening, we also met again in a Bible Study session at a church. A brother and I coordinated to share the truth on Christ and the church, and he became our translator from English to Hindi. This was an indication from the Lord that we all have to serve the Lord together in coordination. Our feelings and opinions have to be crucified at the cross and we should simply be blended together into the oneness of the Body of Christ. 

I also invited him to come over for a time of fellowship over a meal when we all get back to Gurugram. Perhaps, the Lord is preparing all of us to be blended and be builded up together. For this, he took us to the mountain for meeting and fellowship. This, for sure, is a surprise meet.

May the Lord recover each one of us for His testimony!

Paul Samuel

A brother whom I met about six years ago in Shillong and who has since then became so dear to me as a brother in Christ, who loves the Lord very much and the ministry of the word, gave me a surprise call on the 25th of this month, May 2019. The call was related to the Lord's special and miraculous gift of a baby boy on the same day morning. With much joy he said I was the first person he called to share the good news and requested me to name the baby boy. My innate reply was, "Praise the Lord!" And to his request for naming the baby boy, I told him it is his baby and he can name him what he feels best. But he requested that I pray about it and give him a name.

For five days I have been considering and praying regarding a brother's request. The Lord convicted me that if a brother has such a request, it must be from the Lord and it is an honor to honor the request of a dear brother. The more I prayed and considered, a light dawn on me concerning the need of the age and to give a name with this background.

In this church age in the midst of degradation, there is an urgent need for the New Testament ministry of building up the Body of Christ revealed through the apostle Paul. Therefore, Paul is a good choice of name with the present burden. The mystery of God, Christ, and the mystery of Christ, the church, was unveiled through brother Paul. And we need such ministry today to hasten the Lord's return to marry His bride, the built up church.

Beside, there is also a need for an absolute consecration to turn the age. As Hannah prayed for a son and lent it to God, a beloved son born to a brother also need such consecration. Therefore, the name Samuel is also a good name.

Though I have these names in mind, I did not call him nor texted him. My feeling was that if this be truly of the Lord, let it be confirmed. Till then, I will wait. Today, the same brother called me again asking if I have settled on any name for his son. It was then that I explained to him the meaning and spiritual significances of these two names and asked him to consider. But his immediate reply was, "Amen!" and requested me to send these names to him.

Later, I complied a collection of Bible verses and footnotes and sent it to him.

Paul Samuel: A Wonderful Name for a Beloved Son

Paul
Titus 1:1Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the faith of God’s chosen ones and the full knowledge of the truth, which is according to godliness.

Notes from the Holy Bible, Recovery VersionIt was according to the command of God and of Christ that Paul became an apostle. In his earlier Epistles he told us that he was an apostle through the will of God (1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:1). The command of God is a definite expression, a further direction, of the will of God.

Titus 1:1-3Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the faith of God’s chosen ones and the full knowledge of the truth, which is according to godliness, In the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the times of the ages, But in its own times He manifested it as His word in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the command of our Savior God;

Notes from the Holy Bible, Recovery VersionPaul was an apostle according to four things:(1) the command of God (1 Tim. 1:1),(2) the promise of life (2 Tim. 1:1),(3) the faith of God’s chosen ones, and(4) the full knowledge of the truth, which is according to godliness.
The command, on God’s side, speaks for Him and requires something of us for Him. Faith, on our side, responds to God’s requirements and receives His life. Faith is a proclamation that we are unable to fulfill God’s requirements but that God has done everything for us and that we receive what He has done. The life promised by God is what we have received of Him for the carrying out of His demand. It was in this way that Paul was an apostle to administrate God’s New Testament economy.

Titus 1:2In the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the times of the ages.

Notes from the Holy Bible, Recovery VersionPaul was an apostle not only according to the faith and the knowledge of the truth but also in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised in eternity. This corresponds with according to the promise of life in 2 Tim. 1:1. In the hope of eternal life means on the basis of, on the condition of, relying on the hope of, eternal life. Eternal life, the uncreated life of God, is not only for us to partake of and enjoy today but also for us to inherit (Matt. 19:29) in its full extent for eternity. Today’s experience of eternal life qualifies us to inherit it in the future. The enjoyment of eternal life today is a foretaste; the inheritance of eternal life in the coming age and in eternity will be the full taste. This inheritance is the hope of eternal life (see note 73 in ch. 3).

Samuel
1 Samuel 1:20And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son; and she called his name Samuel, For, she said, I asked for him of Jehovah.

Notes from the Holy Bible, Recovery Version
Samuel: Meaning heard of God, or asked for of God.

