Twenty Five Years Ago Classmates

After a couple of weeks awaiting when a WhatsApp group was started for my high school classmates 25 years ago, today I have the leading from the Lord to introduce myself and share my testimony with a burden to shepherd one another. Therefore, the following message was posted; my first post ever, and I trust many more will be posted. The burden and the intensity to testify were so great that I had to wait and pray for this moment over and over again. It was even like a birth pang to deliver "new babies". I believe the Lord wants to do something great, something new, to all my acquaintances. May the Lord continue to lead me on and bless this virtual ministry as well.

Greetings!

Dear Friends,

I count it all joy to be reconnected again after 25 years! Perhaps, reckoning this virtual reunion as our Silver Jubilee after our last high school scholastic adieu in 1995.

Just a brief introduction to bust all myths about assumptions and suppositions.

1994 We were all classmates in St. Mary's School, Tuibuang, CCPur

1995 Passed out HSLC

1995-1997 PUC, St. Anthony's College, Shillong

1997-2000 BSc Computer Science, St. Anthony's College, Shillong

2000-2003 MCA, Madras Christian College, Chennai

2003-2005 Training in Biblical truths and practical Christian and church services

Turning Point - Salvation

It was on the 31st Dec 1997 night that I had a very miraculous yet spiritual encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ personally that changed my life from that point on. In fact, everything changed, inside out. In biblical terms, I was "Born Again." (John 1:12; 3:3,5,6) despite being already a Christian in name and having read the Bible cover to cover at least five times then, and a regular churchgoer. Since then, my life, goal, thinking, views, opinions, character, perspective, academic or professional career, et al., completely changed and took a new turn. It just happened, I can't help it. It's the sure mercy of God indeed, looking back, I can only thank and worship the Lord for His great mercy. And now, I can testify, it has always been for the best!

In fact, I wanted to serve the Lord after my graduation right away and prayed about it, but the Lord sovereignly led me to Chennai for my  Master's degree in Computer Science. While in my final semester working as a software engineer trainee in an IT company in Chennai, I experienced two miraculous incidents of the Lord's indirectly calling me to serve Him. I could not discern the voice of God succinctly then.

Following this, I was very desperate to find out what the Lord wanted me to be. The following days, weeks, and months were filled with prayer and studying the Bible with much hunger and thirst. I lost all my physical appetite for food or for anything else, being deeply engulfed with the burden to know God's perfect will for me. The Lord graced me with a reverential fear towards Him not to miss His perfect will. My only one aim in life and prayer was, "Lord, I want nothing, but your perfect will." All prayers were with this one million dollar question, "What is God's perfect will for my life?" 

God's Call

On the blissful new year's eve of 2003, I was gracefully burdened to fast and pray the whole night. The prayer burden just drove me "crazy" to pray and pray and pray. It was the early morn of 1st Jan 2003, after my whole night prayer, when I read the Bible, God spoke to me through His word:

And now, O Israel, what does Jehovah your God ask of you except that you fear Jehovah your God so that you would walk in all His ways and love Him and serve Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 10:12 

The logos of the written word became the rhema, living word, speaking to me, "O Palmei, what does Jehovah your God ask of you except that you fear Jehovah your God so that you would walk in all His ways and love Him and serve Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul."

My whole life came to a standstill at that moment. My life's path and goal have been set once and for all. All questions answered! All doubts cleared! All my life's dilemma of choosing between a software engineer in an IT company, or an academic pursuit of Ph.D. in Computer Science as suggested and offered by a former teacher, or give up all and serve the true and living God, came to an end. The living God has called me to serve Him and I heed to His clarion call. Amen.

For they themselves report concerning us what kind of entrance we had toward you and how you turned to God from the idols to serve a living and true God. 1 Thessalonians 1:9

Since 2006, I have been married to a Chinese-speaking sister from Taiwan, an LLB academically, who also gave up her whole life to serve the Lord in India. Now we are blessed with three children, Bliss, Amana, and Christy. As a family, we are serving the Lord as all Christians should and are based presently in Gurugram, near New Delhi, and I often travel for the ministry.

