Accidental Incident

Faithfulness is the character that drives me in my service. No matter what responsibilities, I desire to be faithful in all, at whatever cost. Therefore, as I have been graced to oversee the practical carrying out of the proofreading project of the New Testament Recovery Version in four Indian languages, I take Christ as my grace to discharge my responsibilities well.  The Lord has been gracing me thus far.

Today, I had a task to carry out that needed my physical going out to purchase medicines, food items, and office supplies. I tried my best to do it even when I had to take the risk of riding a bike in a new area. I was so strong willed that I wanted to finish this task as soon as possible. Therefore, I used a bike that belongs to the campus we are in and rode it for the first time in decades. I also took along a helper sitting at the back. As I rode on, I slipped on a dusty road and lost my balance. Within a fraction of a second, I found myself falling down on the road. Thank God, no heavy vehicle sped behind and we were saved. Though the helper and I had minor injuries, mine on my two knees on which I hit the road and my right thigh suffered gradual pain. But it will be healed soon.

Circumstances did not allow me to do what I intended to do. Nevertheless, the Lord gave me a helper, a brother who helped me in purchasing most of the important items required for the project work. He has been such a good coordinator that he made himself available at my beck and call. Thank God for such dear brothers. 

I have learned my lesson that even though I wanted to be faithful, I cannot be faithful on my own. I needed the Lord as my faithfulness. Save for His grace, I can do nothing. This accidental incident is a circumstantial leading of the Lord for me not to proceed for what He did not want me to. Praise the Lord!

An Impromptu Meeting

Yesterday, as we were eating our lunch the general manager of the campus came and introduced their founding director who chanced to visit the campus for some reason. I had the privilege to listen to him at the dinning hall. After lunch, he invited me to his office for more fellowship.

Most of the time I was listening to all he had to say, ranging from how he started serving the Lord,  and how it grew and grew until it became very big with about 20,000 work force. Though it was his success story as a Christian enterprise worker, I was not moved at all. Deep within I took him as a warning not to venture too much into works and turn the service of the Lord into a social organization doing charitable works. That definitely is not my call. I wish to serve the Lord without any mixture whatsoever. I pray that the Lord would preserve me to be pure in heart and pure in motive..

In the meeting, he also mentioned about his biggest "sin" in his entire life; falling into the trap of the enemy in the area where he deemed best to take the stand of integrity and righteousness. The very character he propagated is the very character he fell against. I don't understand why he narrated his failure to a total stranger like me, his child's age, and that too in my meeting with him for the first time. I simply listened and listened and took precautions in ways I need not repeat. I opened myself to learn and learn from the aged and the experienced ones, from their successes and failures too.

When I got the opportunity, I introduced the Holy Bible, Recovery Version and showed him some crucial footnotes that impressed him a lot. I promised to gift him the Holy Bible, Recovery Version officially. I also shared a little bit of my testimony and also answerd his question on how we operates the literature service in India. 

Then, after about two hours' fellowship, I felt the need to stop the meeting. He also sensed that it was time. Therefore, he offered prayers for himself, his burdens, and also for me and my family.

As I was about to leave, he kept repeating his mistake he had committed in some official dealings and expressed his deep regret in his failure in the very matter he firmly stood for, I took the opportunity to let him know that God wanted none of our human endeavor, therefore, He allowed us to fail so that we trust in ourself no more. I quoted Job's life of how God striped and dealt with him to gain Him and also quoted Paul's word that our Christian life should be "no longer I but Christ".

“I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20, RecVer)

I was glad for the open door through him as a well known Christian leaders through whom, perhaps, the ministry books can be introduced and distributed. May the Lord bless our relationship for the furtherance of His divine move.

New Testament Recovery Version Proofreading

The Lord in His sovereignty has made it possible for India to be able able have the New Testament Recovery Version Bible in seven Indian languages. Four of which have finished the translation and we have fixed a time for the final proofreading from 3rd Jan to 7th Feb 2022. For this purpose, a brother and I have come to Hyderabad for the preparatory work. A day later, three saints from USA also joined us and we were working out all the practical details before the project actually began.

In all the preparatory works I have been learning the lesson of coordination, fellowship, prayer, and practical laboring. Each day has been a busy day, and I am blessed being busy. From morning till night, I enjoyed laboring and laboring. It was such a joy to be able to labor and yet be very joyful. This has been a wonderful experience for me. The best food and hospitality were arranged for all within the available facilities. The saints who volunteered were also happy with the best we could provide. As much as I know, all the saints were laboring faithfully and happily.

In all the aspects, we all enjoyed blending, coordinating, and serving together. The Lord will continue to accomplish what He had began. Praise be to Him and may India be blessed with the word of God richly. 

