Budding Rod

And the rod of the man whom I choose shall bud, and I will put a stop to the murmurings of the children of Israel against Me, which they murmur against you. And on the next day Moses went into the Tent of the Testimony, and there was the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi: it had budded; it even put forth buds and produced blossoms and bore ripe almonds. Numbers 17:5, 8

On the 7th of February 2022, the proofreading work of the New Testament Recovery Version was just completed and we had a day off to take a rest. In the morning I was spending time with the Lord. Meanwhile, I was also listening to the radio message on the budding rod from the life-study of Hebrews, messages 61 and 62. The Lord spoke to me especially through the brothers' fellowship, and it was so life supplying. I felt the anointing of the Lord richly filling me within and without. I was on the rooftop of the accommodation building, Ashirwad, taking a walk as I listened to the word of God and prayed. The message was that as a dead and dry rod in myself I had been through the Lord's placing me in the "Tent of Meeting," the church where God dwells resulting in this rod being budded. I enjoyed the rich flow of life and felt glowing in the resurrection life of Christ. I have never felt such an anointing of late. It was also accompanied with much joy within and strength without. Words simply do not suffice to describe the experience. O, the anointing and the budding!

Later, I went to the office room where a brother (KSR) also came. As I was there with him alone, I felt the leading to fellowship with him concerning what the Lord burdened me a week ago to do further studies and get a Ph.D. degree. 

One night I could not sleep and this burden for my Ph.D., that used to be with me many years ago was revived. While I was checking online for universities that could offer in India and abroad a part-time, possibly an online research program, I came across two. One in USA, an online Ph.D. program, but very expensive monetarily, and the other in India, the one and only that has a Ph.D. program which suits my area of research interest and that too from the university I got my Master's degree. But deep within I did not have the liberty to go ahead and apply though the dateline was due on 31st Jan 2022 because I did not fellowship with my brother yet. A few days later, I received a word of confirmation from the Lord personally but as a member of the Body of Christ, I need to fellowship and confirm the leading of the Head through the Body. Therefore I waited and waited. The situation was never conducive before 31st Jan 2022.  I was not in a hurry either, I wanted everything to be confirmed personally and corporately in fellowship and prayer. I am fully confident that if this is of the Lord nothing is too late; His perfect time in fellowship with the Body is best.

I opened my burden to the brother and I was fully ready to accept his fellowship, either for or against my burden of fellowship. I have learned to fellowship and amen the brothers' fellowship in any matter great or small. As I opened up my burden, he encouraged me to get the highest degree if the Lord leads me so and if I have the capacity. Since the subject of research also is related to my service in the ministry of the word, he encouraged me to study the ways to do research. Truth-wise, by the Lord's mercy, He has revealed the high peak already. There may not be much to learn from Christianity but it is worthwhile to study how others study the truths. One area that can be researched is "faith in the Indian context." He also mentioned that if any saint has the capacity and time and resources, it is best to get the highest degree for the Lord's sake. Thus this one main burden of fellowship was through. I was quite relieved after the fellowship.

Now I am praying for the right time and the right university to carry out the Lord's leading. Deep within, the Lord has spoken that He has led me through to "bud and blossom." As a dry and dead rod, I am nothing and can do nothing, but in His resurrection life, He will make me bud and blossom for His economy.

Choragus

…This will turn out to salvation through… the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Phil. 1:19

The Spirit of Jesus Christ is the bountiful supply. The Greek word for bountiful supply refers to the supplying of all the needs of the chorus by the choragus, the leader of the chorus. This bountiful supply of the all-inclusive Spirit of Jesus Christ is for us to magnify Jesus Christ by living Him.… First, we live Christ; then we magnify Him.… While Paul was in the Roman prison, he did not shame Christ but magnified Christ by his living of Him every day. ( CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 1, “The Central Line of the Divine Revelation,” p. 511)

So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much rather in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who operates in you both the willing and the working for His good pleasure. Phil. 2:12-13

The bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ is the means through which God operates in us for His good pleasure. This has been my experience all these days. Especially in the last seven weeks when we did the proofreading of the New Testament Recovery Version in four Indian languages in the midst of an ongoing pandemic.  All that was done was fully attributed to the God who operated in us. It would be foolish to think ourselves of accomplishing anything. For we were not capable in any way. It was God who operated in us Who did the willing inwardly and the working outwardly for His good pleasure. 