Just a Christian

I am not a "Pastor" nor a "Missionary" as many presumed me to be. I am simply and only a "Christian" like any other Christians including all of you who truly believes into the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord loves me and is pleased to choose me to serve Him. I am still learning to live, serve, and follow Him by His grace day by day. Officially, I serve in a Christian literature service as one of the directors of Amana Literature Pvt. Ltd., with many other serving ones. And the rest of my time, I give it to the service of the local church I am in, for my family, and for others in need. My service can be best described as in:

Clossians 1:25-29

Of which I became a minister according to the stewardship of God, which was given to me for you, to complete the word of God,

The mystery which has been hidden from the ages and from the generations but now has been manifested to His saints;

To whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory,

Whom we announce, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man full-grown in Christ;

For which also I labor, struggling according to His operation which operates in me in power.

Your friend and brother always,

Palmeichung Rongmei (Muanthang Palmei)

Spiritual Offspring

Bearing spiritual fruits is a necessity for the Lord to continue His move on the earth. When the Lord was on the earth He gained twelve disciples, of course, one of them betrayed him, but nonetheless, a replacement was brought in after His resurrection and ascension. The Lord also gained seventy besides the twelve whom He sent out two by two for the preaching of the gospel. After His ascension, there were a hundred and twenty who believed in His word and waited for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and experienced it on the day of Pentecost. Thenceforth, the gospel was preached to the whole inhabited earth. 

Though Paul was not even among the twelve, seventy, nor the one twenty, he was greatly used by the Lord in the New Testament ministry for the propagation of the Lord's work and also for the building up of the Body of Christ. Paul further gained some young brothers like Timothy, Titus, Epaphroditus, and a few others, who became very instrumental in the Lord's move in His heavenly ministry.

And He Himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as shepherds and teachers, For the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ, Until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13

For God to accomplish His heart's desire there is a definite need for many perfected saints to build up the Body of Christ and bring the saints to arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. For this, there is an urgent need for gaining spiritual offspring.

Yes, there must be the preaching of the gospel for the gaining of sinners unto salvation. We need quantity in our spiritual work. Yet, we must go a step ahead to gain quality out of the quantity. By the way, quality comes only from quantity. Therefore, out of the many new ones gained, there must be some specifically perfected ones to do what we have been doing. Perfecting, in general, is needed for the church life. But much more, perfecting in a definite way to produce functioning members to carry on what we have been doing is the urgent need.

For this, the ministry offers great help in perfecting the saint. Feeding the saints with the healthy word of God that they may grow in life and become useful members in the Body of Christ. For this, we must be aggressive in shepherding the saints; we should not passively wait for the saints to come to us to shepherd them. We need to make sure to help the saints with the ministry of the word with all purity and sincerity. The ministry of Brother Watchman Nee and Witness Lee offers a great help today for our perfecting works in leading ourselves and the saints to the ministry.

The saints will have a lot of problems in their lives. Our responsibility is not merely to help solve their problems. Much more, we have to lead them to the word of God that they themselves experience the Lord in such a way that they can shepherd others. The more we engage in problem-solving of the saints, we will end up trying to solve problems for problems among the saints will never be solved completely until they know how to be shepherding with the word of God in a deeper way. The fact that they have been having problems proves that they are in need of proper shepherding with the proper healthy spiritual food. They need to be helped with the divine life supply and the subjective experience of the knowledge of Jehovah.

Well to come to this level of usefulness, we also need to be dealt with by the Lord. The Lord dealt with Job to the extent that he abhored himself to the uttermost.

Then Job answered Jehovah and said, I know that You can do all things and that no purpose of Yours can be restrained. Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Hear now, and I will speak; I will ask of You, and You shall inform me. I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye has seen You; Therefore I abhor myself, and I repent in dust and ashes. Job 42:1-6

Therefore, the result of God's dealing upon Job was God's abundant blessings. 

Thus Jehovah blessed Job’s latter end more than his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep and six thousand camels and a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand female donkeys. And he had seven sons and three daughters. And he named the first Jemimah, and the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. And in all the land no women were found as beautiful as the daughters of Job. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. And after this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; and he saw his children and his grandchildren, even four generations. And Job died, old and full of days. Job 42:12-17

May I be shepherded by the Lord through the members of His Body and through His word and be dealt with thoroughly to the extent that it is no longer I but Christ who lives in me and be blessed by the God of blessing abundantly.

