The Last Meal

In the month of June, a brother and I visited a sister who has not been keeping well physically nor spiritually. As we fellowshipped and prayed together, even calling upon the name of the Lord, she gave us lovely hospitality by requesting us to eat the meal she loving prepared for us as she knew that we would be visiting her. After the fellowship we enjoyed the meal without an iota of thought that it would be the last meal we would ever have together again.

Since then, the meeting I had was only with her son who came over to my place now and then. Today, her son called me and visited me. To my shocking surprise, he told me that his mother went to be with the Lord. On further enquiry, it was last Saturday that she breathed her last at a young age of 52. Perhaps, due to stroke or asthma attack which she has been battling all her life. A year ago she also suffered a sever inquiry in a road accident and was in coma for a couple of months. Her health had deteriorated speedily as she underwent a lot of work pressure, psychological conflict, and marital problems. All that I could do was to shepherd the family and pray for them.

Her fellowship with me was related to her health and her son's well being. She was so concerned for her son. She wanted me to take him and shepherd him under my care. But I told her it would not be proper for her son to be with me when she, his mother, was still alive and live in the same city. Though she herself was not regular in the church life, she desired that her son be in the church life. In fact, I fellowshipped with her that she firstly be a pattern to her son in loving the Lord, pursuing the Lord, and be active in the church life. Then, her son would follow suit.

Her wish, now her last wish, which she commissioned me when I met her last was, firstly, to shepherd her son in the church life, and then, secondly, find a sister in the church life to be her son's wife. In fact, one day I called up his son to check on the matter of his marriage who has already carved a career for himself and is of a marriageable age now. Today, when his son came to meet me, informing me of his mother's demise, I conveyed his mother's last wish for him.

I took this opportunity to fellowship with him about the urgent need for his spiritual recovery. I used the negative example of Steve Job who regretted successfully chasing after his dream all his life when it could not save him a bit while on his dead bed. I also used a positive example of brother Ronnie Chan, though a wealthy man, has given his life to love and serve the living God. To help him recover, I proposed that we pray and enjoy morning revival together about four times a week, which he reluctantly and finally agreed. And that he sanctify the Lord's day for the Lord to meet with the church and fellowship with the saints regularly. Finally, I lovingly and seriously warned him of the need for him to set his priority right; his first priority must be the Lord, and all the the rest, next. Spiritual life should and must be his primary concern, and all the rest of his work, career, job, money, etc., must all be secondary. Then, we prayed together. And he agreed to these points of practical fellowship.

On the one hand I am sad that sister is no more, yet on the other hand I am glad that this would be to the salvation of her son for his full recovery. The last meal I had with sister Rachna would well be remembered and I reckon that as a testament for the shepherding of his son.

May the Lord gain this brother fully for His testimony.

God's Appearing

The last weekend as we had a fellowship with a matured and elderly brother, in the leading and responsible brothers fellowship of the churches in Tamilnadu, I had the Lord's appearing again. The Lord's appearing is His visitation, His speaking the timely word to me. This time, the fellowship that touched me most was in the matter of the Lord's appearing again and again.

Acts 26:16

But rise up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a minister and a witness both of the things in which you have seen Me and of the things in which I will appear to you; 

The Lord appeared once to Saul of Tarsus at his conversion and then the Lord promised to appear again and again to Paul. At least about seven times the Bible mentioned about the Lord's appearing to Paul. Each time He appeared, He spoke a living word to him, for his ministry, and for the fulfillment of the Lord's commission.

In a similar way, I need the Lord's appearing again and again. Perhaps, through my time spent with Him, the reading and study of the word, the pursuing of the truths, the ministry meetings, the church meetings, the fellowship with fellow believers, and through many other means, the Lord appears. I must not be blind nor deaf to His appearing. I must daily pray, "Lord, appear to me every day. Speak to me atleast a word each day."

In this way of His appearing, I would be supplied, strengthened, constituted, and would become fruitful in my Christian life and service. If all the saints, at least the brothers, are receiving the Lord's appearing time and again, the churches will be healthy and strong. There will be much increase in quantity and quality of the saints.

Lord, appear to me every day. Give me Your word every day.

Life Lesson: House Cleaning

Once in a while whenever I get time and felt the need I would clean up my house. As a family, we all coordinated together to serve together to take care of our Home Sweet Home. My wife has her responsibilities, so also all my cousin brothers, my children, and I myself too. We have no servant to help us in any household matter. We ourselves have been doing all the household chores, and prefer to do it this way. Even my children have assignment for house cleaning on Saturdays and holidays besides the daily folding of clothes and washing their eating vessels. Its for our learning and perfecting. This is our family life and we love it this way.

