Cool Cooler

When one of our brothers was shifted out of Gurugram, he handed over his used Cooler, a room cooling machine that runs in the pricniple of converting water into vapour and cooling down the room temperature. The Cooler was purcahsed when he first shifted to New Delhi in 2004. That cooler has been a blessing to our family during summer. It has generated a good amount of cool air to cool the room temperature down. We have been using that for over eight yeasrs in addition to the brother who already used it for another eight yeras. Despite its oldness, it functions very effectively. What we need is a cooler that really works as a cooler. 

A few years ago, I changed the water pump, and last week it broke down as it had an issue with the motor. Initially, I thought it was time to discard it and buy a new one. But on second thought, I looked out for a mechanic to repar it. To my surprise, it was repaired for a few hundred rupees only. Then after a few days of use, it broke down again. This time I thought, I really have to buy a new one. In fact, I went to the malls to lookout for a new Cooler. And I identified a particular model to purchase after letting my wife look at it.

When my wife and I had decided to buy one particular Cooler model, the salesman informed us that the piece was already purchased. Later I called up the mechanic who repaired the Cooler motor as I had given him to repair it again, he informed me that he just changed the capacitor and that it works fine now. These two things put together gave me a feeling to withhold the purchasing of a new Cooler and gave a try one final time for the repaired one. So instead of buying a new one, I repaired the old motor and it worked fine.

A day later, the motor broke down again. This time I determined that it was indeed time to discard the old and buy a new Cooler. As I called up the same Mechanic, he told me to bring the entire Cooler and show it to him. Then I thought I would give one more try and then buy a new one. As I went to the Mechanic, it was discovered that there was no problem with the motor at all. Then I realised the actual problem. The Cooler mesh that holds straws for water to pass through was actually blocked because of dust clogging. When the front and backside of the mesh for air to pass through were blocked it affected the motor due to air pressure as there was no air inlet. The solution was to replace the entire front and back blanket of straws. Then I drove around and found a shop that could replace the straw and did the replacement. With this simple change, the Cooler worked perfectly well like a new one. It was brough to its usefulness again.

The thought of buying a new Coller was given up for the third time. By the way, this model was no more to be found, and the design of the Cooler was so good that it functions as an Air Conditioner. As long as it could be used, I would prefer to use it. Not merely for the sake of saving money. Of course, I would not invest money in something that can be avoided. Though the Lord has given us sufficient money to buy a new one, I prefer not to, as long as it is not inevitable.

This simple life experience taught me how to live with the bare minimum and live a simple life, taking care of the basic needs by adjusting whatever can be adjusted. This Cooler is really cool in that it taught us to live a cool and simple life. The breakdown and repair process helped me exercise much even in simple matters; learning to trust the Lord in small things too. What a cool Cooler indeed it has been! And what a cool life to trust in the living Lord for all things small and even minute.

Christ Making Home

Yesterday morning in our brothers' fellowship with a mature brother I was enlightened to see what it actually means to allow Christ to make His home in my heart. Doctrinally I know that my mind, emotion, and will need to be transformed to be gained by Christ so as to make my heart His home.  But how do I experience that?

What does it mean for Christ to make His home in our hearts? 

That Christ may make His home in our hearts through faith, that you are rooted and grounded in love. Ephesians 3:17

In Joshua 5:12 footnote 1, we have the three stages of eating; the Passover lamb, the manna, and the good land. All these are types of Christ in different stages in our experience. We might consider having passed out of Egypt having eaten the Passover lamb and also passed out of the wilderness having eaten the manna, but in actuality, we still need the three stages of eating.  

All these years we have been meeting together, to enjoy Christ which is to eat the lamb and to appreciate the redemption of Christ. To eat the lamb means we have nothing. We cannot get out of Egypt by ourselves. The Lord has to show us that we are in a totally destitute situation. 