1 Samuel 2:11And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child ministered to Jehovah before Eli the priest.

Notes from the Holy Bible, Recovery VersionSamuel was of the tribe of Levi (1 Chron. 6:33-38) but was not of the house of Aaron, the family of the priests ordained by God. Samuel ministered to the Lord as one who was a priest not by birth but by the Nazarite Vow. At the time of Samuel the priesthood of the house of Aaron was utterly fallen. God, however, foresaw the situation. Besides His ordaining the house of Aaron to be the priests, He made a supplement—the Nazarite vow in Num. 6—in case there should be an inadequacy in the ordained priests. When the house of Aaron fell, this supplement was put into practical use. Samuel became a priest by being consecrated, separated, and lent to God (1:11, 28). See note 21 in Num. 6.

Manali: A Revisit

Manali, a famous tourist destination, has welcomed us again this time. We already came to this city and had a wonderful time of fellowship with two brothers. The same two brothers took care of us and made arrangement for various meetings this time too.

Meetings with Students 

One thing that impressed me most was the freedom of the gospel within the school premises. Students were educated with spiritual songs and Bible knowledge. Though I have witnessed prayer and singing of spiritual songs in many schools in different parts of India, this school has done a very good work in sowing the seed of the kingdom of God. I was told that the students here have memorised over fifty spiritual songs and a good number of Bible verses. On top of that, daily school devotion added to the further sowing of the divine seed.

This time we were invited to take devotion of two batches of students during our two days stay here. To a group of Class VIII to X students, I spoke on trusting God and working hard as students, and then prayed for them. And to a group of Class XI-XII students, I gave my testimony of tasting and experiencing God by believing into Jesus Christ and led them to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour and God. Then, I also encouraged them to work hard as there is no substitute for hardwork with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Meeting with Hospital Staffs

A morning devotion time was also given to us to share the word and introduce the ministry books to the staffs, nurses, and doctors of a Christian run hospital. The person in authority invited us for sharing the word and opened the door for all staffs to received the ministry books. 

Meeting with a Local Church 

There is a group of believers who meets as a local church here in this city. We were invited to share the word in their Wednesday night Bible study. A brother and I fellowshipped and shared on Christ and the Church, the Christian life and the Church life. Our burden was to help the believers with the meaning of a Christian life which is enjoying and living Christ, and the issue of the enjoyment of Christ is the church life. 

Fellowshipping with Brothers 

We also enjoyed a wonderful time of fellowship with few brothers. It was a joy to hear the testimony of a brother who enjoyed the ministry so much. Listening to such a brother justified the time, money, and energy spent to come all the way to this hill station for the distribution.

A night of dinner fellowship with another brother on the truth concerning the oneness of the Body of Christ was so precious. We fellowshipped at length and in depth till late night releasing our burden, presenting from the types and prophesies in the Old Testament with the reality and fulfillment in the New Testament, concerning the oneness prayed for by the Lord in John 17 and the need to recover such oneness today. I also gifted to this brother two books on the church, The Assembly Life and The Orthodoxy of the Church, with a New Testament Recovery Version Bible.

Two brothers also invited us to their homes for fellowship. These two brothers married local sisters who are  also saved from gentile background. We got the taste and feel of the local Kulluvi life. Though many of the local people were not yet saved, the few who got saved are faithful to the Lord and are burdened for the salvation of the entire community. 

Praise the Lord for the believers in Manali! May the Lord recover His testimony in this city and save many local people.

Kullu: A Revisit

A contact person in this city is a sister who was my translator from English to Hindi when I first came to the city for distribution more than a year ago. She was so touched my the ministry of the word that she invited us to her home and gave us hospitality. During our stay there, she also invited Christian workers and pastors to meet with us. Since then, we have been in fellowship on WhatsApp.

This time as we visited her, she gathered together all her contacts: some new believers and two brothers. We were welcomed with a surprise presence of all these people which we did not expect as our intention and burden was to meet the seeking sister and her family. 

The first surprise was that an elderly brother who used to meet with the church in Secunderabad was also present. In fact, he was invited by the family of our sister's contact who have been facing demonic issues in the family. He was there to help deliver the family. This brother came into the Lord's recovery and left because his quest for his burden to serve fulltime was not answered. But after over a decade, the Lord brought us into contact with him in Kullu. As we shared on the church, he made a video recording of our sharing from the Bible on the church and requested for a book, The Orthodoxy of the Church, which I gifted to him. He was so impressed that the Lord sure does remember him. I personally believe, it was for his recovery and he will be recovered back into the fellowship of the Body of Christ in oneness. 

The second surprise was that a brother through whom I came to Kullu in my first visit was also invited for this meeting. I thought he was a pastor of a Christian group and did not bother to contact him this time. But it was manifested that he is a translator of a New Testament into his mother tongue, Mandeali, and now his project is over. He has a burden to continue as a translator and also serve the Lord in a new locality. He invited us to his home where we fellowship with him for translation of the ministry books into Mandeali or Hindi. The Lord, indeed, has preserved him for the translation service and also for His testimony in Kullu. 

