Shepherding in Guwahati

After the distribution of the ministry of the word in Guwahati, I decided in fellowship with the brothers and also my wife to stay back for a few days to participate in the shepherding work of the new believers. The day the distribution was done and I arrived in the city, protest erupted due to the central government's proposal to amend the citizenship law of the country, Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB). Amidst the violent protest by the people, the city was shut down with curfew imposed to avoid violence. Nevertheless, the protest was all around.  Through we exercised caution not to go out during the day, in the evening, we still went out every day, walking past by the protestors who were burning materials to highlight their protests on the main road. In spite of the tense political atmosphere, the Lord shepherded us to shepherd the new ones in their homes.

Every afternoon and evening, as long as I was there, I could go to visit the saints and shepherded them. I enjoyed a wonderful time of shepherding with a brother and a sister who serves there as well. I could see great hope in the city as the Lord has imparted His divine life into at least thirteen families to my count. Perhaps, there were more. During my few days of stay there, I was aware of these thirteen solid seeking families. They are good enough seeds for the strong testimony of the Lord in Guwahati. 

At the moment, the church in Guwahati is going through a lot of situations. I judged them as the enemy's attacks. Since the very beginning, families after families who came to serve here had to face major problems. Mostly the health of the serving ones' families was under attack. The latest ones being a brother and a family who had been serving there for quite some time and the situation seems quite stable. Suddenly we realized that they were severely attacked in their health. One brother had such a serious skin disease that he could not even come out of his bedroom; he had to take bed rest the whole day. That went on and on for months when he finally decided to move out of the city for proper medical treatment. Another brother and his wife were also severely attacked. He and his wife were diagnosed with a severe illness which prompted them to go to Chennai for medical treatment. In this way, the key serving ones were driven out one by one. 

Now, a single brother who has been so much burdened by the Lord is serving there alone. Another single sister whom the Lord burdened came to take care of the new ones for eight months. Her burden is to strengthen and establish the local sisters within eight months and leave for the next destination wherever the Lord would lead her. Another brother who used to serve in the city a decade ago is now freshly burdened to come to this city with his family for at least a year. Now the situation is such that, those who were assigned to serve came and could not continue, but those who received the burden directly from the Lord are volunteering themselves to come and serve in this city.

On the one hand, it is the enemy's attack, yet, on the other hand, it is the Lord's purifying work. Serving the Lord should and must be according to the vision and revelation received from the Lord. And it must be out of burden from the Lord and received by the serving ones directly. With this new arrangmenet, I have great hope that the Lord will continue to strengthen His testimony here in Guwahati.

This city is the gateway to North-East India. It is a crucial city for the Lord's move all over the North East. It is also strategically located to commute to all the other states in the North East.

Lord, bless Your testimony in  Guwahati.

Udalguri: A Blessed Bonus

Udalguri was the first time I ever heard of from two sisters who were visiting their childhood place in Bhutan lodged for the night not far away from Bhutan border. The Lord gave them the discernment and the burden that this city should receive the ministry books. The two sisters reported to me about their visit and strongly suggested that I visit this town and meet the key Christian leader there as there are many Bodo Christians who may need the ministry books. I reckoned the sisters' fellowship as the Lord's speaking and requested them to make necessary arrangements for the literature distribution. In fact, after prayer and fellowship, a schedule to visit the town was made. But due to the fellowship of another brother the plan was rescheduled, considering the time and means to reach this town. The Lord moved through the members of the Body and led us to visit the town.

Though we planned to meet on 9th Dec Monday, we had to prepone the visit to the town on 4th December, Wednesday. The Lord knew why it had to be that day, Wednesday, and not as per our plan on 9th Monday. 

As we visited the town, the key Christian leaders of the Bodo Baptist Church welcomed us. They themselves testified that our visit was very timely on Wednesday as they all could come together only on Wednesdays as they were busy all the other days. Only on Wednesdays, they could spend enough time to fellowship with us, otherwise, it would just be a quicky meeting with just one or two brothers on the other days. The Lord timed everything!

After much warm welcome, we introduce the ministry books one by one. I felt such an anointing within me that I simply let the word of Christ flowed out from within my spirit, using the ministry books. They all were so impressed and enjoyed the ministering of the high peak truths. I personally could only testify that it was not me who spoke; it was indeed the Lord. The ministry of the word flowed forth like rivers of living water with the ministry books as the course for the flow.  On the one hand,  it was an introduction and distribution of the ministry books, yet on the other hand, it was a propagation of the ministry truths. 