Guiding Star

Last Thursday I had to minister to the believers in Bhopal over Zoom call as I could not do so for the past three weeks. I was traveling and busy fellowshipping with saints in different localities. Deep within me I felt I should somehow serve the new believers with the living Word of God. Therefore, I compensated all my absences for the past three weeks by volunteering to minister on last Thursday night. 

The Lord gave me the timely word to minister to them, "following the guiding stars absolutely and faithfully". This message came from my reading of the word in Matthew 2. 

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, Saying, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star at its rising and have come to worship Him.” (Matthew 2:1-2, RecVer)

The magi knew the word of God and followed God's leading through the living star. That's how they ended up in Jerusalem when many of the Jews in Jerusalem who also knew the Scriptures did not bother about the Lord’s birth at all.

“And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written through the prophet: “And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, by no means are you the least among the princes of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a Ruler, One who will shepherd My people Israel.”” (Matthew 2:5-6, RecVer)

They should have been faithfully following the living star until it led them to Jesus Christ who was born in Bethlehem. But they were not absolute in obeying the word of God nor were they absolute in following the living star. They have come all the way upto Jerusalem and should have gone further till Bethlehem, but in between they applied their human wisdom and diverted in Jerusalem. If Jesus was the king of the Jews, they logically concluded that He must be born in Jerusalem, the city of the Jews. Therefore, keeping aside the word of prophesy and the living star, they went and enquired about the birth of Jesus from Herod instead. This stired up the hornets nest and provoked the king of the Jews to kill the King of the Jews. The magi's foolish mind cost the city of Bethlehem dearly; it led to the killing of all male children, two years and below.

“Then Herod, seeing that he had been mocked by the magi, became greatly enraged, and sending out men, he did away with all the boys who were in Bethlehem and in all its borders from two years old and under, according to the time that he had accurately determined from the magi.” (Matthew 2:16, RecVer)

But as the magi realized their mistake, they turned away from Herod and also from Jerusalem, and the star appeared again. This time they learnt their lesson, they followed the start again and never came back to Herod.

Spiritually speaking, our Christian life is also like that of the magi. Many knew the Scriptures well but were hardly obedient to what the word of God says. To many, they began well by following the Scriptures, but at a later time they deviated from following it through unto the end. Somewhere somehow, they applied their human wisdom and override the word of God. But the Lord is merciful, it did not allow them a total damage to His children's unfaithfulness. In measure, He corrected them and led them to the straight path again. Nevertheless, certain damages have been done already. This must serve as a stern warning to all the children of God.

This was the living message the Lord burdened me to share with the new believers in Bhopal. In ministering the word of God I myself was ministered to, the same message I ministered in the church in Gurugram on 31st December night meeting; encouraging the saints to read the word and be absolutely obedient to the word of God.

Lord, grace me and the saints to read and know the word, and also be obedient to absolutely follow the Lord.

Gospel Preaching

It was the 25th of December which was a general holiday. The day being such a significant one in the world,  many people have celebrated it as the birthday of the Lord Jesus Christ. Though this celebration nor the date has no validity scripturally, it has become a ritualistic day for some and a celebration for others. Since the day has a link with the Lord Jesus Christ, it is a wonderful opportunity to preach the gospel and lead people to know who the Lord Jesus Christ is, especially in North India.

Two days before I just came back from two and half days' ministry journey and had many pending works to be done. Therefore, I decided not to go anywhere, do my pending official works, and later join the gospel meeting at the meeting hall. As I was beginning to do my works, two young brothers came for the gospel preaching. I told them that they should go preach the gospel by themselves as I had works to do. But I struggled for a while inwardly. I did not want to just stay back and let the young brothers go to preach the gospel. My conscience did not allow me to do that. For a few minutes I was in dilemma, whether to go or not to go. In such a state, I inwardly prayed and looked to the Lord; turning to my spirit. Then I did not have the peace not to go. Therefore, I sacrificed my pending works and decided to go out for the gospel preaching. As a result, another brother also joined along and we four formed two teams of two brothers each and went to preach the gospel.

The Lord led us to preach the gospel on the street for over two hours. To many we passed out gospel tracts and preached the gospel on the street. The Lord had prepared people waiting for us to contact and preach the gospel to them. At least three instances were worth mentioning. 

I saw a tough looking guy smoking and talking on the phone. The Lord led me to approach and preach the gospel to him. Initially I hesitated, looking at his visage, an unlikely gospel candidate. And since he was on the phone, I excused myself to bypass him. But as I was to leave him, he just finished talking. Therefore, I approached him. The moment I talked to him about God and the Lord Jesus Christ, he exclaimed that his wife would be very interested to meet with us. Later, she came to where I was talking to him, and preached the gospel to the couple and their friend. It turned out that they were seeking for God and also for regular Christian fellowship. May the Lord save and recover this couple for the church life in Gurugram.

