Truth Lesson: Pillar, a Reward to the Overcomer

In the recent training for the elders and the responsible ones, a message on "The Factor of Living an Overcoming Life in the recovered Church to Consummate the Divine Economy and Become the New Jerusalem" has impacted me a lot spiritually. What I used to consider as an overcomer is not the whole truth at all. Besides, I was also helped to see the factor that can make me an overcomer. Factor is an element contributing to the result. Therefore, I must take care of the factor to meet the end result. 

OVERCOMERS in the Recovered Local Churches

The real overcomer is Christ. The sooner one realizes this, the better.  Now as a believer, I have Christ in me. So the way for me to become an overcomer is by being one with Christ practically in my daily living. 

Such believers who are living Christ are the overcomers, who are also the factor that contributes to the building up of the church. It is not merely enough to be in a recovered local church life, the church in Philadelphia, but much more to be overcomers in the church; the Lord is calling for the overcomers. The local churches are the procedures to have the reality of the Body of Christ as the goal. There are local churches that existed yet without resulting in the living of an overcoming life. The local churches are not the factor, but the overcomers in the recovered churches are. These ones will consummate the divine economy and become the New Jerusalem. The church could be empty if it is not contributing to the consummation of the divine economy. In other words, the so-called church could be empty if there are no overcomers. 

The Lord is the Overcomer and He is reproducing Himself in us to make us overcomers in the local church.

Matthew 18:17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to hear the church also, let him be to you just like the Gentile and the tax collector.

The Lord only regards the church meeting on the ground of oneness. In Revelation, it is always “the church in ….” The Lord must recover genuine local churches, or He has no way to build up the church.  As we are in the recovered church, our response should be, “Lord, make me an overcomer.”

To the local church in Ephesus, the Lord said, “Unless you repent, I will remove the lampstand.” This shows that the assembly may still exist as an empty local church without being a lampstand. It is possible for a church to be empty if it exists without the overcomers. The reality of the kingdom of the heaven is the content of the church, which is Christ Himself as our life, as the essence and the substance for us to be the proper church life. Through which we will be build up with the other believers. Without the reality, the constitution, the central work of God, the churches are just empty. Only the overcomers can build up the church that will bring the Lord back and consummate in the New Jerusalem.

REWARD

The principle of reward is, "What we are will become our reward in the coming age."

Revelation 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.

To be an overcomer we must eat the tree of life today, not waiting until the next age. The present enjoyment of the overcomers is the reward in the coming age. What we enjoy and participate in today will become our reward in the coming age. 

PILLARS

To be an overcomer is also to be a pillar today so that we can become a pillar in the coming age. Who are these pillars? In Revelation 3:12 the Bible says, 

"He who overcomes, him I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall by no means go out anymore, and I will write upon him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which descends out of heaven from My God, and My new name."

But in 21:22 it says,  

"And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple."

This means the pillars are in organic union with the Triune God Himself. This also proves the fact that the overcomers are those who are one with the Lord Himself. Therefore, if we are overcomers to be pillars, we must exercise to live and walk by the Spirit who is the processed and consummated Triune God mingling with our spirit today. The way to achieve this is by allowing Christ to make His home in our hearts.

Ephesians 3:16, 17 That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man, That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, that Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

And loving Him with our best love; for it is with those who love Him that He comes and makes and abode with him. This aboded is the mingling of God with man. 

John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make an abode with him.

Therefore, we are made pillars in the temple of God by living an overcoming life in the recovered church life by allowing Christ to make His home in our hearts, and making an abode with us.

Lord, make me a pillar for the building up of Your Body.

Truth Lesson: New Name

In fellowship with a senior and matured brother, the Lord has given me a new light concerning my growth in life and transformation through the many life experiences He has sovereignly allowed me to go through. As every spiritual experience begins with a revelation, this revelation definitely brings me to a higher experience of life in my walk with God.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give of the hidden manna, and to him I will give a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knows except him who receives it. Revelation 2:17

A Note from the Recovery Version on a "New Name": A name designates a person; a new name designates a transformed person. Every transformed believer, as a white stone, bears “a new name…which no one knows except him who receives it.” Such a new name is the interpretation of the experience of the one who has been transformed. Hence, only he himself knows the meaning of that name.

This new name is not merely the experiences the Lord gives me as I am being transformed. Rather, it is the interpretation of the experiences and learning of spiritual lessons from it. Many, perhaps, every Christian goes through different experiences almost every day. But the question is, Are there any gaining of Christ through the experiences? Are there any spiritual interpretations of those experiences? Or, Are they merely experiences that come and go, having nothing to do with the person who experiences it? This is where many Christian fail in their Christian life. 

