Turth Lesson: The Cross and Prayer

In the church's truth pursuing every day online on prayer, "Lessons on Prayer" by Witness Lee, my understanding of prayer has been greatly revolutionized. With appropriate scripture verses, many deeper truths on prayer have been unveiled. One such truth is the cross and prayer. 

Leviticus 16:18-19 says, “Then he shall go out to the altar that is before Jehovah and make expiation for it, and he shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on and around the horns of the altar. And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times; thus he will cleanse it and sanctify it from the uncleannesses of the children of Israel.”

Leviticus 16:12-13 says, “He shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before Jehovah, with his hands full of finely ground fragrant incense, and bring it inside the veil. And he shall put the incense upon the fire before Jehovah, that the cloud of the incense may cover the expiation cover that is over the Testimony, so that he does not die.”

Exodus 30:9-10 says, “You shall not offer any strange incense on it, or a burnt offering or a meal offering; and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. And Aaron shall make expiation on its horns once a year; with the blood of the sin offering of expiation once a year he shall make expiation for it throughout your generations. It is most holy to Jehovah.”

These Bible verses explain the relationship between the offering altar at the outer court and the incense altar at the holy place, expounding the relationship between the cross and prayer. 

To offer a prayer that is acceptable to God, one must pass through the offering altar at the outer court where there is the killing and the shedding of blood. This signifies the redemption by the blood accomplished through the cross. There is also the fire that burns the sacrifices and consumed them turning it to ashes, signifying the termination by the fire through the cross. Without these two experiences there is no way to genuinely experience the prayer signified by the incenses altar.  This picture in the Bible reveals the practical way to experience genuine prayer life. This was further backed by the example of Daniel in the way he prayed in Daniel 9. He first experienced the cross, confessing his sins and the sins of his people and offered a prayer that ascended to the heavens.

Daniel 9:4 And I prayed to Jehovah my God and confessed; and I said, Ah, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and lovingkindness with those who love Him and keep His commandments, 9:5 We have sinned and have committed iniquity, and we have acted wickedly and rebelled, to the point of even turning away from Your commandments and from Your judgments.  9:17 And now hear, O our God, the prayer of Your servant and his supplications, and cause Your face to shine upon Your sanctuary that has been desolated, for the Lord’s sake.  9:19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! Do not delay, for Your own sake, O my God; for Your city and Your people are called by Your own name.

My prayer life has a significant turn in its content and quality. I am glad the Lord led me to stabilize the timing of my prayer life, and then he led me further to strengthen and uplift the quality of my prayer. Henceforth, I may not pray vain prayers but pray a prayer of the incense altar upon which Christ can add Himself as incense offered to the throne of God for God to immediately answer. 

Revelation 8:3-5 says, “Another Angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer, and much incense was given to Him to offer with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne...And the Angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar and cast it to the earth; and there were thunders and voices and lightnings and an earthquake.” 

No wonder, many prayers have never been answered as they were not prayers according to God that passes through the cross first. For this kind of prayer, I need the Lord to grace me daily to experience the cross. In fact, my prayer life now has been, first, the application of the cross. Confession and cleansing by the blood of Jesus have been a starter to my prayer now. This exercise led me deeper into the experience of the Lord where I could discern what the Lord wanted me to pray at that point in time. Then, I followed the burden within and released my prayer. I believe such prayer is the prayer the Lord wants, and it will always be answered. 

I shared this truth with the saints and also to a brother particularly. Now, I am practicing this truth that the Lord taught me afresh: The cross and the prayer. 

Gospel Meeting

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

Covid-19 has taught us a good number of lessons as the church. One of them is, the online gospel meeting. In fact, we have been struggling in the past to conduct a gospel meeting regularly. We hardly had a few gospel meetings during the intensified propagation. But this time, when there seemed to be no way to carry out the gospel meeting as we used to conduct before, the Lord opens a new and living way-online gospel meeting. This is not our invention, but we learned from the brothers in the church in New Delhi. 

Initially, we had no clue as to how to conduct such a gospel meeting. Gradually, through fellowship the Lord shows us step by step how to preach gospel online. This brought in the participation of all the saints in the church. It has so far been a coordinated move of the church in oneness and one accord, and this will ever be.

First, the release of the burden to the saints to go through all their phone contacts. Then to contact their contacts with the "Howdy" messages followed by inspiration quotes based on the Bible, then an invitation for a weekly gospel meeting, and finally the continual follow-up shepherding.

Now, the saints are prepared each week for hymn singing, testimonies, gospel message, and follow-up. So far, we have had five gospel meetings week by week online. I personally have learned many new things both on the practical side of conducting an online gospel meeting and also hosting it with all technical control, and the spiritual side of prayer, preparation, and coordination. 

