The Holy Bible: Thirty Secondth Time

It was on the 11th of August 2019, a few days ago, that the Lord enabled and graced me to read the Holy Bible through once again from Genesis to Revelation for the thirty-second time in my life, and for the first time for this year 2019. Generally, I would complete reading the text of the entire Bible at least once a year. This year, I have the burden to read through the text-only two times. This is not merely for the sake of number but it ha more to do with my heart's desire.

As much as I can, I want to soak myself in the word of God, read as many times as possible. For every time I come to the word, I have a deep sense of satisfaction within, an enjoyable supply of life. Often, I hear the Lord's speaking in one way or the other especially when I am going through a situation. Most of the time I hear the Lord's specific speaking when I am considering what do at try times. I don't know how many years the Lord will give me to live on this earth, but as long as He gives me breaths of life in my nostril, enables me to read and understand, I would love to keep reading His holy word. I find this is the only book that I can keep reading "n" number of times. Irrespective of my daily schedule, or how busy I may be, the word of God will always have a slot in my daily time table. Even if I really am too busy, still I use my toilet time to read the word. Of course, his is the last option. But the word of God always has the first place in my daily schedule, even as with prayer.

If the Lord so will, I long to be able to read the word of God as many times in corresponding to my physical age. At present, I am forty-one years in my natural man and twenty-two years in my Christian life, and I have read the Bible thirty-two times. My burden is that one day, I will be able to read the word of God that many times as of my physical age. In fact, I have the plan to achieve this, and I trust the Lord will grace me to accomplish it.

Year  Age  Times of Reading the Bible

2019  41    32-33

2020  42    34-35

2021  43    36-37

2022  44    38-39

2023  45    40-41

2024  46    42-43

2025  47    44-45

2026  48    46-47

2027  49    48-49

2028  50    50 reading the word of God will be the same with my age.  

If the Lord tarries in His coming back, and if He graces me to live, my heart's desire will be to accomplish the time table above and keep reading the word. As married couple vowed a marriage vow on the wedding day, "Until death do us part...," I too vow the same vow in my marriage with the Lord Jesus, "Until death do us part I shall be reading and enjoying the word of the Lord."

I praise and thank the Lord for my grandfather who instilled in me the habit of reading the Bible since I was thirteen years of age. Though I did not know what I read those days, one thing for sure is, the love of the word of God, the habit of reading the Bible, and the mysterious instinct to read the Bible has been inculcated in me. I impart the same burden to my children, my family members, the saints in the church where I am, and to all the believers I have met. So that the word of God may dwell in us richly. 

The word of God is the richest eternal inheritance inherited from God, my Father! 

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God.

Gospel Preaching: At a Family Function

Proclaim the word; be ready in season and out of season; convict, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and teaching. 2 Timothy 4:2

Last Lord's day evening as we attended a wedding ceremony of a brother and a sister, my attention was turned to the family members of the sister who were not saved yet; our sister's father and brother. Therefore, I approached them and sat with them for conversation.

Establishing friendship was the key to open the door for further sharing of the gospel. As we were having a friendly discussion on faith, life, job, and other things, I was so burdened to preach the gospel. With much exercise of my spirit, I began with who God is and what His plan is in creating man, then explained the fall of man and expounded Christ's redemption at the cross. As I observed them listening intently to all that I had to say, I felt deep within that the Lord had actually prepared them to receive Him. With their openness and receptive attitude, I was much emboldened and encouraged to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then I requested if they would want to pray with me to receive the Lord Jesus, to which they replied in the affirmative. When I was about to lead them to pray, the younger brother of our sister requested if he could make an audio recording of the prayer, to which I readily obliged. Then, I led them to pray to receive the Lord Jesus. O what a joy! 

Then, I just remembered that I had one copy of the New Testament in my bag. I offered to the son if he would accept this gift of mine, the word of God. He replied, "Why not?" Then, I gifted him the New Testament. In fact, I never thought that I would meet someone to preach the gospel to and gift a copy of the Bible. But thank God, I always had some gospel tracts and at least, a copy of the New Testament for whoever may need it. Praise the Lord!

The family became very friendly and invited me to visit them in their home in Jalandhar, Punjab. What a blessing that the gospel can be also preached at a family gathering! 

May the Lord save the entire family!