My Classmates

In 2000 I was enrolled for an MCA course in MCC. After graduation, the Lord has led me to the training and has been gracing me to serve Him full time ever since. All these years I have been praying for my ex-classmates. The Lord did gain some of them to be my prayer partners, some believers to join me in the Christian fellowship online, and a good number of them are yet to be saved. For the believing and unbelieving classmates, I have been offering prayer; for strengthening the faith of the believers and for the salvation of the unbelievers. To that extent, we have also started a monthly online Praye Meet every last Saturday of the month. Though the ones attending are not many, at least the Lord gave me two brothers, the same ones who have been my prayer mate since college days, and now too. 

By and large, all my master's degree classmates have been doing well academically and professionally too. But my one desire before the Lord is that those who are not yet saved be saved one day. I pray that none of them would face physical death until they receive the divine life by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Lest I would be grieved for not being able to pray through for the salvation of my classmates. I have been praying for their salvation and will continue to do so. I can only trust the Lord for the answer to this one prayer. As for the Christian classmates, I pray that they also get to see the heavenly vision of Christ and the church and be recovered for the Lord's testimony one day, wherever they are.

The WhatsApp group for these classmates was created and the Lord grace me the freedom to share openly the word of God now and then, especially on the special occasions of my classmates.

Last week, another WhatsApp group was created for my 1994 High School classmates. Though the majority are Christians, I have been a little disappointed by not being able to see anything Christian in the thousand of posts so far within a span of a few days. Socializing online is the apt word for this group. My heart aches to see some of my classmates in a very low estate professionally and even spiritually. I wonder if I can ever participate in such free jesting. Nevertheless, as the Lord leads, I would join in and learn to mingle with them and be a channel of blessing to them. As I have been praying for my Master's degree classmates, now I have to add my high school classmates to the prayer list. More burden, more prayer, and more blessing too.

By the way, today my Bible study portion is a timely warning to me:

Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children; And walk in love, even as Christ also loved us and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor. But fornication and all uncleanness or greediness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints, And obscenity and foolish talking or sly, filthy jesting, which are not becoming, but rather the giving of thanks. For this you realize, knowing that every fornicator or unclean person or greedy person (who is an idolater) has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with vain words, for because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; For you were once darkness but are now light in the Lord; walk as children of light (For the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), Proving what is well pleasing to the Lord. And do not participate in the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather even reprove them. Ep 5:1-11

I pray that at the proper time, the Lord would give me the word to minister to all my classmates. Until then, I can observe and wait in prayer. 

Lord, save and bless all my classmates, from my high school days to my Master's degree classmates.

Deep Calls Unto Deep

Deep calls unto deep. Psalm 42:7 

A week ago a brother enquired from me about my availability to share the concluding word in an online seminar for Telugu speaking seekers on the topic "Deep Calls Unto Deep." My innate response within was, "O Lord, I am not qualified to speak this message. I know myself, I am not that deep to speak on the depth of the experiences of God." Nevertheless, whenever an opportunity comes, or rather an assignment is given, I reckon it as from the Lord and simply say "Amen," trusting in the speaking God.

The burden and the truths I am clear.  Even with the experience, I cannot deny that I have some. But to present this truth, I only fully depend on the Lord. My presentation of the truth should also match my experience of the truth. Therefore, this message is apt for me.  

Only a call from the depths can provoke a response from the depths. Nothing shallow can ever touch the depths, nor can anything superficial touch the inward parts. Only the deep will respond to the deep. 

We can minister to people only to the extent to which we ourselves have experienced. For this, we need to have deep roots in the Lord. 

What is a root? It is growth that occurs beneath the soil. What are the leaves? They are growth that occur above the soil. In other words, roots are the hidden life, whereas leaves are the manifest life.

Two seeming contrasting verses are presented in the gospel of Matthew:

"You are the light of the world. It is impossible for a city situated upon a mountain to be hidden" (Matt. 5:14). 

"When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; ...when you pray, enter into your private room, and shut your door and pray to your Father who is in secret" (Matt. 6:3-4, 6). 