Why the Israelites were 400 years in Egypt? Just to ensure that they thoroughly understood that without the redemption of Christ they can never get out of Egypt. In the same principle, the Lord has to allow us to fail again and again and again until we eat the Passover lamb for our complete redemption. There are two things the Lord uses very effectively to work on man: 

1. Failure 

2. Time

Why the 400 years? Time is necessary for man to realize that he can not save himself. Then and only then is he prepared to take Christ as his redemption. We fail to such an extent that every part of our being becomes a failure. Our wise God knows how long we should remain in our period of failure. The last 2000 years of church history may be a fulfillment of the 400 years of Israel’s failure in Egypt. Individually, Moses has to be in the wilderness for 40 years. During those 40 years, he was being prepared. He was prepared by living in the wilderness for 40 years. The same is true of every one of us. Did Moses fail in the 40 years? Yes, indeed! He was a total failure! After having such a good start with all the learnings mentioned in Hebrews 12, he ended up with 40 years of training in the wilderness. If you think you are useful in God’s hand, perhaps, you need 40 years of dealing and training. 

What is the preparation of the servant of the Lord? Failures and time. The earlier you recognize this spiritual truth, the better off you’ll be. After 40 years, he didn’t have many struggles. Moses needed 40 years. So, do we. The Lord has to exhaust our hope, then we’re ready for redemption. 

How to experience redemption? Redemption is not just for non-church kids but also for the church kids. We need to eat the lamb our whole life. In the New Jerusalem, Christ is still the Lamb God. There is a remembrance of redemption even in eternity. Eating the lamb is not once for all. Redemption is not once for all. We don't graduate from eating the lamb. Our worshipping the Lord is our enjoying and eating of the Lamb God. The more we see that we are not, the more Christ will be. So, if you fail, again and again, it means that God is teaching you to know Him as the redemption, as the lamb of God, so that you’ll appreciate Christ as your redemption. Even eating the Passover lamb is not so simple - it is intrinsic and organic. 

We need 400 years of Israel corporately and 40 years of Moses personally, the exhausting of Moses’ ambition to serve the Lord, to work for the Lord thinking that he can deliver God's people, should be completely uprooted from our being. That hope is a false hope. Because he can never serve God and deliver God's people and be a blessing, the Lord had to show and expose him to convict him. To the point that he thought at 80, he was finished and good for the grave. The Lord has to bring each one of us to that stage. 

In this light, if you still have hope in yourselves, through failure and time, the Lord will expose your condition. There are no shortcuts in spiritual experiences. It was the 400 years that prepared the Israelites to eat the lamb and received God’s redemption. Gradually we need to have the revelation and see it. The Holy Spirit as the spirit of wisdom and revelation will continue to work out and reveal what we are. We are good for nothing. The question is whether you know it or not. If you don't know it, your enjoyment of Christ is limited. You need to see that you are hopeless. 

After 40 years Moses was ready to enjoy the lamb of God. Otherwise, you’ll think you don't need redemption. You may know the verse in Jeremiah 15:9 that your heart is incurably wicked. But do you realize it? It is a matter of seeing what we are. The sooner we realize it, the better off we will be. It should be no longer I but Christ living in me. Our whole Christian life is Jeremiah 15:9, that we are wicked. The Lord needs to convict us that we are evil. Then you’ll appreciate Christ as redemption. 

Eating the lamb has a precondition: 400 years corporately and 40 years individually of failure and time. You have to be hungry to eat. If you’re oppressed by Pharoah, you want to get out of Egypt. Are we not daily oppressed by Pharoah, Satan? The more you know and see it, eventually after exhausting your hope, you can eat Christ adequately. You think you are not 100%  bad and not incurably wicked. 

In Hebrews 4:12, we have the word operating in us discerning the thoughts and intentions of our heart. Do you think it’ll show how good you are? According to Hebrews 4:13, All things are naked and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we are to give an account. Our actions and thoughts are altogether incurable. Adam and Eve saw their terrible condition. Then God came to prepare a covering for them. Only when we see it, will Christ become our redemption.

How Christ makes His home in our hearts? It means, we see that we have no more hope. We are always not, but we have to see that we are not before we could receive Him who is, to be us. We are all hopeless. If we don't see it, we'll be struggling and trying. If you try, you'll fail. Only one who sees that he is not will enter into rest. The entering into rest in Hebrews 7 and 8, is Joshua 6. 