The result of this meeting was the open door for the ministry of the word to reach some 120,000 Bodo brothers and sisters. The key brothers placed an order for the entire set of books by Watchman Nee and Witness Lee in addition to the free Rhema booklets that received.

After such a wonderful time together with the brothers, we also prayed together and ate lunch together. They volunteered to drop us to a nearby town of over an hour's journey from where we could catch a bus to Guwahati, our next destination. Without that care, it would not have been easy for us to go to our next destination. The timing, the day, and the place for this meeting was all sovereignly arranged by the Lord.

Lord, bless Your move among our Bodo brothers and sisters! Bless the ministry books to supply them with healthy spiritual food. One day, the seeds sown as the ministry of the word will bear abundant and remaining fruits unto the raising up of His testimony among all the Bodo speaking localities. 

This was a blessed bonus in our ministry literature journey; 

Not planned, yet well planned.

Not expected, yet well accepted.

Tezpur: A Call from a Brother

A brother who invited me to speak the word of God in his wedding meeting a few years ago has now been blessed with a baby girl. His sister is serving as a medical nurse in one of the hospitals in Tezpur. This, therefore, became a base for him to serve the Lord in this city and now he has the burden to raise up the Lord's testimony by 2020. At his invitation, we came to this city for the ministry of the word literature distribution.

One of the significant things was the Lord's leading us in meeting many seeking medical doctors and medical students. While we were fellowshipping with two medical students in a cafe, another medical doctor overheard our ministering and joined us in. After flowing out the words of life to these hungry souls, my heart was deeply for the follow-up shepherding. I encouraged our local brother to pick up the burden to shepherd these seekers. Thereby, we established a weekly home meeting in the campus every Lord's day afternoon. This was very unexpected and unprecedented. It even came as a surprise to our brother. Nevertheless, it was the Lord's doing for His testimony.

Besides, one pastor opened up his situation and his longing for the oneness among the believers in the city. Though he has established his own Christian group, he was going through turmoils within his own group. Divisions after divisions were the history and story of Christianity. His reading of the ministry books gave an inkling about what the Bible says about the church and the standing of the local church on the ground of oneness. He also expressed his burden to study and pursue the ministry books and perhaps, meet with our brother. As a response to his opening, we ministered the truth concerning Christ and the church. I personally hope that he will sincerely and seriously study the word of God and pray that the Lord would lead him and recover him for the Lord's testimony in Tezpur.

Lord, bless your move in Texpur and raise up Your testimony by 2020!

Itanagar: Preparing the Vessels

A brother and his wife who both are professors in a reputed engineering institute in Itanagar gave us enjoyable hospitality during our distribution trip to the city. This brother and I had been to the same full-time training together some sixteen years ago. We both came from the same evangelical background from which the Lord graced us to move forward further for His testimony. We both were called to serve full-time and even consecrated our lives to serve the Lord. Yes, we are still serving the Lord full-time now, as He graces us one, we will do so until His return or until we fall asleep. But the way He carved our paths is different. He led me to serve in a full-time way in the publication work and him as a full-time professor in an institute. But we both are serving the Lord through our respective fields.

Besides enjoying fellowshipping with his family, the Lord opened the door to fellowship with their relatives at different times.

Doctors and Professors  

One evening, we visited their sister to get to know her as it was my first time to meet her. I was informed that she was not open to the ministry at all and even she strongly opposed the brother and sister standing for the Lord's testimony. It was a second "knocking" to see if we could at least fellowship. Initially, she really was not interested to fellowship with us. But as I began to converse with her, I discovered that she had been a class-mate during her medical studies of one of my best school friends. Using that connection, I interacted with her and she became more open. She asked a question on the "Tabernacle" in relation to today's "churches." That gave me the ground to minister the word a length.

Using the Bible references to "tabernacle", I began from God's plan in Genesis 1:26, tracing the history of Israel all the way from Egypt to Canaan, with emphasis on the tabernacle, temple, the Lord Jesus Christ, the believers as the church, the dwelling place of God in spirit. This was to clarify the truth concerning Christ and the church, the Body of Christ. I also recommended two books for her to study, The Normal Christian Church Life, and The Orthodoxy of the Church, both by Watchman Nee and gifted a copy of the latter.

On another night, we visited the same house again and met the husband of the sister. Though he professed to be a believer, the fact was, he became a "baptized believer" to get married to the sister who was a Christian. His faith was shaky and he himself doubted his own salvation. Moreover, he was not serious about his faith either as he has been waiting for the time when he will have the inward urge to really devote himself to God. 