There is no accident in Christian life. Everything a Christian goes through has been ordained at best, or at worst, allowed by God, always with a purpose. One has to find out what are the purposes of those experiences. 

Recently, the Lord gave me some precious experiences. As I considered them in this light of "new name", I got revelations of the interpretation of those experiences. The first was related to a dog bite, which changes my lifestyle altogether and brought me closer to my family. Since that incident, I could interpret that the Lord is teaching me to spend more time with my children. In fact, I have been doing that since then. Besides, the Lord used this incident to shepherd me through many saints. The saints that I least expected that they care for me actually care for me. I used to think that my shepherding is from me to the saints. But this time, the Lord showed me that my shepherding is also the saints' shepherding. We mutually shepherd one another. I received the Lord's shepherding through the saints. Praise the Lord! 

Another instance is related to my daddy's operation. This experience has brought my siblings together, to pray together, and to love and care for one another in an intimate way. The Lord definitely gained our family life much more than before. My siblings have been graced to function very well in taking care of daddy. I could only offer from the Lord's bountiful supply and pray for them. But my siblings have practically shepherded daddy so well. The interpretation of this experience is, the Lord has actually answered all my prayers for my siblings and family. They have grown in the Lord much more than before and are bearing family responsibilities practically. I can truly trust them.

The other instance is on a printer purchase for my family's need. Since the pandemic struck India, all my children's classes are online and they need to take a lot of print out for their class works. We have been using the office printer and shared in buying the printer toner. In order to save cost, I was trying to use two old printers. Every time I tried, something went wrong and finally, I gave both the old printers up.  Then, the Lord also provided the needed money to buy a new printer. One day I went to buy a printer but could not get what I wanted. Therefore I resorted back to repairing an old one from the office. It worked for a day, and a problem occurred again. Then I realized that I should not have resorted back to an old printer when the Lord gave me sufficient money to buy a new one.  Even if the printer could be repaired, the Lord wanted me to buy a new one. Besides, the repaired new one can be gifted to a needy brother's family who could not afford a new one. Therefore, I and my wife checked some printers online and bought one. This experience taught me that when the Lord says something I better listen absolutely and not negotiate nor bargain with Him. He knows best, and He does not need my good opinion or suggestions. I only need to obey Him, He knows best.

These three instances are some life experiences whose interpretations are life lessons learned, for my gaining of Christ, and pursuit of Christ. Praise the Lord for this new name! This new name has to be gained now to become so in the New Jerusalem! What has been experienced now will be consummated in the New Jerusalem!

Truth Lesson: Out Resurrection

The past few days I have been pursuing the Life-study of Philippians on the matter of "out-resurrection." This word is kind of awkward and I will not be surprised if many Christians understand this word at all. The literal translation in the Recovery Version is below with the note on "out-resurrection":

If perhaps I may attain to the out-resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:11

I.e., the outstanding resurrection, the extra-resurrection, which will be a prize to the overcoming saints. All believers who are dead in Christ will participate in the resurrection from the dead at the Lord’s coming back (1 Thes. 4:16; 1 Cor. 15:52). But the overcoming saints will enjoy an extra, outstanding portion of that resurrection. See note 35 2 in Heb. 11. 

To arrive at the out-resurrection indicates that our entire being has been gradually and continually resurrected. God first resurrected our deadened spirit (Eph. 2:5-6); then from our spirit He proceeds to resurrect our soul (Rom. 8:6) and our mortal body (Rom. 8:11), until our entire being — spirit, soul, and body — is fully resurrected out of our old being by and with His life. This is a process in life through which we must pass and a race that we must run until we arrive at the out-resurrection as the prize. Hence, the out-resurrection should be the goal and destination of our Christian life. We can reach this goal only by being conformed to the death of Christ, by living a crucified life. In the death of Christ we are processed in resurrection from the old creation to the new.

The Lord impressed me so much as I was considering this "out-resurrection." This is not the resurrection that Lazarus experienced in John 11: 43-44 though he indeed was resurrected from the dead. His resurrection was not a resurrection out from the old creation into the new creation by receiving the divine and eternal life of God. The resurrection here is the resurrection out from the old creation into the new creation. In general, this out-resurrection is Christ Himself living in and through us in practicality. This is the practical living our of Philippians 1:21

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

But how can one attain this? It is practically possible only through knowing the power of Christ's resurrection, the fellowship of His suffering, and also by being conformed to His death.