Another unlikely candidate was a man exercising beside his car. As I gave tract and preached the gospel, he interacted with me in a friendly way. It turned out that he was a "good man" sacrificing to help others and count it joy helping people. To this man, I preached that the gospel was for the "good people" as well. In fact, even the "good people" are no less sinner than the "bad people." For all men are sinners by birth. It was through such an approached that I made Christ as the good man who is the reality of all goodness man ever has aspired for. In fact, only God is good. And this good God has created man in His image and likeness so that He can come into him one day and exhibit His goodness through him. With such gospel, we made friendship and on his request. I gave my official name card and exchanged phone number for further contact.

Finally, as we were heading back home, I saw a man standing outside a building as if he was waiting for me. I approached him and preached the gospel in Hindi. It turns out that he was waiting for his client and I met him instead; becoming his gospel client.

Thank the Lord for His sovereign way of leading me to cooperate with him even when I was not prepared to preach the gospel. Thank the Lord for the young brother who encouraged me to go along with them to preach the gospel. In fact, these brothers were the ones I have been praying with until they were revive and led to join he training. God does work in an unexpected way, at an unexpected time.

Lord, save the many unsaved in Gurugram!

Family Fellowship

An afternoon and a morning time of my short stay at home was well utilized for family fellowship. I enjoyed a good time of fellowship with my dad concerning many matters he wanted to let me know. My burden was to simply listen to whatever he had to say and comment whenever needed. In all his fellowship, I could see the Lord’s hand, especially, in his boldness in standing for the Christian faith and testimony when challenged by the village authority to compromised on traditional and ritualistic celebrations. I also gave suggestion for practical matters concerning the welfare of our family.

A morning time fellowship with my Aunt's family was very sweet too, as we all stood together for the Lord’s testimony in the village. Despite threats to compromise in our Christian faith, we all agreed to stand at all costs for the Lord’s testimony.

A time of fellowship with my nephews too was very timely. Since the village environment is not healthy for children's studies, I encouraged them to pay attention to education now before it's too late. To my nephew who is to marry soon, I encouraged him to have a new start after his marriage as his Christian life has been dwindling for many years now. The divine seed in Him has to be revived through fellowship in the church life. Then, I prayed for him and his marriage which is due in a few days' time as I will be missing it due to my pre-planned schedules. I firmly have faith in the Lord that all my family members and even my whole village would be saved soon!

Lastly, as I was being dropped off to the Airport for my return journey back to Gurugram, I fellowshipped with my beloved younger brother on important family matters. In fact, this was the only time I got to fellowship him. I shared my concerns to him about his children's education, the need for him to stand faithfully in the Christian faith without any compromise come what may, and also encouraged him to take initiative in caring for family needs whenever necessary.

By the way, the Lord reminded me of my words spoken in faith in 2003 to my parent that I would share the Lord's blessing with them, therefore, whatever the Lord blessed me in financial offering, I handed it to my mom to be shared with my dad too. Then, I kissed my mom's cheek to bid her goodbye for the time being. Then, I gathered all my family members at home and prayed for each one of them, blessing and committing them to the Lord. Thus, we bid good bye, shaking hands, and I left to catch my flight. It was a well spent time; short yet sweet. Praise the Lord!

Lord, bless our family!

Fellowship with the Brothers in Imphal

In Imphal, I was on my last destination in this ministry journey since 6 December. The only burden was to spend time with my family, mom and dad, brothers and sisters. Yet, when the brothers in the church in Imphal came to know about my visit, whoever were available came for a time of fellowship. We had a wonderful and timely brothers' fellowship, arranged impromptu at my room in my house.

The importance of seeking the Lord’s presence in all matters was my burden for all the brothers. To this effect, I shared my own testimony as well, how I enjoyed and treasured the Lord’s presence. This will usher the brothers in one accord and bring blessings to the church. I also encouraged them to love the Lord and love one another, to forgive all offenses and forget them altogether, and pursue the Lord together in the church life.

Despite the ups and downs of many brothers and the saints, I encouraged all the brothers to shepherd one another, and meet for brothers fellowship at least once a week. As they presented their burden to buy land for meeting hall, I told them that if all the saints love the Lord, buying land will be spontaneous through the saints' free will offering. Many saints have their own land and, in fact, many have purchased new plots for their own, which proved that money is not the matter to buy land. The matter is the saints' heart and willingness to offer for the Lord's testimony. After I shared, they all amen the burden released. I believe the Lord has been working on each of the brother's heart and they will definitely cooperate with the Lord in His move. Amen.

Lord, bless the church in Imphal.