I took his stance as an opportunity to share the gospel by using my own testimony of how I encountered the living God at the age of nineteen while at college. I also expounded the truth concerning salvation using John 3, the life of Nicodemus and emphasized on the need to be born of God in the spirit. Later, another brother continued the sharing by showing him the way to experience the living God by calling upon the name of Jesus using the Bible verse from Romans 10: 8-13.

The couple is doctors and now medical professors as well. To me, the two would be gained by the Lord for His testimony as I view them in faith.

Father and Mother

Though we had no intention to meet the father and mother of our host, we still got to meet them as we drove near their house in a bid to avoid the city traffic while on our way to distribution. With much joy, they welcomed us as the friends of their eldest son. We encouraged them to love the Lord and opened their home for Bible studies and prayer meetings once the construction is over. I believe that the parents' home is prepared by the Lord for His testimony.

Ministry Station and Truth Book Room

Our brother also showed us the plan he has for constructing a library and book room for many seekers to come and receive healthy spiritual food. This he did out of his burden, he designed and built it with his own expenses, all for the Lord's testimony. 

Overall, what I could see clearly is the preparatory works for the Lord's testimony in Arunachal Pradesh. The Lord is preparing and perfecting His building materials, both organic and physical, for His strong testimony. The state, though it has been witnessing thousands of indigenous people turning to Christ, they were mostly influenced by the pentecostal movement of signs and wonders. There is a great need for the supply of the healthy word of God. Only the ministry of the word in the Lord's recovery can meet the need. For this, the Lord has been preparing our brother and sister; saving them, giving them good families, jobs, properties, all for the Lord's testimony. Now, our burden is that the Lord will raise up His lampstand by 2020.

Lord, bless Your move in Arunachal Pradesh, and establish Your testimony in Itanagar! 

Comforting One Another

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14But we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who are sleeping, that you would not grieve even as also the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so also those who have fallen asleep through Jesus, God will bring with Him. 

1 Thessalonians 4:18Therefore comfort one another with these words.

The father of a family who has been in contact for a decade had a kidney failure two weeks ago and later succumbed to his bodily weakness. I was traveling for the ministry literature distribution then. Only after I was back to Gurgaon I could visit the family. In fact, today we visited the family still in grief of the lost of their father.

Though we were ready to handle the burial and funeral service of the brother even when I travelled as I was about to I form the brothers for the same. Yet we were not fully given the ground to do so. This family being from a Hindu Brahmin background, they had to go along with the rituals after the death of their father, perhaps, due to family pressure. We had no say in the matter whatsoever. Neither were we consulted nor were we given any ground. Neither was the family regular for any church meeting or did they give us regular time to visit them. It was all left to their discretion and decision.

Nevertheless, as Christian brothers we visited them today and comforted them with the comfort of God. The Bible verses quoted above were read together and we enjoyed a sweet time of fellowship together. Though the pain of losing one's dear ones still gripped the entire family, we comforted them with the word of God and prayed for them.

Besides, we also encouraged them to pay heed to themselves who are still alive and that they need not worry about the one who was already gone. As the living ones, we must love the Lord and pursue the Lord, awaiting His return with the hope of being caught alive as Paul exhorted the Thessalonians.

We also gave them the opportunity to have a regular meeting at their house at their own will and time. Every believer is precious in the Lord’s eyes and we will shepherd the family as long as they are open to the Lord's shepherding.

Perhaps, this is the new beginning in their Christian life for the church life. Though they promised to open their home and start coming for the meeting, we look to the Lord for His shepherding. We trust the Lord will shepherd them to be established in the Christian faith and in the present truth to bear the Lord's testimony together as the church here in Gurugram. 

Lord, gain the whole family fully, reconstitute them for Your testimony. 

Shepherding in Shillong: Household Salvation

Acts 16:31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.

A few years ago when I visited the church in Shillong, groups of saints in batches came for fellowship. One of the groups, in fact, the first group who came comprised of mostly sisters from the economically lower section of the society and most of them from Gentile backgrounds. 

Our fellowship began with the question, "How many of your family members are not yet saved?" I vividly remember a sister who raised her hand and said she was the only one in her family who was saved. Then, the Lord burdened me to fellowship on claiming the promise of God in Acts 16:31 for household salvation. I fellowshipped with the saints that they pray earnestly for their unsaved family members and claim the promise of God. I gave my own testimony of how the Lord burdened me to pray for my own family salvation when I first got save in 1997, December 31st night. Gradually, the Lord answered my prayer and saved all my family members one by one, the last one being my father, after thirteen years of prayer.