Yes, we are the light of the world. But the extent to which we can shine forth the light depends on the extent to which we have been rooted in Christ. The deeper our roots are, the better our leaves will be. There are two examples in the Bible of a superficial living and a deep experience of the Lord. 

Example of Hezekiah: Superficial and Shallow

"And Hezekiah was glad for them and showed them his treasury, the silver and the gold, and the spices and the precious oil, and his whole armory and everything which was found among his treasures" (Isaiah 39: 2). 

Hezekiah could not overcome the temptation to display everything after he had just been wonderfully healed of his sickness. In his selfish joy, he displayed all his treasures foolishly. Then what followed must serve as a warning to all. 

"Hear the word of Jehovah of hosts: Behold, the days are coming when everything which is in your house and which your fathers have laid up as a treasure unto this day will be carried away to Babylon; nothing will be left, says Jehovah" (39:5-6). 

This proves that the measure in which we display things to others will be the measure of our own loss. The measure in our life that we exhibit before others will be the measure we give up in ourselves.  This is a negative example we have to pay heed to.

Testimony of Paul: Spiritual Depth

Paul was the exact opposite of Hezekiah. Instead of boasting of his experiences, he tried his best to keep them secret. Yet because he was questioned of his apostleship, he was forced to testify of his spiritual experience. And that too, he did it only fourteen years after, not immediate at all. He told the Corinthians, "To boast is necessary, though indeed not expedient" (2 Cor. 12:1). He admitted that it was "not profitable" for himself to write what he wrote in 2 Corinthians 12. But for the sake of others, he had to do it; he was obliged to speak of "visions and revelations of the Lord." Even when he spoke about his experiences, he vaguely said, "I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body I do not know, or outside the body I do not know; God knows) such a one was caught away to the third heaven" (v. 2). He did not divulge any detail of what he saw or what he heard; he simply mentioned it vaguely for the sake of the doubting and critical believers in Corinthians. He maintained his deep spiritual roots and did not expose them to be dried away.  That was Pauls's secret of spirituality.

O what a grief to see many fellow Christians openly testifying and making news of their petty little spiritual experiences of healings and miracles!  In fact, I fear for such ones, they exposed themselves to the enemy's attack. No depth, no roots, only shallow and empty vessels making much noise. No wonder, the state of Christian is in such a shamble today. No stability and is very vulnerable to the enemy's attack from all angles. May the Lord preserve us to preserve our roots in Him.

Brothers and sisters, this matter of root is a matter of extreme importance. If you want to have Paul's work, then you need to have Paul's "root"; if you want to have Paul's outward conduct, then you need to have Paul's inner life; if you want to have Paul's manifest power, then you need to have Paul's secret experience.

We must testify only for the glory of God according to His leading. There may have been many deeper spiritual experiences, but they must be hidden. This is vital for the Christian life. Many spiritual experiences need to be hidden as our secret treasure before the Lord. We must avoid too much exposure and drawing men's attention and stealing God's glory. Yes, there is an aspect of giving testimony. But at the Lord's command only.

"Go to your house, to your own people, and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you" (Mark 5:19).

Lest our roots are exposed and dried up to death, may we live a hidden life before the Lord, a deep root in Christ. To be without root is to be without any treasure; it is to be without any hidden life or hidden experiences. It is essential that some of our experiences remain covered; to uncover everything is to lose everything.

Death and exposure go together, and spiritual dryness and exposure also go together.  God covers those who cover their roots, and God does not protect those who disclose their roots; they will be exposed to attacks. 

Whatever secrets we have with the Lord must be preserved. We can only move according to God's instruction within us. Only if He moves within us to reveal something, dare we reveal it. If He wants us to share some experience with a brother, we dare not withhold it, for that would be violating a law of the members of the Body of Christ. One law of the members of the Body of Christ is fellowship. 

The Lord has indeed graced me to minister the word as the concluding and strengthening word. I have discharged my duty, and now I must pursue Christ to have a deeper root in the Lord. That what I had ministered must also be what was ministered to me. 

May the Lord grace me to have the depth of the riches of Christ stored secretly hidden within as my depth that I may be able to minister when the need so arises. Deep call s unto deep.