As time goes by, dust easily settles on the furnitures in the house, including the ceiling fans. When it becomes so obvious I could not tolerated the sight of it. So I planed for a time when I would be free to do the cleaning work. My family members help me too. 

Day before yesterday, I felt the urgent need and spent about two hours cleaning up all the furniture with the fans. With sweat in a humid weather, I was joyfully cleaning the house. I am glad that the Lord gave me a house to live in and it is my responsibility to maintain it. Even when a brother called me for prayer and pursuing, I did it as I kept cleaning the house. The prayer and pursuing was done over the phone, so I put my headset on and continued with my work, praying and listening to the reading of the truth. Even before and after this pursuing, I was enjoying the Life-study of Ephesians, Radio broadcast, three messages in a row. Outwardly cleaning and inwardly enjoying the word of God. In this way, the house was cleaned and my inward being was also cleansed through the word of God.

Last Lord's day evening, the brothers assigned me to speak in an online seekers' meeting for Marathi speaking seekers. The burden of the message was on dealing with the heart and conscience. The message I ministered was also what I experienced in my life. The Lord has been dealing with my inward being and cleansing me day by day. He does this because He loves me and is gaining me gradually. What I ministered was also what I have been experiencing these days.

My house furniture cleaned up by dusting, and wiping with wet clothes in water. So was my inward cleansing was with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus and by the washing of the water in the word.

1 John 1:7

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin. 

Ephesians 5:26

That He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word.

May I continously be cleansed as I am also easily contaminated by things surrounding me, as one still being in the world as a man. I need His cleansing day by day. Lord, thank You for Your precious blood and Your precious word for my cleansing.

Intimate Concern for a Brother

For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you through many tears, not that you would be made sorrowful but that you would know the love which I have more abundantly toward you.  2 Corinthians 2:4

But I, I will most gladly spend and be utterly spent on behalf of your souls. If I love you more abundantly, am I loved less? 2 Corinthians 12:15

Paul has been a pattern to me in his intimate concern for the saints and the churches under his shepherding care. He spent and was spent on the saints and wrote to them with many tears. That's a window of how he shepherded the saints. What a wonderful pattern! I only hope and pray that I can learn from brother Paul.

When a brother called me and requested to come and stay with me for fellowship and rest, I could only respond by saying, "Praise the Lord! Welcome!" In fact, I have not been good at giving hospitality at all. Firstly, I don't have that experience, and whenever guests came it was an experiment for me. Those experiments turned out to be my wonderful experiences. 

On the infrastructure side, we don't have enough room to accommodate guests, and we don't have an air conditioner to host the guest as we ourselves have been living all this while without it, despite the hot and humid weather. It was ok for my family as we are adapted to this kind of lifestyle, but I cannot impose this on my guest. Above all, our food too is very simple and we cook mostly a North Eastern style of food while most of our guests are either from the South or from the North; our food habits are opposite. Despite all these, we braved the challenges and cared for intimate concern rather than physical comfort.

Thank God, for this brother, there is a guest room available at the literature office which has not been used as we have not been meeting due to the present pandemic situation. We did our best to make him as comfortable as possible. We also did our best to give him the food that would be suitable for him. It turned out that he liked all the food we gave him, enjoyed it, and wanted more of it despite being a North Indian. This was just the physical care for cherishing him.

On the nourishing side, every day I spent some time with him to fellowship or pray together. Each day of his stay for six days, the Lord gave a fresh message and a burden to release to him. The Lord worked on him so well that he was open from within to receive all the fellowship despite he being a rebel just a week ago. The Lord has his sovereign way of gaining people and recovering them for the church life. From my side, I did all that I could do, to my very best. The outcome, I leave it to the Lord.

In the past, I dealt with rebels against the church life or opposers of the Lord's recovery by defending the truths using the Bible. I fought tooth and nail to prove to the opponents that what we follow is truth, orthodox, and biblically correct. But despite winning the verbal battle using the Bible, they all avoided me or stopped talking to me by not receiving my calls nor my messages. They were defeated in the truth battle but never subdued inwardly to acknowledge the fact. I felt very disappointed that despite showing all the correct Bible verses to vindicate our beliefs and practices, the person themselves was not gained at all. This time, in dealing with opposers, the Lord led me to pray for them and shepherd them. Though I knew how to fight and defend the truths which I dearly uphold, to win opposers is by prayer and shepherding them with an intimate concern. I experimented with this brother. And it worked! And later, after staying for a couple of days, he repented and asked forgiveness for all the misinformation and accusations against the ministry. He even called up and messaged all the brothers he hurt by his accusation and set things right. I myself had taken him to two brothers to fellowship face to face.