A good number of new ones have attended the gospel meetings; some regulars, some occasional. I believe the Lord has spoken to them and touched them. I also believe the word sown into their hearts will not go in vain. Sooner or later, the fruits of the sowing will be gloriously reaped at the appropriate harvest time. The Lord knows when, and He knows best. Praise the Lord, the gospel has been preached! This is the season for the gospel.

May the Lord continue to grace and bless the church to faithfully and fruitfully carry our the great commission! 

Matthew 28:19  Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
28:20  Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you all the days until the consummation of the age.

The Word and Prayer

Deuteronomy 17:18  And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write out for himself a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the Levitical priests. 17:19  And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, in order that he may learn to fear Jehovah his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes and doing them

God in His wisdom and sovereignty charged the anointed king who was to sit on the throne to write out for himself a copy of the word of God which he should keep it, and read it all the days of his life, was quite a revelation to me. I know that the law was to be observed by the kings, priests, and prophets, but writing it down and keeping it and reading it all the days of his life is quite a revelation. This was how God ruled through his appointed kings in the Old Testament. And that was how He carried out theocracy among His people.

The same principle applies to the New Testament believers who are kings, priests, and prophets. I was deeply touched to see this reading of the word of God in a new light. Though I have been reading the word of God daily, this revelation enlightened me much more to keep up my daily reading of the word. 

Besides, the reason for reading the word impressed me much more, in order that he may learn to fear Jehovah his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes and doing them. The way to fear the Lord is to keep His words, which is to obey and do what the word says.  In this way, God can rule among His people in the church through the brothers in the way of theocracy. May the Lord grace me and my fellow believers to be men of the word of God.

In addition to the word, the Lord also freshly spoke to me concerning prayer. In fact, the Lord led me to take a stronger step in my prayer life. With the burden released through the brothers' fellowship, as a church we brought all the saints online for pursuing the truth concerning prayer, Lessons on Prayer with a time of corporate prayer. I have been the beneficiary of all these fellowships and practical arrangements. The Lord has been gracing me to participate and enjoy the church life in all these ways. 

In my personal life too, the Lord freshly touched me to spend at least an hour a day for an intimate, private time of fellowship with him. Though I have been praying according to my own way, this time, in a more specific and regulated way, as far as specific set time is concerned for prayer. I have been freshly revived in my prayer life. What grace!

Not to boast but declaring the fact, the Lord has been gracing me to spend personally an average of two hours for personal Bible reading and prayer daily. This reminds me of my college days when the Lord had been gracing me to spend at least two hours each day, throughout my college life. Exam or no exam, prayer time was prayer time. That was my secret to success. Now, I am glad that the glorious past has been recovered back. In addition, the corporate pursuing and prayer in the literature service, the corporate pursuing and prayer of the church, and the corporate pursuing and prayer in the group meetings have added to my life in addition to my personal time with the Lord. What blessing!

This lockdown due to the global pandemic seemed to be a blessing in disguise for me. Daily the Lord grace me to spend on the average of six hours in the word and prayer. I have been locked down to spend time with the Lord in the word and prayer. Praise the Lord!

Shepherding Lesson: Church WhatsApp Group

Ten years have elapsed since I have been in touch with and are shepherding a couple of families in the city of Gurugram. With much hope and good faith, I have been shepherding these families at my own expense of time, money, and energy. However, even after over ten long years, they don't seem to be inclined towards the church life. Yes, I am aware that I should simply shepherd the believers without any expectation of bringing them into the church life, but at the same time, I also need some tangible result in the shepherding I have been carrying out. What parents would not care for their children's future after parenting them for years? Like it or not, there has always been a hope and expectation from someone whom you pour out your time and energy to shepherd. I am just being frank and open.

On the contrary, some of these ones whom I have shepherding with much hope and included them into the Church's WhatsApp group has of late started posting things not in line with the healthy practice of the church life. While seeing those messages my heart ached. Not merely for what they posted, but mostly because my shepherding did not seem to have much effect in their living and constitution. That was indeed very painful. I squarely put the blame on myself.

Besides, the brothers I am coordinating with have expressed their feelings that those who are not regular in the church life need not be in the church's Whatsapp group. Since the group is to communicate important matters related to the practical church life, it may not be relevant for those who are not regularly meeting with the church to continue to be in the group. Therefore, a decision was made to close the group and create a new Church group with all the regular saints as members. Even for this, I prayed much for those who are not regular in church life. I seriously do not want to lose them, but I still pray that the Lord would one day recover them to enjoy the Lord and the church life. Therefore, a notice was sent out.

THANKSGIVING AND NOTICE FOR CLOSURE OF THE CHURCH IN GURUGRAM WHATSAPP GROUP

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Thank you for being with the Church in Gurugram WhatsApp group all this while.