Labor of Love

Remembering unceasingly your work of faith and labor of love and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father. 1 Thessalonians 1:3

The past week the Lord has been gracious to me in reviving the hope I have in shepherding. One morning, our Life-study pursuit was on First Thessalonians concerning the work of faith and labor of love and I came to realize that all the shepherding I have been carrying out are works of faith and labor of love. The Lord has blessed me with saints and new ones that I can labor on. And He has been gracing me to continue shepherding them despite their responses. 

In fact, for a couple of months, I have given up four families as I felt that there was no point in continuing further in shepherding. For some reason or the others, there was no response from my side and their side as far as shepherding was concerned. Perhaps, the Lord was working on me in caring for those who are "troublesome". When I sense "troubles" in caring for these ones, I kind of backed off and prayed for them continually. I believe that was also the Lord's leading at that time to give them a lean season and also for me to learn to trust in the Lord and not in what I think I can do. Therefore, for months altogether, no contact, no fellowship, but only prayers for them.

Last week, the Lord burdened me to call one of the families and recovered the fellowship. In spite of the gap, his family was still very open to me and even requested for more fellowship and prayer. So after a considerable gap, the Lord has restored our fellowship again.

Another brother's family was to do with his vision and work. Because of his mixed situation in Christian service and experience, I intentionally did not feel good to follow him up for a couple of months. Last week the Lord prompted me to call and fellowship with him during my prayer time. When I called him, it was indeed the right time. In fact, he has also gone through some "misunderstanding" with the organization he has been working with, and besides, the Lord also revealed to him that he should follow His call. He had veered away from the calling to labor in the city by going to remote places carrying out an organization's burden. This affected his family life and his function as a gospel preaching. After the recovered fellowship, he began to open up about his real situation and I discovered that it was the right time to call him.

In the second call, he further shared his feeling concerning his need for the Body's fellowship and that he could not go on doing his own independent works. He confessed his need for the Body's support. I was glad to hear that from him. Today many successful evangelists are independent and they love to be independent, not willing to coordinate with anyone nor be adjusted in any way. But my brother has the sense and consciousness of the Body. This was joyful news to me. He also realized his mistakes in the past in our coordination. Now he feels the Lord has been dealing with him in bringing him back to the fellowship of the Body. Immediately, I assured him that I would bring the matter to fellowship with the brothers serving in the work in India.

The following day I fellowshipped with the brothers and they also felt good to bring him into fellowship. Therefore, he was introduced to the brothers in New Delhi for his church life for the time being as the church has not yet been raised up in his locality.

Another family was being recovered back into the fellowship and they turned up for the Lord's table meeting yesterday, surprisingly though. In fact, a home meeting has also started in their homes. I was glad to see them. In fact, the debt this family had due to the pandemic was somehow paid off through the offerings. It was made clear to them that they need not worry but learn to fellowship in the Body. 

Finally, with another brother's family, we started a home meeting every Lord's day night. In the first two meetings, I had a personal fellowship with the brother. Since last Lord's day-night we started pursuing Life Lessons with everyone functioning in pursuing the truth and speaking the truth. 

In this way, the Lord has been recovering back the families He has blessed the church in Gurugram. May the Lord continue to grace the shepherding work, the labor of love, until all become function members in the Body to bear the Lord's testimony together here in this city  Gurugram.

Be in Health

Beloved, concerning all things I wish that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers. 3 John 2

Serving the Lord is practical and possible only when one is in good health and strength. Without this, spirituality in a weak body will not be of much use. Therefore, brothers have been speaking again and again of the need to maintain good health and even live long life until the Lord comes back. This is not merely for selfish long-living, but for the Lord's testimony. And within this span of life, one can learn and gain more of Christ to the extent that he becomes mature and be an overcomer.  Good health is a necessity in serving the Lord.

Though our lives are in the Lord's hand, and our longevity also depends on His sovereignty and blessing, and yet certain factors also contribute to how one takes care of his health. A proper view concerning health is needed. Extremity is dangerous. In the name of the Lord's work, one cannot neglect his health. Within the capacity the Lord has given us, we must take good care of our health; eat healthy food, exercise normally, and maintain the God-given body.