I also encouraged the saints to exercise their faith and pray until the Lord fully answered all their prayer, especially in their household salvation. The size of the household depends on the faith they have in the Lord. If their faith is their close blood relatives, that's their household. If their faith is stronger, the household could be all their relatives, near and far. Even stronger would be, the entire, clan, tribe, village, town, district, state, and even country. But I encouraged them to go according to the faith apportioned to them by the Lord, and not beyond. But faithfully pray, and pray, and pray.

This time when the Lord led me to visit Shillong again, in one fo the home metings, a sister, by name Lakshmi, testified to me her wonderful experiences of the fellowship I gave a few years ago.

She said, "Brother when you came last time you encouraged us to pray for our family members who are not yet saved. Since then, I started praying for all my family members. The Lord answered my prayer, and now all my family members are saved! Here is one of my sisters who got saved and baptized." As she spoke she pointed to the sister who was saved and was present in the home meeting that night.  Then I told her, "Sister, I only ministered what the Bible says. You believed in the word of God, prayed over the word with faith. Therefore, the Lord honored His word and your faith in His word. And the Lord saved your family. Glory be to Him!" I was overjoyed to hear such a testimony! Praise the Lord! 

She further said, "Brother, you told us to read the Bible every day and even eat the word. You told us to pray-read the word of God. I did not understand and I did not know how to pray-read. I tried and tired and tired. Finally, I touched the spirit in the word. And now, I am enjoying the word of God by reading it." I simply replied, "Praise the Lord! This is what the ministry taught us, the way to enjoy the word."

When I spoke those words a few years ago, I did not prepare to speak them. As we fellowshipped, the words just came out. I simply followed the Lord's anointing within me and ministered the word of life as the Spirit led so. Now, I could see the result of faithfully ministering the word, most of the time, not knowing why. It was all the instant speaking of the Lord through His word.

May the Lord bless this sister and her testimony for many more household salvation!

Shepherding in Shillong: A Seeking Sister Student

We were at a school cafe in Nongstoin introducing the ministry books to a Pastor who serves there. It was about lunchtime when students came and ate their lunch at the same cafe we were in. As we were introducing the ministry books, a seeking sister student overheard our words. After she ate her lunch, she came and inquired if we were Christians. We replied with joy in the affirmative and introduced the ministry books to her as well. To our surprise, her countenance was such of a very hungry seeking sister, waiting to devour spiritual food we were to serve. Her very visage captured my attention.

I wasted no time but introduced the New Testament Recovery Version, explaining to her how good the translation and footnotes are. Her innate response was, "Sir, I want this Bible. How much does it cost?" I was so joyful to hear that and wanted to gift her as a gift. But she insisted that she would pay for it and that she had only Rs.200 though the Bible cost Rs.500. She then went to get the money she had and paid for the Bible. I also gifted her, Shepherding Materials, in addition to the free Rhema books she received.

Later, she testified that that day she was about to take leave from school. But something within her being drew her to come to school that day. Though she didn't know the reason then, after we met, she realized that it was for this purpose. Besides, she is also a key member of the student's fellowship. Though we could not meet the student Christian group, she became a channel to pass on the free books to all the students.

She testified to us that she lost her father at a young age and her mother is jobless too, now taking care of the household needs. Her uncle is the one supporting her education with a couple of her siblings. Even with such an economical background, she insisted on paying for the Bible even when I offer to gift her was such a testimony. In addition, after she received all the books, mostly for free, she felt she should pay for it if she could. I interrupted her and asked her what she would like to become in life. She replied, "A medical doctor." Then, I replied back, "When God bless you to become a famous medical doctor, you can support the literature ministry. As for now, enjoy the ministry books."

In fact, we had no plan to visit Nongstoin. We came here because of the proposal of our local brothers. We were open to the Lord's leading through the members of the Body. We simply obeyed the Lord's leading. And this was just one of the results of following the Lord's leading step by step.

Besides this sister, there was also another seeking brother who placed an order for the entire set of books in English. It was to feed the Lord's chosen ones in Nongstoin that the Lord took us all the way, about three hours' drive from Shillong, through beautiful landscapes and hours of breath of free fresh air.

Lord, bless Your seekers in Nongstoin and raise up Your testimony!