To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death. Philippians 3:10

Now, I gradually begin to understand the truth of the power of Christ's resurrection and conforming to His death, and how vital an experience this is. 

Further, this is not to be achieved only in the coming kingdom age, because this is the result of the living out of Christ practically today. It is possible to be in the out-resurrection today too.  

Brothers, I do not account of myself to have laid hold; but one thing I do: Forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, I pursue toward the goal for the prize to which God in Christ Jesus has called me upward. Philippians 3:13, 14 

Apostle Paul himself was pursuing this goal, that is to attain the out-resurrection in his lifetime as his goal and also to attain it in the next age of the kingdom as his prize. Taking Paul as my pattern, I also pursue the goal of gaining and living Christ as my experience of the out-resurrection in this age, even now, today, and all the days of my life. And also to attain to the out-resurrection in the coming age as my prize. The way to attain the goal and the price is also made clear:

To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death. Philippians 3:10

Praise the Lord for such a marvelous truth unveiled to me these days! This will be my life goal and prize henceforth. May the Lord grace me to attain the goal and the prize, the out-resurrection!

Covid Care

The past few weeks have been a time of prayer and care for those saints who have contracted coronavirus. The second wave of Covid in India has taken the country by storm. This wave has hit everyone with the same stroke stinging many to death, both believers and unbelievers alike. I was surprised to learn of a good number of death cases of some believers. In fact, a brother told me that he has been hearing the passing away of believers, especially Christian leaders almost every day. The entire media is covering the sad and ugly truth of health care disaster and many innocent lives succumbing to their deaths due to lack of oxygen and ventilators for Covid patients. My prayer, both personal and corporate, has been mostly related to the present pandemic, for the healing of the saints who became prey to this virus, and also for the protection of the saints under His covering care. Only the Lord is the one who can truly protect us all.

So far, eight of our serving ones in the literature service have been affected by Covid. Three of them have recovered after battling the attacks fiercely. Now, five of them and their family members are overcoming the attack and are gradually recovering. Once the matter about the serving ones came to my knowledge, my reaction was to pray and also to provide some practical care to them. Within my capacity, the Lord graced me to make arrangements for some saints through personal offerings and channelling offerings to the needy saints. I felt strongly that I should do my best wherever and whenever I can. Therefore, I brought the matter to the brothers' fellowship of the church in Gurugram, and we all agreed to shepherd the saints during this time of need with a financial offering. I also wrote to a brother personally yet officially concerning my burden to care for the serving ones. After he agreed on the proposal I made for helping the saints, all offerings have been transferred without any delay. Now is the time to take action. Therefore, actions have been taken.

There is a sense of inner satisfaction in caring for the need of the saints. I visualised myself to have been in their situation and share my feeling with the suffering saints. Within my capacity, doing what I can do while it is in my hand to do so, I did my best. Therefore, to my knowledge, the suffering serving ones and some other saints have been taken care.

A brother has become a little critical in his health situation. He has lost his mental balance due to the sudden sickness of all his family members with Covid. All the saints in our WhatsApp group are basically praying for him. He lost his father a few days ago and he himself has become so critical that he needed a ventilator and also had to be admitted to the ICU. For this, I appreciate the saints standing in one accord to pray. I believe, the Lord has heard our prayers and this young brother will come out healthy and strong to continue his service in the translation of the ministry literature from Englsih to Marathi. This is one corporate battle we fought.

I pray and trust the Lord will heal and recover all the affected saints and that no more would contract this virus hereafter. We are at the merciful hands of the Lord. Lord, cover us....

From Our Father Through Our Father

Last Lord's day evening I received calls from two of my sisters though I could not pick when they both called. Later, as I called them up, I got to learn that our dad went through some injuries, on his head and neck. This led to his health deteriorating so suddenly that he was almost paralyzed. I wasted no time asking my sister to give the phone to dad himself. When I spoke to him he seemed to tell me that everything was alright except that he went through some injuries. I could discern that he did not want me to worry, therefore, he was trying to conform me by telling me that he was fine and that I need not worry. But the fact was different. Then, I spoke to my mom and step-mom to get more detail of what all transpired. 

The following day, my brother called me. In fact, for the first time after at least a year, to tell me of the real situation. Dad had hurt his head and there was blood clogging in his brain that affected his memory. Therefore, he hardly remembers anything and could not come to his real sense. All the medical test shows that he needs immediate intensive care. 