When I was much younger, I wish to be an overcomer and die soon to meet the Lord. In fact, in my late twenties, I used to pray that if the Lord so will, He could take me and I would not want to live a life of facing many hurdles. As long as the Lord would deem me fit to be with Him unto eternity, I would choose the easier path of being with Him; the sooner the better. But the Lord has renewed my concept and not I wish to take good care of my health and live long for the Lord's testimony unless the Lord feels it otherwise. Paul also had this conversation with the Lord about his wish to live on the earth for the sake of the believers though he would personally prefer to be with the Lord unto eternity. 

Last week the Lord has given me and my wife a strong feeling to check up on our health. Now we are in our early forties, middle age, and it's a crucial time to pay heed to our health so that we can live long and serve the Lord better with the view of having sufficient time to mature in life. In fellowship with a sister who is a doctor in a hospital in New Delhi, we went for a Neurologist consultation. Then based on the doctor's advice we also did a complete health check-up.

Once the result came, we came to know what we need to care for. For me, I am deficient in Vitamin D and my bad cholesterol is above the normal level. These are the two things I need to take care of. Immediately, I had a sense within me to take care of this. I adjusted my diet and modified my living style. This change happened organically. The revelation of my true body condition enabled me to take the necessary steps before it is too late. 

In a similar manner, I have also been enlightened about my true spiritual condition. I need a proper God-man living, a normal Christian life, eating and drinking the Lord in and through the word and prayer. These days I have been hungry and eating the Lord through the word daily. Should the Lord wish so, I desire to complete my ongoing personal project of completing my Life-study pursuing by 2022 including listening to all the Radio programs of the Life-study of the Bible.  The Lord has been gracing me to pursue the Life-studies by reading and also by listening. I have been utilizing every break time to listen to the brothers' speaking in addition to my daily Bible studies, reading the Bible text, and other corporate pursuing of the ministry. All these are for my spiritual health.

May the Lord grace me to continue to have a good spiritual appetite to continually enjoy Him in the word and through the ministry of the word, and also take care of my physical health, to have good health and long life for His testimony. 

Yes, concerning all things I wish that I may prosper and be in health, even as my soul prospers. Lord, grace me good health.

Graciously Lend

The Lord has been faithfully providing all our needs and He will continue to do so as He cares for His children. As a loving Father, He meets the needs of all His children in His own way and at His own time. His provision to all His children has always been because He is the sovereign God and much more, a loving Father. Despite the failures and weaknesses of His children, His love towards them never fails. I am blessed to be one of the many children of God whom He has been faithfully caring for. His supply has always been timely, sufficient, and in abundance. Whenever our expenses go up, His supplies become higher and still meet all the needs. His supplies are not merely according to my need, but according to His riches. Hallelujah!

And my God will fill your every need according to His riches, in glory, in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

A week ago, a brother texted me if he could open up on some matters which he would like to keep it confidential. He was asking for my persmission if he could let me know what he really needed at the moment. Without any hesitiation I replied in the affirmative. Then, he opened up his situation mentioning his urgent need to borrow money. After a second thought, I replied that I would pray over and fellowship with my wife and let him know our decision later.

Later in the evening as I spent time with the Lord asking if we should help our needy brother, the reply I received in fellowship with the Lord was spontenous, "Why not?" On careful consideration, the Lord aslo provided the necessary financial blessing to be able to help him. Actually, one of our FDs got matured recently and I didn't even have time to withdraw or do anything about it. The bank atutmoctially created a new FD. This is the same amount my brother had asked for loan. Then I fellowshipped with my wife and she readily agreed to helping our brothe in need. Therefore, the following day, without any further delay, I went to the bank, closed the said FD, and transferred the amount to our bnroher in need. 

A few dasy later, the Lord spoke to me during my Bible study time, the following verse from Psalms.

It is well with the man who is gracious and lends; He will maintain his cause in judgment. He has scattered abroad; he has given to the needy; His righteousness endures forever; His horn will be exalted with honor. Psalms 112:5, 9

What a joy and peace I have within in cooperating with the moving Triune God in caring for the need of His chidlren! He has been caring for me all this while, and now I can co-work with Him in caring for the needs of my fellow brothers. 

Praise the Lord for His wonderful, loving, and timely care!