My personal experiences are a testimony to the truth of God operating in me through His bountiful supply. For every need, I mean literally every need, the Lord gave me the timely solution to meet the need. The campus we were in was an hour's drive away from the main city For every need, I need to find ways to meet it immediately. To buy food, medicine, stationery, or for any other needs, the Lord gave me the right people at the right time through whom I could fulfill the need on time. To me, that was a miracle. Totally a stranger in that land, I did not speak the local language and did not have any transportation even, but all needs were met in a timely manner. For a medical check-up, for airport dropping, for dining out, for shopping or a day's tour, or for fellowship and spiritual meeting, literally in every matter, I marvel at the way the Lord came in did all the works on time. The Lord as the bountiful Spirit was the Choragus to meet every need. Since I was assigned the responsibility of meeting all these needs, my brothers often called me a "choragus" because of the Choragus operating in me.

After everything was completed and came back home, I was assigned to give a concluding word on God operating in us as the bountiful Spirit, the Choragus. It was so timely again to speak on the truth that I have just experienced. What a grace! What a faithful Choragus!

Scheduling: Truths Pursuit

As a Christian, I have been a river crosser since the day I was born again. In fact, all Christians should be river crossers, the real Hebrews, today. I had been enjoying the Lord's speaking through the Life-study of Hebrews while being actively involved in the final proofreading work of the New Testament Recovery Version in Hyderabad. The time to pursue this life study coincided with the time of my being in Hyderabad. Therefore, instead of postponing the pursuit for a later date, I decided to do it while in Hyderabad itself. In fact, I determined to complete the entire life-study of Hebrews before I would get back to Gurugram.

This is a testimony of not the Hebrews study per se but the scheduling and the determination to study the sixty-nine messages during my stay in Hyderabad. Though the schedule there was tight and I learned the lesson that where there is a will there indeed is a way too. Not only the reading of the life-study of Hebrews, but I decided to also complete listening to the sixty-nine radio program corresponding to the sixty-nine life-study messages.

The Lord granted me a  special grace to pursue and enjoy both the reading and listening of the life-study messages. Whenever I got time, I either listened to the online radio message that lasted for about half an hour or read the messages online which also lasted almost the same time. In that way, I could complete the entire life-study messages as per schedule. 

In the process, I also learned the lesson of multitasking. While taking a morning or evening walk, or while washing or serving my fellow brothers and sister with food, I listened to the messages, and every night before going to bed I would go to the rooftop of our accommodation building and listened to a message or two along with prayer. In this way, I enjoyed the Lord's speaking and I also learned the truths and got constituted with them.

This is a practical life lesson of redeeming the time and paying the price to buy the truth. This is also what it means to be a river crosser in my pursuit of the truths; crossing over from the old way to the new way. It is also by scheduling that the New Testament Recovery Version could be translated. Our scheduling began in 2014 with the study of Greek online, then translation. The way we took seemed to be long but it turned out to be the shortest and best way. This way is a way of scheduling and being faithful to the schedule all the way. What a blessing to be able to learn this lesson!

With this lesson, I am now pursuing the reading of the Bible; to read through the text from Genesis to Revelation twice in a year and to read through with the footnotes once in a way, thereby reading through the Bible thrice in a year. I have made the schedule and am starting to follow it. Similarly, scheduling is done for reading through the whole life-study and High Peak truth. God has blessed the food, now I must eat them daily, in a regular and regulated manner.

Lord, grace me.

Ashirwad: Blessing

Ashirwad, or blessing, is the word, for the past seven weeks of our experiences in the historical, victorious, and marvelous proofreading project of the New Testament Recovery Version Bible in four Indian languages- Malayalam, Mizo, Tamil, snd Telugu. Sans God’s "ashirwad" this project could never have been accomplished. It was purely the grace and mercy of the Lord that enabled us to face the challenges in the midst of the ongoing pandemic; the magnitude of the works done, the acute pressure endured, and the spiritual battle fought were all by the Lord's secret and hidden hands behind the scenes. The invisible presence of the Lord, the wisdom and leading He had been gracing us step by step, day by day, are beyond verbal description and human imagination. It was the Lord and His blessings that led us through and through. To such an "ashirwad", we can only worship the Lord, thank and praise Him, and give Him all the glory! Amen and amen!

The Lord had sovereignly arranged a Christian campus named "Ashirwad" in Hyderabad for this proofreading project. Though we had options in Chennai and Madurai, the final choice was this venue. Initially, we had no idea what the actual physical needs would be. But whatever we needed, the venue had it all or got it arranged. All the volunteers, coordinators, and serving saints from abroad were all accommodated on the campus with food service. Therefore eliminating the need for commuting and extra work. Besides, the staffs, from the top management to the workers, were very cooperative, helping us out in all that we requested. Overall, the campus has a good ambiance where the saints can fellowship and pray.