Gurugram being a city with flowing crowd where some of you were meeting or fellowshipping with the church at one point in time, and now, due to shifting out of the city or for other reasons best known to each one, are not now meeting regularly in the practical church life in Gurugram.

To serve the rightful purpose of the group, we don't want to bother anyone who are not regularly meeting with the church with messages meant for those who are regularly meeting with the church. Therefore, we feel good to close this existing group and create a new one for all those who regularly meet.

Nevertheless, we will still send important messages and updates that may be deemed useful to all. 

Date of Closure: 7 May 2020

Thank you, brothers and sisters!

Then, the old church Whatsapp group was closed on the set date, and a new one was created right away with all the regular saints as members. Even after this, the Lord still burdened me to continue to shepherd those who are left out. So I included them in a broadcast list. As I continued to pray for these ones the Lord comforted me with the word that my labor upon them will not be in vain. In fact, He promised that these ones would also be awakened and they would all come back for fellowship one day. In fact, that happened after a week of closure. Some of them have come into closer contact and fellowship again. I believe more would come. Now the number of saints in the new group and the number of saints in the broadcast shepherding group is tallying, with the latter more.

May the Lord gain all the saints and gather them for His testimony. 

Pandemic: Life Lessons

The global pandemic has created an unprecedented economic crisis globally. It affects the people in India including the saints. Indirectly, it also affected my official responsibility. During this crisis, many companies and businesses were deeply affected. Many have not been paid for two months as there were no business activities. Many lost jobs or salaries cut drastically. In this critical time, how do I carry out my official responsibility?

I brought my official decision making before the Lord in prayer. The more I prayed about how I should go about, the Lord reminded me that none of the serving one's support should be reduced. Though some could not serve due to lockdown, as much as the Lord provided, the serving ones should all be taken care in time and without any reduction of support even if we could not make good sales due to the pandemic and even if some servings ones could not serve due to the same reason. 

In fact, I and the coordinating brothers had planned to support the saints with increment. I deeply felt that the increment be withheld for now, but all should be supported without any delay or deduction. In making this decision I fellowshipped with the brothers I am coordinating with, presenting them the reasons for this decision. The decision actually was the feeling the Lord gave me when I took the matter to prayer. All the brothers had no objection to it.

Personally, I was considering and praying about three serving ones as I felt their support needed to be adjusted as they could not serve nor do any productive work during the past two months. I had some good reasons to justify my thought. But as I prayed over it, the Lord confirmed to me that I need not cut their support at all. Instead, I should shepherd them during this critical time by still supporting them fully. Therefore, I obeyed the Lord's speaking within.

In a similar manner, the supply of the ministry books to all the churches in India in the form of an electronic file due to lockdown has been brought to my notice which I took to the Lord in prayer. The Lord gave me a clear direction in balancing the timely supply of spiritual food to all the saints and doing the same in a timely and proper way. Prayer and fellowship were going on with the concerned brothers. It was a wonderful experience of coordination, blending, and building among the brothers, and also looking to the Lord for His leading during these dark hours. 

This pandemic though it is a pandemic, has taught me many spiritual lessons, especially for my official service. I may not be wrong if I reckon this pandemic as a blessing in disguise.

Praise the Lord for the lesson learned in times of pandemic!

God's Provision

The Lord is faithful in meeting all my needs. It has been seventeen years since the Lord called me to serve Him full-time. Since then, He has been gracing me to never look back. Come what may, He has been leading me through thick and thin, and faithfully and bountifully has been supplying me with all my needs. These needs are not just physical, they are spiritual, psychological, and in fact, all-inclusive. 

There are numerous accounts in which the Lord had been leading me, on and on. To be more specific, He even led me to meet my practical and physical needs. Last month April and this month May are the months where I have to spend a lot on my three children's education. The monthly fees itself for one is already high, and now I have to bear for three. And at the beginning of a new academic year, annual fees have to be paid, which is even higher. When the time for paying the fee came, this time due to the global pandemic, a huge chunk of the annual developmental fee was withheld. With the support and the offering the Lord provided, I could manage with the children fee without any lack. The Lord knew best how to limit the needed expense and also to provide all my needs.

Besides, I had been using a phone for over three years which needed an urgent replacement. But I tried to repair and use it as long as I could. But a week ago the phone was giving trouble due to the battery and other issues. Even the software used had become obsolete and the company had dumped this model for newer models. I had been contemplating buying a new phone and did some online research. But when my old phone broke down I had no choice but to buy a new phone. The Lord knew well that I needed to buy a new phone. Exactly on the same day the phone broke and I decided to buy a new phone I received an offering that was sufficient to buy a new phone. In fact, I was waiting for the release of a new model, but that day, I felt deep within that I simply had to buy whatever was available. 