After all these, I thought to myself, had I reacted according to his accusations, he would not even dare to call me again, far less, come and stay with me for six days. Thank God for this precious lesson of intimate concern even for opposing brother. He was recovered back and now he started enjoying the Lord through the ministry books again.

Lord, grant me thr grace to have an intimate concern for all the saints.

Six Days War

The Six Days War in the history of the world was the war fought between Israel and it Arab neighbors from 5 to 10 June 1967 (6 days) and Israel triumph over its enemy miraculously. I had this experience in a minute scale last week, though just a storm in a tea cup. The brother who had opposed the ministry and the church life,  and whom the Lord burdened me to shepherd with a strong hope and faith of his recovery, suddenly changed his mind. His much expectation from a prosperity and charismatic Christian leader turned out to be a mere fairly tale. Despite the much glamorous and glitter on YouTube advertised by this prosperity gospel preacher, the reality was far from what was presented on social media. This brother who was temporarily deceived came to his sense when he was not even allowed to meet him, the so called Christian "papa". I am glad that he experimented on such leader and found out his true color, much to his disappointment. That was good. He learnt his lesson. Then, he remembered the church life and the brothers in Christ who have lovingly shepherded him and his family all this while. When faced with such a reality, he called me and requested to come and stay with me for fellowship and decided to stay until he would be fully satisfied. My joyful reply was, "Praise the Lord, brother! Welcome!"

He came and stayed with us for six days. In fact, he was accommodated in the literature guest room,  full of ministry books. Only a few weeks ago he burned the ministry books out of anger and misunderstanding. In his recovery process, the Lord put him in a room full of ministry books. I termed the duration of his stay with my family as a process of recovery and rest for him and equated this with the six days war Israel fought with Arab neighbors. In this case, the Israel of today, the church, has been fighting with religious Babylon with all her mixture in teachings and practices. And the minority genuine brotherly love has won over the millions of so called believers running after healing and miracles without really caring for the Lord's heart's desire of brotherly love among the believers as the church in Philadelphia.

Day by day, during the six days stay, I fellowshipped with him, ministered the pure word of God as the Lord led me, and prayed with him. Each day, the Lord gave me a word for my beloved brother. On the first day, the word was, rest. I encouraged my brother to simply refrain from all that he ran after and simply take rest. The second day, the word was on heading up in Christ. He should cease from all his rebellious attitude towards the ministry and the saints in the church life, and be simply headed up by enjoying the Lord together with the members of the Body of Christ. The third day, the word was on peace. I encouraged him to cut off all religious, secular, and social ties that only instigated his flesh and stole his peace. He even deleted his Facebook account and reduced his social media and phone usage, to be at peace, and not to be unnecessarily distracted. The fourth day, the word was on the church life. He joined the Lord's Table meeting in the church in Gurugram and we fellowshipped together, enjoying the church life. The fifth day, the word was on reconciliation and restoration of broken relationship. I took him to two brothers with whom he had a verbal spat and disagreement on spiritual matters. Over lunch and dinner fellowship at two different brothers' home, a process of reconciliation was carried out in fellowship and the relationship and fellowship was recovered. Finally, on the sixth day, a lesson on character to be useful vessel to God, and the learning of spiritual lesson on authority and submission was imparted. I gifted him three books, The Breaking of the Outerman and the Release of the Spirit, The Character of the Lord's Workers, and Authority and Submission.

After six days of shepherding care and brotherly fellowship, the spiritual battle was won! He felt fully satisfied. He felt at peace and rest now. And having accomplished the purpose of his visit, he flew back to his hometown, Raipur. As the Lord burdened me for him, his family, and his locality, city and state for the sake of God's economy and the Lord's testimony, we have agreed to fellowship and pray together online every Saturday. 

May the Lord fully gain him and his family for His testimony as He allowed me to win the six days spiritual war.

Busy Weekends

Weekends are supposed to be the time for relaxation and free time to do whatever one's soul desires. In developed countries, people take a holiday trip for recreational purposes on weekends. But to me, it has been just the opposite. Weekends are my busiest days in a week and there has never been any opportunity for holiday. Neither during the weekdays nor on the weekends, holiday is not in my schedule.