In the second and third weeks of the project, many saints got sick,  including me for two days. But once I got well, the Lord graced me to coordinate with a couple who both are medical doctors to care for the sick. Surprisingly, all who got sick were healed within a few days. The concern was when three of our saints from abroad fell sick and two of them had to self-quarantine for a week each. The outward pressure was high but the Lord graced me with His inward peace all along. Amidst trials, the Lord fought the battle on our behalf and led us through!

Due to such unexpected circumstances, we faced I had to cancel my trip back home which was already planned. I am glad that I was graced to participate in the function assigned to me in many administrative responsibilities though I did not actually do the proofreading per se. The Lord gave me a few local brothers to coordinate all the help I needed. Though the responsibilities were heavy, the executions were light. And I always got timely help. Looking back, I can only worship and praise the Lord.

Ashirwad is the experience and Ashirwad is the place where the word of the Lord was brought out and the work of the Lord was carried out. Praise the Lord!

Experiences of the Truths

As the proofreading project is going on in Hyderabad, amidst the busy schedule the Lord has been gracing me to enjoy His presence and His speaking day by day. In the past two Lord’s days, I shared my enjoyment of the Lord in the gathering held at the project venue. Two main experiences are related to the anointing Spirit and the living and walking in the divine Trinity.

The Anointing Spirit

Doctrinally, many Christians realized that every genuine believers have the anointing Spirit in his or her spirit. 

“And you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know.” (1 John 2:20, RecVer)

“And as for you, the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone teach you; but as His anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and is not a lie, and even as it has taught you, abide in Him.” (1 John 2:27, RecVer)

But experiencially how many have truly enjoyed the anointing Spirit in their daily living? The anointing Spirit is in the human spirit of the regenerated believers. But to experience this anointing, there are certain conditions that must be fulfilled. 

Firstly, Christ is the Messiah,  the Annointed One; He is the anointing. We must be under the headship of Christ, the Anointed Head, to enjoy the anointing. Anyone not under the headship of Christ cannot enjoy the Head's anointing. Secondly, the Head Christ and the body the church are one. The Head and the body cannot be separated. The anointing on the Head flows in the body. 

“It is like the fine oil upon the head that ran down upon the beard, upon Aaron’s beard, that ran down upon the hem of his garments;” (Psalms 133:2, RecVer)

If we are not one with the body of the Head Christ, we will not experience the anointing. Therefore, we must be one with the Head and one with the Body to enjoy the anointing.

Finally, the anointing oil must not be applied on the flesh. Which means, to enjoy the anointing, we must deal with our flesh through the cross. A fleshly person or even a natural person cannot enjoy the anointing. 

“Upon the flesh of man it shall not be poured, nor shall you make any like it, according to its composition; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you.” (Exodus 30:32, RecVer)

This was the message the Lord gave me to share on the previous Lord’s day. 

Living in the Divine Trinity 

Last Lord’s day, the message was on living in the Divine Trinity. There are three aspects of living in the Divine Trinity. The first aspect is by enjoying Christ as our life supply, by eating Him in the word.

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” (John 6:63, RecVer)

The second aspect is by living Christ by the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. 

“For I know that for me this will turn out to salvation through your petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I will be put to shame, but with all boldness, as always, even now Christ will be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:19-21, RecVer)

I also testified of how the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ has been supplying us, especially, in the ongoing project works amidst many challenges. 

Thirdly, by coming to the throne of grace we receive mercy and find grace for timely help.

“Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help.” (Hebrews 4:16, RecVer).

Throne is related to authority and submission. If we are not submitted to His entronement how can we receive His anointing? Therefore, to come to the throne of grace also entails submission to His authority. 

These are the two messages I have been enjoying and I also shared in the last two Lord’s day meetings.

May these experiences be daily unto eternity.

Proofreading: A Spiritual Battle

The proofreading work of the New Testament Recovery Version in four Indian languages has been a battleground for fighting a spiritual battle all along. The saints all over the world have been faithfully praying for this too. We, on the battle field, have been facing the direct frontal attack of the enemy. Tried however much he might, Satan is the defeated foe and Christ is the victorious Jesus General. And we are the army of our Victor Jesus Christ!