Meanwhile, the offering money me and my wife reserved was confirmed to be transferred to take care of our family's needs this time. Therefore, I transferred it to daddy's account. That was also the Lord's leading in me to offer to our own family this time, unlike other times when the Lord would lead me to offer to the church or to other needy saints. The Lord knows best and I simply must always follow His inner leading. 

I could pray together with my brother, especially for daddy's health. To me, this itself is worth the situation our family has been going through at the moment. I have been praying for my own brother so much. Now, he realized the need for his own revival with family love and bonding through the daddy's situation.  The Lord does allow things like this to gain His children.  Praise the Lord for everything!

Today, it has been confirmed that daddy needed to go through brain surgery in a private hospital which could cost a hefty amount. I fellowshipped with my brother to exercise wisdom in decision making and do the right thing that needs to be done at the moment, in terms of hospitalization, operation, negotiation with doctors, and other practical matters. And I confirmed to him that I will do my best in all possible ways to participate in prayer and in finance as much as the Lord provided us.

Through this situation, I could sense the Lord's recovering our family's love for one another. Not merely among us siblings, but also with my cousins and step-mom too. Even for the expenses, I believe, all the family members will participate, as proof of the recovery of our love and care for one another.

A new experience the Lord gave me this time is peace. Generally, in troubled times like this in the past, with my cousin-sister and also with my mom, I used to be very anxious and nervous. But this time, the Lord has been gracing me to receive everything as from the Father's hand, and trust in Him absolutely. Perfect peace and joy have been filling me inwardly despite the severity of my dad's health, clubbed with the second wave of Corona rampantly spreading everywhere. I truly have no cause for worry or for fear, for my Father's wise bestowment upon all things has been made known to me.

Last week, the Lord's speaking was on wisdom, the way of doing things. The Lord is the Wisdom, and His ways are wise in every aspect. He is the only wise God (Rom. 16:27), Christ is the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24), and Christ has become the wisdom from God to us (1 Cor. 1:30).  What the Lord spoke to me, His hand also followed suit in leading me to experience Him as my wisdom.

Wisdom may be understood as the way to do things. If we have wisdom, we will know the proper way to do things, but if we are not wise, our way of doing things will be foolish. In order to have the best way to do things in our daily life, we must have wisdom. Christ as wisdom to the believers is actually  the divine way. Hence, wisdom in 1 Corinthians 1:30 is equal to the way in John 14:6, a verse in which the Lord Jesus says, “I am the way.” God’s way is His wisdom. If we enjoy Christ and participate in Him, we will have Him as our wisdom, as our way. This wisdom comes from our enjoyment of Christ. Day by day and hour by hour we should live in the spirit and exercise the spirit to call on the name of the Lord Jesus. If we do this, we will enjoy Christ and have Him as our wisdom, that is, our way of doing things. ( The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 3122)

The ministry portion that I enjoyed doctrinally has become my experience practically. The Lord is faithful to make His hand follow His speaking. All that has happened is truly out from Him, it will be through Him, and also unto Him. Even in my daddy's case, God is in control. He allows it all for our good. I would even say, this is how He answered all my prayers for my family. To revive all of us, to love God and love one another, to be one with God and to be one with one another. This experience is synonymous with Paul and Silas' experience in Acts 16: 24-34; praising God in the prison and God answering their prayers by an earthquake followed by the salvation of the Phillipian jailer with his whole family and so forth. Praise the Lord!

This is our testimony of our Father in heaven gaining us through our father on earth. Amen.

Life Lesson: Inward Struggle and Outward Supply

A week ago I was struggling within and also was reasoning intensely with the Lord concerning the house I live in right now. As a family, we have been living in the same house for a decade now. At times I wanted to shift out to another house seeking better facilities. With the same amount of rent I am paying now, I could have gotten a better house, infrastructurally speaking. Yet, I never got the go-ahead from the Lord for some reason known only to Him. This is the reason I struggled within with the Lord. On the one hand, I contemplated relocation. Yet, on the other hand, I never had the leading from the Lord nor the peace to move. And I dare not do anything without the Lord's perfect leading where His presence, His hands accompanies His speaking. Therefore, I got stuck.