The good land is called rest in Hebrews. Are you at rest? If you still have hope in yourselves, you’re not at rest. When we are not, we’ll enter into rest. The good land is the rest. In your soul, you can rest. There is no longer a struggle in you. You have experientially understood Matthew 11:28-30. The Lord has to defeat the 7 tribes, the enemy in us. Then we would have Christ as our rest. So, what is Christ making His home in your hearts? It is very subjective, experiential, intrinsic, and organic. It is Christ becoming our rest. 

When we have rest, we have no struggle in our mind thinking about this or that, for our mind will be subdued. Joshua's victory is about subduing the tribes. Our mind, emotion and will need to be subdued. This is the process of Christ making His home in our hearts. 

Do you have problems in coordination? Our love is natural, not Christ. So Christ has to subdue our natural love and preference. When we fail, we give up hope and get exhausted, and don’t fight anymore. Our fighting is a kind of rebellion to be good and independent from God. 

One test from Brother Witness Lee was, “Can you stop”? If you cannot, you can't rest. God's way is to show you that you cannot do anything and give up. Then, you rest. That's the time Christ is beginning to make His home in our hearts. He’ll then be and then become what we are not. That is the defeat of the 7 tribes in our mind, emotion, and will. Thank the Lord for the spirit of reality who guides us into all reality. That's how the Lord subdues our rebellion and independence and natural man. Only then we can rest and see Christ coming into us as everything to us. That's when you begin to feast on the unsearchable riches of Christ in Ephesians 3:8 as Christ would slowly make His home by convicting us that we are not. That is the eating of Christ as the produce in the good land. 

After his fellowship, I declared to all the brothers and to the Lord that I am good for nothing and can do nothing. I simply should eat the lamb for the feast? 

Praise the Lord for this revelation! I should have no hope in myself but only in the Lord.

Winds of Teaching

That we may be no longer little children tossed by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching in the sleight of men, in craftiness with a view to a system of error. Eph. 4:14 

Even as I exhorted you, when I was going into Macedonia, to remain in Ephesus in order that you might charge certain ones not to teach different things. 1 Tim. 1:3 

All teachings that are different from the unique revelation of God’s New Testament economy are considered by the apostles as winds of teaching. The winds of teaching are negative warnings to the churches to be aware of, as such has a subtle intention of creating division in the church. For the building up of the Body of Christ, healthy teaching is of utmost importance. Satan, in his subtlety, twisted the healthy teaching of the Bible and used the teaching to produce different teachings other than God's economy as winds of teaching to accomplish his evil intention of tearing down the building of God. 

If anyone teaches different things and does not consent to healthy words. 1 Tim. 6:3 

The importance of teaching can not be undermined, the Lord himself charged us to teach. But what teaching?

Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 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. Matthew 28:19-20

No church can be built up without the proper teaching. Christian groups emphasizing much on gifts and charismatic experiences only stirred up the emotion of the believers. This never builds up. Only healthy teaching builds up the church. Therefore, many Christian leaders realized this and started to bring their teachings. But we must discern what kind of teaching. Only the healthy teaching of the apostles build up the church and keep the churches in oneness. Else, it may just be winds of teaching. These teachings are not necessarily wrong teaching nor heretical, but not healthy for the building up.

What then is the teaching we have to teach? The apostles' teaching.

Nor to give heed to myths and unending genealogies, which produce questionings rather than God's economy, which is in faith. 1 Tim. 1:4 

Holding to the faithful word, which is according to the teaching of the apostles, that he may be able both to exhort by the healthy teaching and to convict those who oppose. Titus 1:9 

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

Excerpt from The Intrinsic and Organic Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ, Message 5, Outline I, A, B, C.

The teaching of the apostles is the entire teaching of the New Testament as God’s speaking in the Son to His New Testament people—Heb. 1:1-2.

The teaching of the apostles is the unique, divine revelation of God’s New Testament economy from the incarnation of God to the consummation of the New Jerusalem—John 1:14; Rev. 21:2.

The teaching of the apostles is the holding factor of the one accord, causing us to have one heart, one way, and one goal—Acts 1:14; 2:42a, 46a; Jer. 32:39.