Gospel Preaching: At Home

Proclaim the word; be ready in season and out of season; convict, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and teaching. 2 Timothy 4:2

The gospel preaching in my country and the city I live in may begin to face opposition. yet, the gospel preaching can never be stopped by anyone nor by any forces on the earth. The gospel preaching cannot and will not be hindered in any way; as it is the work of God and no one can oppose God. 

Generally, we go for the gospel preaching on Saturdays as a church, but last Saturday I had to go with a group of saints to attend a home meeting in a new one's home. As we enjoyed the home meeting reading through some Bible verses, a lesson on Shepherding Material, and also fellowshipped on the point of truths, my attention turned to the son of the family who also joined the meeting. To all the other members of the family I had preached the gospel few months ago, led them to call on the Lord's name, and even led them to pray. Now, to this one, I felt the time was ripe to lead him to the Lord too.

In their home, as the other saints were fellowshipping with his father and mother, I spent personal time with him in the corner for the living room. As he narrated to me concerning his professional life, personal matter, and the struggle he has been facing in his marriage life, I felt it so timely to preach the gospel. I preached the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and led him to receive the lord as His God and personal Saviour. He was prepared by the Holy Spirit as an open vessel to receive the Lord Jesus into Him. In the Lord's sovereignty, I also brought a couple of New Testament along with me, which was an apt gift for him at that moment. With this first son of the family, the gospel has now been preached to the entire family, except his wife who I have not met yet. I felt very joyful, and he felt the same too. I simply trust in the word of God, that can give life and save sinners.

When the enemy tries to stop the gospel preaching at open places, the Lord leads us to families and homes, which is far more effective. Perhaps, He allows such opposition in public places to turn us to the homes, and begin home meetings right there. This is also very much in line with the burden in His move in India these days.

The prayer that we have been praying for household salvation is actually fulfilling right in front of our eyes. Praise the Lord!

May the Lord fully bring the entire family into His full salvation and gain the family for His testimony in Gurugram!

God's Love: Marriage Ceremony

A new family that has been contacted through door-knocking, and in whose home we have been enjoying a home meeting for months now, need special attention in regard to the marriage of the son. All that I know is that they got married legally at the court of law and the family wanted a special meeting of prayer and celebration. Through the shepherding of the church here in Gurugram, they have come into the church life and started attending the Lord's table meeting. 

Last Lord's day, a brother and I were invited to attend their family gathering hosted with the burden of the son and daughter-in-law's wedding ceremony. We fellowshipped, prayed, and felt good to attend and help them in whatever way we could as cherishing and nourishing to the entire family. 

As we arrived at the venue in Noida, we were welcomed by the family, and the father and aunty fellowshipped with me the tentative proceedings of the meeting. Since nothing was formally planned for the meeting, we worked it out in fellowship. The Lord led us, and the meeting was blessed with the word of God to the entire family.

Two main messages, though short, were released. One, related to what marriage is according to the Bible and its purpose. This was released by my brother. And I released my burden on God's love. 

The strongest and best relationship between husband and wife is that of love. But not merely human love, but God's divine love. No human life can love without the divine love within that human love. Human love has terms and conditions, and perhaps, warranty and guarantee. But all these will fail one day, if not for God's love covering the marriage. My burden was released in twofold. 

First, the husband and wife should love one another. But that love must be of God. They both should and must love God, and with the love of God, love one another. 

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her. 

Second, my burden was also for the family, the majority of whom are not yet regenerated by believing into the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, I began with the new commandment God gave to man to love one another.

John 13:34-35A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another. 

And I further expounded that God is love, and only with the love of God, we can love one another. Therefore, I preached the gospel of the love of God. "In this, the love of God was manifested among us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might have life and live through Him. Herein is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as a propitiation for our sins." I also encouraged the entire family to believe into the Lord Jesus if they have not yet. "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God."

With the word of God ministered, we prayed for the newly wedded couple and joined them in the feast that followed. The father and mother, and the husband and wife, were so thankful that at such a crucial phase of their life, the Lord introduced them to the church. We hope and pray that the Lord would continue to shepherd them and make them all pillars to bear the Lord's testimony in Gurugram.

May God bless the couple, and the family!

1 John 4:7-21Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God, and everyone who loves has been begotten of God and knows God. He who does not love has not known God, because God is love. In this the love of God was manifested among us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might have life and live through Him. Herein is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as a propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God has loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another. No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. In this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, that He has given to us of His Spirit. And we have beheld and testify that the Father has sent the Son as the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God. And we know and have believed the love which God has in us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God abides in him. In this has love been perfected with us, that we may have boldness in the day of the judgment because even as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear has punishment, and he who fears has not been perfected in love. We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that he who loves God love his brother also. 