The peak of the battle as I understood was in the second week when many saints have fallen sick with few serious cases. But within a day or two, all have been recovered. In fact, the first to be touched was myself among five of us who were coordinating. I was down for two days. Then all the other four serving ones with me became ill one after the other. In fact, one of them negatively tested positive for a viral flu that has been spreading disastrously, of course with self test and not clinical. Therefore, to avoid further spread, we quarantined whoever fell sick. During the peak of the attack I had been busy caring for the sick, for their medicine supply and food supply as well. For one entire week I had the honor of serving some of the saints in coordination, with three meals a day. It was a privilege to me, and I joyfully served them. It was for this need that I had to cancel my week-long home visit in between the project. 

Though the outward pressure was high, deep within I enjoyed the presence of the Lord. I felt the Lord leading me step by step in every minute detail. Not one bit I had a doubt that we would not make it to the end. To me, the trials were testaments to the genuineness of the work we were involved in; the work of God, therefore, the enemy's attack was just obvious.

As the battle was fought, a misbehavior of a serving sister added to an emotional attack as she had to be sent home after the first stage of the project. Another serving sister was diagnosed with TB, and yet another sister was diagnosed with cancer on careful investigationof her past medical report. Mysteriously, a brother was literally immovable as he has sudden body pain. He was on bed rest for about three days. Even doctors could not diagnose the root cause of the problem. The only way out was just prayer and a brother's foot therapy that eventually healed him. Inspite of all these, the Lord led us through from stage to stage. Christ has been experienced as the Victor in every minute detail. We were on a heavenly team! Hymn 909

In the stream! In the stream!
Let us work in the stream!
In the stream! In the stream!
We'll work as in the heav'nly team!

Our prayers were all heavenly and we touched the throne of God directly in this battle. Through thick and thin, we braved the enemy's attack. The grace of God was bountiful and we have been led from victory to victory! Hallelujah!

Even as we inquired from a brother who has been involved in at least a score of this kind of proofreading work globally, he testified that this one in India with four languages was the toughest and also the longest. By the way, this also transpired in the midst of pandemic. All the other works had been on just one language, but this was in four languages combined. No wonder the work load was fourfold. The greater the need, the greater the grace too!

This proofreading work will go down in the history of the Lord’s move, especially in India, as one significant event contributing to the carrying our of God’s economy. 

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in the Christ and manifests the savor of the knowledge of Him through us in every place.” (2 Corinthians 2:14, RecVer)

Sri Lanka Connection

A brother from Sri Lanka came to learn and observe the proofreading works of the New Testament Recovery Version in Hyderabad. When he was to come I had the opportunity to coordinate in working out his visa by requesting a local brother to invite him formally. Then when he did come, I again had the grace to pick him up from the Airport.  And finally, when he left India I had the privilege of dropping him to the Airport. 

While he was here he learned and picked up typesetting skills. After a few days later he became ill with a contagious flu spreading around. Then, I had the opportunity to serve him with food. As he was getting sicker, out of suspicion I had to do a home test for a common virus infecting him. Negatively, the result was positive. Therefore, he had to postpone the date of his return journey. He stayed for another week, literally in quarantine. During the entire period of his quarantine I had the grace to care take of for his food and his health. And finally, after a week when he became fully healthy again, a test was done for his going back. With the healthy report of the test, he could leave the country for his home country, Sri Lanka.

While I went to drop him, I got to fellowship with him personally. In fact, that was the only time got to fellowship. He was in his early fortys and yet to be married. I shared the vision of marriage and how to look to the Lord for His leading concerning who his wife should be. This fellowship was never planned, but I believe the Lord had this very thing in His heart. Therefore I became the messenger to him for this purpose. As he opened up a little bit about the brothers' fellowship to him in Sri Lanka, I basically joined myself to those brothers and continued the same line of fellowship. In fact, a sister had been proposed to him but due to lack of clarity and self denial, he could not accept the proposal. I did not propose another sister to him at all but simply asked him to reconsider the brothers' proposal again. I shared my own testimony of how the Lord led me in my marriage and particularly in amening the Lord’s arrangement through the brothers' fellowship. I also testified to him of how much blessing I have been receiving from the Lord from day one of my marriage life and still the blessings continue to flow. Then, we prayed together for his marriage, took selfie with him and dropped him off.

The Lord sovereignly arranged every situation to be able to participate in his visiting India and also took care of him while he stayed for about two weeks. With this, I have been blessed to have a Sri Lanka connection; a brotherly connection

May the Lord lead him on and on and grace him to be one with Him in his service, marriage, and church life.