The main content of God economy is Christ as the mystery of God, and the church as the mystery of Christ. Any teaching that does not bring us to Christ and build up the church is not the healthy teaching. We must avoid all different teachings other than God's economy, concerning Christ and the church. Any teaching, even a scriptural one, that distracts believers from Christ and the church is a wind that carries believers away from God’s eternal purpose.

This mystery is great, but I speak with regard to Christ and the church. Eph. 5:32 

One erroneous and subtle teaching is the autonomy of the local churches which was taught with an intention of isolating that local churches from the oneness and fellowship of the Body of Christ. The local churches are the expression and manifestation of the Body of Christ in every locality and are all organically related to one another. The local churches are just the procedure for God to gain the one universal Body of Christ. Therefore, there cannot be the autonomy of the local churches.

To avoid the winds of teaching we need to grow in life to be able to discern. For this, a proper and sharp understanding is needed. First, we must know what is real and genuine; having a thorough knowledge of what the proper teaching is. Know first what is real, then you will be able to discern its counterfeits are. Then, we must uphold the faithful word, the healthy teaching of the apostles.

Therefore, we must know what the healthy teaching is, and we must also know what the winds of teaching are. Having known the right and the wrong, we must also pursue the growth in life, uphold the healthy teaching, and speak and teach the healthy teaching.

Lord, preserve me and all the saints to have proper and healthy knowledge of the healthy teaching and be aware of the winds of teaching. We are for the building up of the Body of Christ. Preserve us, Lord! 

Helping Hands

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,  when it is in the power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor, Go, and come back;  and tomorrow I will give it— when you have it with you.  Proverbs 3:27, 28

There are certain people, even among Christian brothers, who just need help and would contact me only when they really need help. Well, I am always ready to help them if it was within my capacity to do so. In fact, I have been doing my best to help people, firstly as a Christian, secondly as a slave of God, and thirdly as a human being. Well, my intention in helping people is with the view that they will also be blessed by God. I do not merely want to do a charity like any other "good" human being. Everything that I do must be with a purpose. The purpose is clear to me; it must mean something to God. If my helping hand is not contributing to God in fulfilling His plan in any way, my helping hand would just be futile. I should not be an instrument of the devil even in my so-called helping hands. 

These days, two brothers have been contacting me because they really need my help. In fact, I have been contacting these ones for shepherding and had spent my time and energy to shepherd them in the best possible way I could. Actually, they received my shepherding for their own benefit, professionally or for their personal need. I knew that as well. But my intention was to shepherd them that they may grow in life and be useful vessels to the Lord with the hope that they can even be built into the Body life. Anyhow they just need my help for their own benefits. At some point, I lost contact with them to the point that one of them even did not bother to receive my call or reply to my text messages for weeks in a row altogether. Nevertheless, I still am open to them should they need anything from me.

One of them recently contacted me to proofread the book he is writing on his profession "Memory Mastery." I did my best to help him as a brother. In fact, he is also the one the Lord saved, a local brother, through my gospel preaching. The Lord has been working in him and he can become quite famous in his field. I have also been praying with him that he grows in life, that his family members be saved, and that he would be a pillar to bear the Lord's testimony.  I believe the Lord will do this, even through all the helping hands I have been rendering. In fact, I have been praying for him to be fully established in the faith and be a strong pillar among the local Haryanvi for the Lord's testimony.

Another brother is an elder brother who has been deeply rooted in a systematized Christianity. Once I invited him to join the Lord's table meeting in Gurugram and sent another brother to pick him up, but he convinced the brother I sent to join his own denominational meeting instead. When I spoke strongly about the truth concerning the church, using all Bible references, truth-wise he had nothing to counter it, but his stand on his own ground he would not budge even an inch. But of late, he called me as he needed help to dispose of his used-car whose life is about to expire. I did my best to simply help him as a brother. I doubt he would not have contacted me at all if not for his need for my help to sell his car. Anyway, I still feel I should respect his feeling and help him in whatever way I could.

Perhaps, I also need to learn just to simply help people without any expectation in return. Though I never wanted anything in return physically, I always wanted that whomever I help would draw near to the Lord Jesus Christ, and be blessed by His eternal help. My help should be ushering them to receive the divine help, the help of all helps.