After fifty days of lockdown due to pandemic, a mobile shop was just reopened, and the phone that would meet my need within my budget was found. Without any hesitation I bought it. The phone then became very useful for my online meetings and other shepherding related activities.  

This kind of provision from the Lord is not new to me. But this experience was truly worth mentioning because the background and the way in which the Lord provided was too spectacular not to record it.

Praise the Lord for His provision!

In fact, last Lord's day during the young people meeting, I shared this experience to encourage them in their trusting in the Lord and showing them by example how to live by faith.

Praise the Lord for His provision!

Intercessory Prayer

Today morning we, the brothers in India, had a time of fellowship with Br. Minoru Chen. The Lord spoke His timely words to all of us at this time on the need and urgency for a special kind of prayer, intercessory prayer. This is not merely a message to listen and give, but a living to live out. We, brothers, must all take the lead to live an intercessory prayer life and lead all the saints to live such a life. 

The fellowship was based on the life of Moses, a companion of God, and how he interceded for his people.

Exodus 32:11  And Moses entreated Jehovah his God and said, Jehovah, why does Your anger burn against Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?32:12  Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, With evil intent He brought them out, to slay them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from Your burning anger, and repent of this ill against Your people.32:13  Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Yourself and said to them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of I will give to your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.32:14  Thus Jehovah repented of the evil which He said He would do to His people.

Moses entreated Jehovah his God

How could Moses entreat Jehovah? Prior to this incident, he had been with Him for forty days and forty nights. During that period he was soaked in the presence of God and knew God. Based on this knowing of God and intimacy with God, he had the ground to entreat God for his people.

Intimacy with God

Not everyone can simple entreat God just like that. He must have a standing to do so. Moses had that standing. His standing was that he had 40 days and 40 nights face to face, intimate time with God. Without such intimacy, it was practically impossible to be able to entreat God for anything.

Based on such intimacy Moses was very bold even to question God on what would the Egyptians think about His people whom He had led them out of Egypt. He even dared to charge God to REPENT of His ill against His people. In fact, God had told Moses that these were his(Moses') people, now Moses spoke back, claiming that they are His(God's) people. That was the level of intimacy. Boldly, and freely, conversing as a friend with friend. Further Moses also reminded God of His covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. The result of such intercessor was, God REPENTED. 

It was an awesome sight to see such a relationship in revelation! God got angry, yet through His companion Moses' intercession, He repented! God changed His course of action! That's possible with intercession.

What a revelation! I have never seen this as a revelation though I knew it as a Bible story that I have read a good number of times.

Later, though Moses pleaded with God not to get angry at His people, he himself got angry at his people when he came to know their real situation. He had the same feeling as God had. Then, he took action, which God did not ask him to do. But, it was understood that God approved of his action. For, Levi, who listened to Moses' words of action, pleased God, and God chose them to serve Him as priests forever.

32:19  And as soon as he drew near to the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.
32:26  Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, Whoever is for Jehovah, come to me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves to him.
32:27  And he said to them, Thus says Jehovah the God of Israel, Let each man put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each man kill his brother, and each man his companion, and each man his neighbor.
32:28  And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses, and that day about three thousand men among the people fell.
32:30  And on the next day Moses said to the people, You have sinned a great sin; and now I will go up to Jehovah; perhaps I can make expiation for your sin.
32:31  And Moses returned to Jehovah and said, Oh, this people have committed a great sin and have made a god of gold for themselves.
32:32  And now if only You will forgive their sin; and if not, please blot me out of Your book, which You have written. 

After all the dealings with the rebellious people, Moses came before God again and pleaded forgiveness on their behalf. From then on, he pitched the tabernacle where he met and talked with God face to face. 

33:11  And Jehovah would speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his companion. And Moses would return to the camp, but his attendant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart out of the tent.33:12  And Moses said to Jehovah, See, You say to me, Bring up this people; but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, I know you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.33:13  Now therefore if I have found favor in Your sight, please let me know now Your ways, that I may know You, so that I may continue to find favor in Your sight. Consider also that this nation is Your people.33:14  And He said, My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.33:15  And he said to Him, If Your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.

Such was the relationship between God and Moses. And such is the relationship we must have with God as well. For this, we must live a life that is in the presence of God and be an intercessor between God and men.

Today, in the New Testament, the charge of the Lord is also "First of all, pray."

 1 Timothy 2:1 I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made on n behalf of all men;

Acts  2:42   And they continued steadfastly in the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles, in the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Therefore, I must rise up to pray this kind of prayer, an intercessory prayer, and lead all the saints to live such an intercessory prayer life. This is the need of the time! What a timely speaking of the Lord!

Lord, grace me to be such a man of prayer to pray an intercessory prayer.