The Most High is the Ruler

The whole country is now gripped by the revocation of Article 370 and 35A. All news and all heads now turn to Jammu and Kashmir(J&K). As a citizen of India, like it or not, I should be aware of what all these meant. In fact, a few days ago, there was news of scrapping this special status given to J&K. And it sent a warning to all settling there. The actual scrapping of this special status was done yesterday when the bill was introduced in the parliament and passed thereafter. Since then, all commotions, news, opinions, debates, on this sensitive issue engulfed the entire country. This is in the political atmosphere in the realm of the secular world, and in the country, I live in. I have no comment on neither the pros nor cons, but I do know and understand one thing: God is still on the throne.

When the news was spread and panic gripped the minds of the people there, the same message was sent to one of the WhatsApp group of which I am a member.  Though the message was posted with a burden for prayer, the tempo of the message showed signs of troubles lurking in and terror knocking at the door. immediately, I felt the need to counter such emotion with the word of God. I posted the following message:

The Most High is the Ruler 

Let us pray according to the word of God. God is in control, He rules. He knows best, and He will do what is best. Many things we don't know, much less, we understand; but one thing we do know and understand, God is still on the throne. 

No matter what, all that are happening and will be happening in our country is for the Lord to gain His divine purpose and accomplish His will on the earth, even in our country, and even through us, if we are one with Him.

Nothing to worry, nothing to panic. Let us pray for our brothers and sisters in J&K, and for His move and testimony there.

Jesus is Lord! Christ is Victor! Amen!

Daniel 4:17This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the decision is a command of the holy ones, to the intent that he living may know that the Most High is the Ruler over the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He wills and sets up over it the lowliest of men.

Daniel 4:25You shall be driven out from among mankind, and with the beasts of the field shall your dwelling place be; and you shall be made to eat grass as bulls do and shall be wet with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you come to know that the Most High is the Ruler over the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He wills.

Daniel 4:26And in that it was commanded that the stump of roots of the tree be left, your kingdom will be assured to you after you have come to know that the heavens do rule.

Daniel 4:32And from among mankind you shall be driven out, and with the beasts of the field shall your dwelling place be; you shall be made to eat grass as bulls do; and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you come to know that the Most High is the Ruler over the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He wills.

God has sovereignly made me a citizen of India. And I can only pray for the ruler of this country as the Bible instructed me to do so. My opinion does not really count. When God allows things to happen, He knows why. Time will tell, and I will know it in time. Whatever happens, He wants to fulfill His purpose on this earth. Its a wake-up call for all, to turn to the living God. 

May God gain India for His testimony! God bless India! 

Spiritual Lesson: Full-Timers Training

In the recent full-time serving ones training, the Lord's speaking was, "Being Governed by the Vision, Living Christ, and Being Trained to Take the New Way." These series of messages were apt to the core, meeting the timely need of the churches in India. It also touches me very much as this applies to me as a full-time serving one, and as also as serving one in a local church.

Few things that impressed me deeply are:

The Line of Life

The need to care for the testimony of life, not merely outward work or movement, and the care for the person who does the work rather than the way he carries out the work. In this regard, the experience of Christ as life is of utmost importance. The Lord's recovery is for the fulfillment of God's economy which is in life. All the persons involved and the works done or ways taken must be in the line of life. For this, there must be a rich experience of Christ; even all the serving ones and the saints must be filled with Christ as life. There must be the depth and riches in the experience of Christ. Without the experience of Christ, all our works and ways are empty and void. The Lord does not need another group of degraded Christians with human works which will not and cannot fulfill His heart's desire. 

The Vision and Nature of the Lord's Recovery 

Our vision is the building up of the Body of Christ to bring the Lord Jesus back, and the nature of the work we carry out must be golden as we bear the testimony of Jesus as the golden lampstand. Anything sort of this is not what the Lord wants.

The two main aspects of the Lord's recovery are its ground and its content, or reality. The ground of the Lord's recovery is the genuine oneness, and the content and reality is Christ as life. All the saints need to see that life is the unique way to build the church on the ground of genuine oneness; life is Christ Himself, who is the building material, and oneness is the ground.