Amen to the proverbs, "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor, Go, and come back; and tomorrow I will give it— when you have it with you."

God's Gifts

Behold, children are the heritage of Jehovah, 

The fruit of the womb a reward.  Psalms 127:3

The Lord has blessed me and my wife with three blessed children. Though we never expected to have children when we got married due to some medical reasons, still the Lord blessed us in His time. In faith, I accepted whatever the Lord gifted me with. To me, every good gift comes from the Lord and I received them as God's blessings. My wife is a gift, so are all my children. They have been my joy in the Lord and I only pray that my wife and I can be a proper shepherd to the gifts God have bestowed us with, our children. 

My prayer for them has always been that of the Lord Jesus' childhood testimony: 

And the little child grew and became strong, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him. Luke 2:42

As they are growing in grace, I have been praying for the Lord's covering upon each one of them; to be covered from all the attacks of the enemy. That they may grow in the reverential fear of God, in the wisdom and knowledge of God, and that they all become sanctified vessels filled with the word of God and the Holy Spirit to be useful vessels to God. I believe the Lord would hear this sincere prayer of mine for the children He has blessed me with.

All of them have been growing in their academic life normally. So far so good. I am surprised by the pace of growth they have been showing. In corresponding to their age, their learning processes have been laudable. Though they are just 13, 11, and 7 years old respectively, the things they have already learned are amazing. And in many cases, they have crossed over their peers; learning beyond their level. And I am glad that they did it. Praise the Lord!

My first daughter developed a liking for reading and researching. She has been able to work all day long every day to do her school works, all the assignments, researching on her own on the internet, and did not require my help at all. My wife helps her wherever necessary. But mostly she could manage all her works by herself. She also developed a hobby of reading and painting. My son too grows at a normal pace in his studies. And similarly, he likes academic stuff especially Maths, Science, and Quiz on general knowledge. He has also learned and picked up things very fast.  My younger daughter too shows very good progress in her mental development. At her age, she could create her own PPT presentation, made her own stories, and did many things I would not expect from someone of her age.

On the physical activities, they learn whatever they could get hold of. Cycling they all learned it in no time. Music, they all learned it steadily on their won. Keyboard, with the help of my wife, and other instruments like the Ukelele on their own. Once a sister gifted an old roller skate, within few days, by getting help from a YouTube video, they learned skating within our living room. Now they have been so good at it and it has become their good time pass after their class works.

Above all these, we taught them to read their Bible every day, which they all have been reading daily as a part of their life now. And family prayer every night, with prayer for various needs now and then. Gradually, we also pray for their salvation and spiritual growth. We a cautious not to give them any premature spiritual knowledge. We want them to grow and learn in time.

As much as children are gifts from God they must also be consecrated to the Lord for His purpose; in whatever He pleases to use them. As far as I am concerned, I have already consecrated all my children to the Lord already, as much as I consecrated my whole life to serve Him.

Last week on my 43rd Birthday, on the 21st of June, my younger daughter prepared a Birthday Card for me. It was so lovely and it meant much to me a the card is also filled with meanings.  This reminds me of the blessing the Lord has bestowed upon me. The cards are enclosed and the messages are loud and clear.

Praise the Lord for all our children, God's gifts to us! Our family is for Christ and the Church, our gifts to God!
      

Shepherding Calls

Last week I received two calls; one from a sister and the other from a brother. The first call was a report of a certain brother who used to be in the church life and who became negative due to a certain misunderstanding with a full-time serving brother. The result of his disagreement on the matter led him even to speak negatively about the church life, the saints, and even the ministry. The call was basically to let me know the situation of the brother and his family and find ways to shepherd him practically. This brother's wife recently went through a serious health issue and that opened the door for him to be shepherded. Though out of anger he burst out many unnecessary and negative words to the saints, but now the Lord has also dealt with him to realize the mistake he had committed, and that he should be clear about the truth irrespective of someone's reaction to his queries. Having heard this report, we prayed together for the Lord to come in shepherd this brother's family.