The third surprise came from the sister who was our host. She has started a small fellowship with her son. The Lord has been blessing her with new believers and she is progressing in the ministry. Our fellowship on what the church is according to the Bible touched her and her son. They could see something of the church as they themselves confessed their need to take the stand for the church in Kullu. We gifted them with a book, The Normal Christian Church Life, and the New Testament Recovery Version Bible. 

This visit was full of surprises and the Lord's specific leading was clearly seen. May the Lord fully recover all these dear ones and recover His testimony on the proper and genuine ground of oneness as the church in Kullu. 

Shimla: A Revisit

Acts 15:36Now after some days Paul said to Barnabas, Let us return now and visit the brothers in every city in which we announced the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.

The burden to revisit Shimla after we first visited for the distribution of the ministry of the word a year ago came up in a fellowship two weeks ago. I felt it was the Lord's feeling and burden expressed in the Body. Though I initially intended not to, I amened the Lord's leading. Then I contacted the contacts in Shimla and other cities and started praying for this revisit. City by city, the seeking contacts replied and we came up with a plan to visit Shimla first, then Manali, then Kullu, then Mandi, and perhaps Chandigarh as well. 

The key contact in Shimla is a brother whom we met last, just before we left the city when we first visited. We spent a solid hour of ministering the word on Christ and the Church and introduced the ministry books to him. He was the main seeking one among all that we met. Therefore, he was contacted, he responded, and we visited him this time. 

Our brother gave us hospitality in his meeting hall and did his best to make us happy. He took us to the best tourist spots in Shimla for sightseeing. While we were in Army Heritage Museum, we had a fellowship on how the Lord brought us together and that he needed to take the stand for the Lord's testimony in Shimla. He seemed to have understood his need for taking the stand for the Lord's testimony and is open for fellowship and perfecting. He confessed his need and how he has been praying for transformation. In fact, the Lord has been burdening him for chain prayer throughout the day with some of the believers, and also recently had 120 hours of fasting prayer. He also acknowledged that the Lord has sent us to him, to meet his need and prayer for transformation. 

As he took us to different places, we also fellowshipped along the way. He testified to us how the Lord saved him through the miraculous healing of his mother from a cancerous tumour through the prayer of a pastor, and that healing led him to believe into the Lord Jesus Christ, be baptised into His name, took Bible training, served full time with a pastor for five years, and finally, started his own ministry. 

The Lord also has been leading him all these years and the ministry literature we distributed helped him realised his need for deeper and inner transformation. At this juncture in his spiritual journey, we met again. May the Lord fully recover him and the believers with him for His testimony in Shimla. 

Last Lord's day, he requested us to minister the word. A brother and I fellowshipped and prayed for the release of the word. Therefore, we shared on the basic of a Christian life: the mystery of human life; the assurance, security, and joy of salvation; the precious blood of Christ; the key to enjoy the Lord; and the importance of reading, knowing, and experiencing the word of the Lord. 

I was burdened to minister to the whole congregation of about forty believers on the spiritual significance of the word of God. Beginning with Psalms 119:105 and John 6:63, I released my burden to help them receive the Spirit and Life through the Word. I expounded John 6 on how the Lord charged us to work for the Food that does not perish, but fills our hunger, quenches our thirst, and gives eternal life. This Food is the Lord Jesus Christ as the bread sent from heaven, the living bread, the bread that gives life, and the living bread. This bread must be eaten daily by coming to the word of God and I encouraged every one to eat this bread through the reading of the word and praying the word daily. 

After we ministered the word, the brother testified of how much the Lord loves them by sending us to them to minister the timely word to the congregation. We trust the word of God will continue to work in them and bless the congregation for His testimony in Shimla. 

May the Lord recover His testimony through His chosen ones for the church in Shimla.

Gurugram Propagation: Seeking Christians

John 10:16And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must lead them also, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one flock, one Shepherd. 

The Lord always have His remnants everywhere. Though our focus in gospel preaching is and always will be on the gentiles, still, as we go house to house door-knocking, the Lord still manifested His seekers and lovers. When the Lord brings them to us we cannot neglect them. It was the Lord who manifested them to us, and it is our responsibility to shepherd them. This time round, three such seeking families were met.