With the pandemic striking last year, and now the second wave sweeping India all over again in an intense way, many houses have become vacant awaiting to be rented. Besides, house rents have been reduced significantly. These facts added more fuel to my reasoning mind. At the same time, my expenses for my children's fees and others have gone up significantly. Therefore, I was contemplating to negotiate with my house owner based on the facts I have got, to reduce the rent or shift out. This, perhaps, was a rather bold step yet foolish, becoming food for my reasoning mind and wandering thoughts. But as a man, I really struggled and struggled.

After I was bitten by a dog, for about two weeks I could not take a walk due to the wounds. But once I got well, I resumed my prayer walk again. On the first day of my prayer walk, the Lord spoke to me a very particular word that changed my whole concept and perhaps, renewed my mind all over again. Therefore I gave up all my strugglings, gave up all my reasonings, and gave up my being itself to God's caring hands; just to rest in Him in peace.

The Lord's speakings were, "You are my child, you cannot compare yourself with the worldly people. They may reason and fight for their so-called rights, but you must simply trust me, I will take care of it all. Others can negotiate on their rentals with pandemic as the reason, but I have been providing you with all that you needed. If your expenses were more, I will increase your supply accordingly. You don't have to fight for yourself, I will fight for you. Just trust in me, and just rest in Me. I know what is best for you."

After this, I completely gave up my thoughts and secret plans. Even my thought to write a "personal fellowship" mail to my house owner, who is also a brother in the Lord, seeking a reduction in my house rent. Then, the peace of God came back and I was released from all my "legal" reasonings. Praise the Lord!

Following this, the Lord also provided in abundance, to meet our expenses. Surprisingly, abundantly, and marvelously the Lord provided our needs through our loving and caring parent in Taiwan. With this love offering, the Lord proved Himself again that He is the Lord and He supplies abundantly on time. In other words, this was an experience of not fighting for my rights, even if there was any, but to defer all to the Lord for His sovereign arrangement. I must not fight for my rights nor accuse someone whom I feel is unrighteous. But leave the matter to the Lord who sees all, knows all, and is above all. Let Him take the final call.

Having enjoyed the Lord's speaking and the Lord's supply time and gain, I have no words but to worship Him and praise Him! For I know Him a little bit more and gain Him more! Praise the Lord!

Only If God Moves

As a serving one, I have a burden to take care of new ones and I have been doing my best to follow them up for shepherding. Yet for some reason, many of these new ones are not responding positively, giving me the only option available, ie.. to pray and pray and pray. This is indeed a trying time for me especially when I wanted to contact them and they did not respond at all. Most of these ones are from gentile backgrounds and they have not really been fully opened to give up their religious practices especially idol worship. In a way of shepherding, I did let them know that idols are nothing and that the true and living God must not be equated to a deaf, dumb, and dead idol. Perhaps, I have not been able to spend more time with them to shepherd them on a regular basis and help them step by step. But what I could do best, I believe, I have done it. Beyond my capacity, I cannot do anything further.

As I consider this matter carefully, a new light dawned on me. If God does not move, what can I really do? Try however much I may, all my human effort would be in vain if the Holy Spirit did not do His works on these new ones. If the Holy Spirit does not move in these ones, I dare not even try to do anything. I don't know why some of these new one's growth comes to a standstill. I may have my guesses, but it's all useless. The end of the matter is: Only if God moves, then I can only cooperate with God's move.

Now I pray and wait for the Holy Spirit's move in man that I need to cooperate with. This is a precious lesson I learned recently.  The same case applies to anyone. Though as a brother I may have a burden for people here and there, unless the Lord moves in them, I am helpless. Therefore, I have taken my hands off from trying to contact people who do not bother to respond at all. Be it believers or gospel friends, I would not sneak into their life unless I sense the work of the Holy Spirit in them. Lest I end up offering strange fire to God.

In response to the lesson I have learned, I have stopped sending messages to many new ones I used to send before. I also put a temporary hold on "trying to shepherd" those who are not interested at all. I also put a hold on inviting gospel friends for the gospel meetings if they do not show any interest at all. In fact, I also stooped responding to people who try to misuse me for their gain without any interest in the Lord Jesus Christ. I do this for now until the Lord would move me to continue following them up again, or until I sense the work of the Holy Spirit in them. So I resorted to prayer only for all these ones now.  I will continue to do so as long as the prayer burden for them is not lifted. I will move forward again if only God moves. 

What a precious lesson! It saves me a lot of my time and energy and even money. I used to be so busy running after so many new ones. Now that I should discern first if the Holy Spirit moves in them at all, then and only then, I would follow the move of the Holy Spirit in sweet coordination with the Lord. 

I will move only if God moves...