After that fellowship, I received an offering to be passed on to the needy saints. Today, as I considered to whom to transfer this offering, the Lord reminded me of this brother. Therefore, I contacted him and transferred the offering, with some cherishing messages. Thus, the Lord led me to practically be able to shepherd his family. This was based on the phone call I received from a sister. A shepherding call!

Another phone call was for a visit of a brother's family for a time of love-feast fellowship with my family. Last Saturday, the family came to spend time with us. We enjoyed the love feast and the cherishing mutual care. At the same time, this family was also in need. First, I helped them to file the sister's income tax which I have been filing for the past few years. Second, they were in need of a new laptop for their children's online class. They did not have enough money to buy a new one. Besides, they also needed a printer for the children's assignments. 

In fact, the past few months the Lord has been burdening me about helping this family by gifting them an old office computer that has not been in use for quite some time now due to its oldness. But I hesitated for some reason. And a printer too, I repaired and tried to use it for my family's need, but somehow I did not have the peace. Therefore, I bought a new one for our family's needs. So this printer was available to be given. But again, I hesitated for some reason.

But when the family came to visit our family, the Lord impressed me strongly that I should offer this old computer and printer as they are not being used anyway. These will be a great help to the family. With that inward prompting, and with the grace I have been enjoying in my official service, I did have the right to give it out. So I gave the old computer and the printer to the family. This was great help and relief to the family as they have been struggling with their finance. This was also based on the phone call for a visit to our family.

These two phone calls accomplished a lot practically in a matter of shepherding the needy saints. What a blessing to be under the Lord's shepherding and be able to shepherd one another! The two calls shepherded me to shepherd others. Thank God for those shepherding calls.

Another Bite?

Last night as I went out to pray, as usual, I was led to take a particular road as I did the prayer walk. As I took the walk and prayed within too, some street dogs barked at me for no reason. I simply ignored them and continued my walk. At one point, I saw three big dogs playfully running around a man feeding them on the street. I was walking towards them as it was my walk-path. Suddenly. these playful dogs turned towards me, ran, and without barking much gave me a strong deep bite on my leg where I have bitten two months ago. Then after the bite, they ran away. I was shocked that they actually bit me. As I observed the bite marks, I saw blood oozing out. I rushed back home and did the cleansing with flowing water, disinfected it, and applied the medicine the doctor prescribed me when I was bitten the previous time. This led me to deep and careful consideration, why?

Perhaps, the Lord must have a message for me to learn from the incident. No incident is an accident with the believers. Every incident is allowed by the Lord and there is a reason behind it. I really looked to the Lord for what could be the lesson I need to learn from this another bite. In the first bite, it was a message from the Lord not allowing me to shift out as the bite occurred when I went to look out for a vacant bungalow for rent. And of course, that also led me closer to my children and drawing their love and affection. This time, I feel the time of my prayer needs to be changed. I prefer the night walk after dinner and family prayer time. Perhaps, the Lord wanted me to spend prayer time in the morning instead and adjust my daily routine a bit. Perhaps, my daily schedule has to be adjusted; cutting off unwanted frustration and developing a new, better, and healthy lifestyle.

Coincidentally, on the same evening, I was assigned to coordinate with a brother to speak a message on "A Time with the Lord" in a seekers' meeting for the state of Karnataka. I released the burden and importance of a Christian needing to spend time with the Lord. Even a set time to touch the Lord in the spirit and enjoy His presence, receive His speaking and release His burden. I also spoke on the matter of spending time with the Lord in the word by way of pray-reading the word of God.  A good number of seekers attended the meeting online. It was after this meeting that another bite from a dog happened to me. It could be interpreted as the enemy hating me to speak the Lord's word, especially on the basic and important practice of spending time with the Lord in prayer and in the word.  And much more hating me spending time with the Lord.

Of course, as a matter of precaution, I called up a brother who is a medical doctor. He medically advised me that I need not worry about this another bite as I had already taken the Rabbi vaccination from the first dog bites. I simply have to treat the wound carefully and let it heal naturally. No matter what, I have to learn what the Lord wants me to learn. Another bite for another life lesson!

Lord, grace me to learn whatever spirutal lesson You want me to learn throught this another bite.