Even during the lockdown and global pandemic rampaging the whole world, my work hours have never reduced. On the contrary, it seems to have gone up. More responsibilities and more works to do, either for the family or for the office or for the church. I am glad the Lord has been gracing me to pass through this phase of the human history. The Lord has been faithfully caring for me and my family to the extent that not even an iota of anxiety or fear has ever gripped us when the world is all engulfed in anxiety and fear of the present and the future. The Lord has been covering us all these while, and He will continue to do so faithfully even to the end.

The weekends, these days, to me are 12 to 14 hours of busy schedules. Beginning with morning fellowship on Saturdays, church prayer meeting, ministry meeting, shepherding a family, family prayer time, personal prayer time, and others, the days has been fully packed. Similarly, on the Lord's day, beginning with Lord's Table Meeting, prophesying meeting, PSRP meeting, Young People Meeting, Gospel Meeting, family prayer time and personal prayer time, the day has been fully occupied. I am glad I have been graced to utilise all the time during the day for the church life and for the Lord's purpose. Life is indeed worth the living. To me this is a blessing. Without these schedules, my life may not be so productive. I count this a blessing, and I count it all joy. Praise the Lord!

Sometimes, I wonder when is the time to rest apart from my sleeping time. Everyday, there has always been responsibilities to carry out, whether as per schedule or an impromptu arrangement. Daily dose of works never die down. Only when my body could not take it any more and I physical break down, then I took a good rest during sick leave. This, to me, was also ordained by the Lord for my good. He simply gave me time to rest doing nothing when my body felt sick. But this rarely occurs, perhaps, once in a year. This too, is the Lord's mercy.

Overall, the Lord is faithfully taking care of me, shepherding me, all along my busy schedules. He graces me with what He deems best. All glory to Him! Amen and amen!

Two Resignations

The past few weeks I had to deal with resignation fellowship from two brothers. One, of course, is due to ill health and the other is due to the egoist self. In both cases, I shepherded the brothers in the way I knew of the Lord.

The first brother has been serving in the litertaure service for a couple of years. Since he began to serve he has been found to be very faithful in all the works assigned to him. He worked so hard to the extend that he sacrificed his health in a good number of cases. Even in matters new to him, he took the time to learn and get acquainted with, and even became professional. On the work front, he was quite exemplary. 

The sad part of his service was, he often fell I'll and has been facing a serious health issue. Every time he mentioned his health condition, I would encourage him to take good rest, and take care of his health. I had, time and again, mentioned to him that his health was needed for the Lord's service. And officially granted him as many health leaves as he would need. The serving ones are human being too and they all need to be taken care in a humane way.

When he wrote a mail of his resignation from his service stating health reason, I took no time to consider too much. When I took the matter to the Lord in prayer, I was confirmed within that I should not stop him from his resignation. Perhaps, the Lord knew better and I should not interfere. Therefore, I fellowshipped with my coordinator and informed this brother of our best wish for his career forward. In fact, I called and fellowshipped with him, and prayed with him. Immediately, I also increased the responsibility of another brother to pick up this brother's services so that the normal office works would not be affected. Therefore, all the official documents he asked for, for his future move, have been issued. Though he would no longer serve full-time officially with the literature, he will still continue to support within his capacity and availability as a volunteer. Therefore, the matter has been resolved.

The other brother came to fellowship about his resignation from the IT company he has been working with. In fellowship as fellow brother, I came to learn that the reason for his resignation has nothing to do with conflict of interest in the matter of faith and belief or the principles a Christian should strictly hold. But the simple reason was the lack of trust between him and his manager. The point of contention was simply a matter of the self. In this case, I encouraged him to submit to authority and simply overlook the lack of trust and maturity he expected from his manager.

As my beloved brother, I fellowshipped with my brother that he should probably take back his resignation and swallow up the differences he had with his earthly boss. The word of God simply tells us to submit to authority, who was also ordained by Him. The lesson of submission, my brother need to learn. To me, the experience he went through was very apt as he has come into the church life and has been growing in the Lord. This was just another lesson he has to pass through to be spiritually promoted to the next level. I felt very good about his experience and thought to myself that unless my brother learn the lesson of submission in the secular world, he would find it hard to submit in the church life as well, among the brothers. So the experience he went through was applaudable. In fact, very much needed. I hope and I trust the Lord will grace my brother to overcome this situation, learn the lesson of submission, experience the crucified Christ, go through the valley of Bacca, and come out victoriously. Then, he will become very useful in the Lord's hand.

The lessons from the two resignations are noteworthy. These experiences are very much needed in the church life for the corporate building up of the church, the Body of Christ. 

Much grace be upon my brothers. Amen.