Taking the New Way

Training is necessary for the taking of a new way so that we may have a thorough change in our way of meeting, service, work, gospel preaching, and proclamation of the truth. There is also a need to evaluate and improve the way we preach the gospel, conduct home meetings, group meetings, and district meetings. These things may not sound spiritual and it even looks like outward methods, but without the proper care for this new way, there is no way to advance, be skilfull, and be proficient. One very touching thing is the matter of maintaining proper and regular statistics of the church. Many times we made a vow to the Lord, even prayed with much burden, asking the Lord for the increase. But without proper planning, there is no way to fulfill the vow. Statistics is a good way to plan and achieve the vow that has been made.

Prayer, Spirit, Word, Home, and Living Witness

Above all, to experience all the above points there must be a lot of prayers; our prayer life must be strengthened. There must be the inward filling and outward filling of the Spirit in all our services, and there must be the bold proclamation of the word of God. The practice of the church life must be from house to house, and we all should be living witnesse of the  Lord in His move.

And when they had so besought, the place in which they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:31

These are the main spiritual lessons learned in recent training. May the Lord grace all the serving ones, and me, to learn this lesson personally and bring it to the benefit of the saints in my locality.

Spiritual Lesson: North East

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18

The North-Eastern(NE) part of India is my native place. Since the Lord's recovery came to NE India, though my service is in the literature service and I am serving in the Northern part of India, I still do have a burden for the Lord's move there in the NE. Though I hardly participate in the practical fellowship in that part of the Lord's move, my prayer and burden have always been there. At least I am doing my bit, in praying for the churches and the Lord's move in the NE, in my personal prayer life and in my family prayer.

This time, a brother who serves in the overseeing of the Lord's move came to fellowship with me concerning some situations of certain brothers who serve there in the NE. I look ed to the Lord to consider the matter the brother had fellowshipped. Though I did not get involved directly in the Lord's work there, I amened whatever he had fellowshipped.

Another brother who has been serving full time there also requested for a personal time of fellowship. He openly poured out what has been his concern regarding the situation of the churches in the NE. He knows many of the detail as he has been serving there. His fellowship was to consider to fellowship with certain brothers and that certain misunderstandings be sorted out. Besides, he also fellowshipped on his personal matters. The same brother came for another time of fellowship a few days later, with many burdens. Though I also fellowshipped some of my feelings, I knew the best way is to bring all the matters to the incense altar, to the Lord in intercessory prayer.

  

A leading brother from the NE also came to stay with me for two nights after the full-timers training. He requested for a time of fellowship concerning what has been going on there. He also fellowshipped the same matter that has been a concern for the brothers there in the NE. Though I also offered some fellowship based on what I have been made aware of, I told the brother, we must pray for His testimony and move in the NE. So we prayed together. The following early morning when I went to drop him to the Airport, all the way as I drove, we prayed and prayed for the Lord's glorious testimony in the NE.

What all have been fellowshipped to me by the brothers is a reminder of what the Lord prophesied in Matthew 16. There is a revelation of the building up of the church, and there is also a revelation of what Satan tries to destroy the building of the church. To the brothers, I fellowshipped that the Lord is wanting to bless His move and testimony in the NE, therefore, the enemy hates it to the uttermost. The enemy has been subtly trying to bring in discord and confusion among the brothers and he has been attempting to destroy the Lord's testimony. He is trying to sneak into the coordination among the churches and the brothers. This is what I understood clearly from all the fellowship I received from the brothers, and I conveyed the same to them. 

Therefore, I fellowshipped with the brothers that we should not allow the enemy to do what he intended to do; we must stand up against the enemy, stop his work, and regain the lost ground. I even suggested if the brothers could come together; pray together and fellowship together, and even serve together. All misunderstanding must be wiped away through mutual fellowship. Where there is a need for confession and forgiveness there must be confession and forgiveness. Offenses should not be allowed to mar the fellowship of the brothers in any way. 

Though this is the recent development I received from the brothers, I am not discouraged. Rather, I am very much encouraged. Because the kingdom of Satan has been shaken, he is trembling, and he is doing his bit to frustrate the Lord's move. Praise the Lord!

One thing is sure, "the gates of Hades cannot prevail against the built-up church!" I am looking got the Lord in intercessory prayer for His testimony all over the NE. As the Lord leads I would bring the matter in fellowship with all the brothers concerned and follow the Lord's leading. I could already see in faith, golden lampstand brightly shining all over the NE!

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18

Lord, bless Your move in the NE! Christ is Victor! Jesus is Lord in the NE!