The first one is a family of four members. They have been meeting with a pentacostal group for over fifteen years. Yet when they were contacted they were so open to us and the truth that we ministered. Immediately they expressed their interest to meet with us. This is very unusual but the Lord has been preparing them for the church life. They started joining the meetings on Lord’s days and expressed their enjoyment of the Lord in the meeting despite our meeting being so different from the denominational Christian meetings. Outwardly speaking, we are few in numbers and do not have one man leader or preacher, no special choir or song leader with musical instruments, but the Lord has attracted them. On their invitation, we visited them for a home meeting last Monday. The testimony of their meeting with us was very encouraging. The mother of the family testified how she enjoyed the presence of the Lord and appreciated the free movement of the Holy Spirit to speak and move through the believers. To her, this is her home and she longs to meet with us right away. The brother also testified of how he desires to fully come into the church life and have been considering to completely leave the denomination to recover their church life. Our response was that the church is for all the believers and they are always welcome to meet with us. We encouraged them to look to the Lord for His specific leading and follow the Lord faithfully. A regular home meeting has thus been established every Monday night in their home. May the Lord fully shepherd them into His flock.

The second family was first met through door-knocking. A home meeting was held, then they were poisoned by someone with false accusation against the church life in the Lord’s recovery. But one day, they were convicted by the Lord that they were only hearing rumors and that they should find out the truth. We thought they were already closed and was on the verge of giving them up. But they changed and became open again. They invited us for a Bible study in their home and they also invited their friends and colleagues to join the meeting. Every time we went for the meeting, the Lord spoke something new and fresh to them. All we did was, sing a hymn, read few Bible verses, and fellowship on the word of God in depth and at length. As the Lord graces, we will continue to shepherd them.

The third family was met through the introduction of a believer family whom we met through door-knocking. On the first meeting itself we did not withhold what we felt good for the family. We ministered the truth concerning a Christian life and church life. They were so shepherded that they wanted us to meet them again for Bible studies. The Lord has been working on them and preserving them for His testimony.

There is yet another family who came to meet with us due to the frustration they had been facing in the denominational church they were in before, for over a decade. Through one brother they came to know about us and started meeting with us. A cult group that does not believe in Jesus as God contacted them. But in time, they were introduced to us. We immediately visited and inoculated them with the truth of the Bible and expounded to them the truth concerning the Triune God, a Christian life and church life. Yet the father who was enticed by the cult group became very angry on learning that his family started to come to the church meeting. He strongly objected to it and warned his family not be in contact with the church again. But we realized it was the enemy's attack and prayed for the release of the entire family.

Praise the Lord for all these families the Lord has manifested and chosen for His testimony. May Lord shepherd us to shepherd them fully into the full enjoyment of Christ in their Christian life and their church life. 

Kochi Office Visit

The Lord has been faithfully shepherding a brother and his wife through whom He brought in His recovery to India. Though physically they are aged, the Lord still preserves and enables them to continue to serve within their capacity. Though I had no plan to visit them, because of the brother's call, I adjusted my tour plan and visited them for a day. 

My burden in visiting the Kochi office was to fellowship with our brother and also with the team who serves in the literature service there. I am glad that they all were doing well.  I respect the brother who has been faithfully serving from the very beginning. I have learnt from him some crucial matters related to my service. I wish and pray for him and his wife that the Lord would grant them good health and long life to serve Him all the days of their lives unto the end. Though I did not have much to say, my mere presence was sufficient to let them know that I do care for them as fellow serving ones in the ministry of the word. He was so happy that I visited them and he requested that I visit often.

One night, I gave testimonies of the Lord's move in the North East part of India where they used to serve some thirty five years ago. My burden was to let them know that the Lord has been faithfully carrying out His move and that the ministry of the word plays a crucial role in gaining His remnants for His testimonies all over North East. I also updated them on what the Lord has been doing through the literature service in India. They were very encouraged by these testimonies. I was glad that I could visit them and do whatever the Lord burdened me to do, especially to testify of the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord. Another underlying burden in all my sharing was to minister life through giving testimonies.

They also took me to visit a city, Kottayam. On the way we enjoyed a sight seeing tour of "God's Own Country-Kerala." As we travelled for about two hours, I could fellowship with them about the Lord's move in other countries which I visited. I gave them testimonies of the Lord gaining a research scholar and how the saints poured out all their being for the Lord's testimony. Even when we arrived at our destination, the home of a wealthy sister, I had no intention to share anything specific, but as we fellowshipped I gave testimony of a wealthy brother through whom the Lord raised up a local church in my hometown. I also testified of how this brother loves the Lord and and how he became a blessing to the saints and to the church, both spiritually and physically. It so turned out that the testimony I just shared was what she actually need as the brother told me later on. I had no idea of who she was and why we met her, but the Lord has a definite plan in that visit.

The visit to Kochi office was a shepherding visit and I am glad that the Lord led me there. May the Lord continue to grace the serving ones there and bless His testimony in Kerala.