First Baptism of the Year

A new brother who was introduced to me last year had once asked financial help from me while I was in Hyderabad. Out of care and concern for his need, I lent him the money he asked for, as he promised to pay back the day after when he would receive his salarly from the new job he just joined in a new city, Noida. he natively is from Korba, Chattisgarh. But when he did not pay back as he promised I doubted his genuineness. I was a little upset as I did not expect from a new brother whom I never physically met, yet started asking for money. Truth be told, I did not trust him at all, henceforth. In fact, I would not want to follow up on him unless the Lord specifically lead me so. 

Last week, when he came to Gurugram to visit a brother who introduced me to him, I was reluctant even to meet him as he already created a very negative image of himself to me. But still he is a new person, I should not expect him to be a good person either. When he did come I was taking my own time to meet him, infact, very reluctantly. I was also informed before that he was considering taking baptsim, but within me it was a "no no."

When I met him the first time, I kept all my perception about him beside and preached the gospel. A brother and I led him to read through the Mystery of Human Life in Hindi. I explained point by point with my brother translating into Hindi. After the gospel preaching, we all prayed toghter. I was impressed by the fact that he could pray smoothly unlike other new person. Deep within me I sensed that he actually belived into the Lord Jesus Christ as His Saviour and Lord. There was no iota of doubt about his faith despite his character.

Meanwhile, I had just read that the only condition for our salvation is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That being the case, I should not place any other conditon before him. Other changes expected in a person would be the result of salvation. The results do not preceed the salvation but follows it. Therefore, it would be wrong to judge a pserson by his deed rather than by his faith, lest I fall into the falasy of salvation by works. Since he was quite asssured of his fatih in Christ and even shared his testimonies of the Lord's healing and shepherding, he was indeed qualified to be baptised. But still I did not bring up the matter of baptism though in the reading there was a mentioning of baptsim. I still felt he should wait.

After our  gospel preaching and prayer, he himself asked for baptism. Immediately I asked him why he needed baptism. His reply comforted me so much. He replied that that Bible says it so; after beliving into Jesus Christ one needs to be baptised. Then, I helped him to see  more clearly that he needed to be baptised by leading him through Bible verses in Mark 16:16, John 3, Matthew 3, and Romans 6. After a truth lesson on baptsim, we all prayed for his baptism; he also prayed for his baptism. Later, after lunch we baptised him!

When the time came the Lord brought the right "fish" into the net of the church. Such case I cannot deny. Since it was the Lord who initaited this work, I simply had to obey. This brother has now become the first one to be baptsied in the church in Gurugram.

May the Lord grace us to shepherd him and make him a remaining fruit in the church life!

Brotherly Fellowship

A brother whom the Lord graced me to recommend for a short-term training has just completed his one-month training and came to fellowship with me and the brothers in the churches in NCR. As a brother, I am always open for fellowship and look to the Lord what and how to fellowship.  He came last Thursday morning and I have been graced to give hospitality to him. 

In the backdrop of feeling so barren as far as fruit-bearing is concerned, this brother's coming was a consolation to me. When iI reckon I did not bear forth fruit of late, the Lord showed me that it is the result of my cooperation with him in shepherding a brother, and this can indeed be reckoned as spiritual fruit. I was especially glad to witness the transformation within this brother in his attitude towards the ministry, the brothers, the local churches, and very positive outward changes in his character. I marvel at what the Lord could do in a person's life. The Lord is the great Shepherd and the chief Shepherd of our souls. This brother is a testimony to the Lord's shepherding care.

In fact, this brother had met with a severe car crash at the beginning of this year but escaped the deadly accident unharmed. That was the Lord's sovereign calling to make him reconsider his life and service. This incident became a turning point in his life energizing him to consecrate his life to the Lord afresh, be trained, and learn to be blended with the saints in a local church. Thereby, after his short-term training, I took him to fellowship with the brothers in New Delhi. The outcome of the fellowship was that he may consider migrating to Gurugram and enjoy the church life there. This was a further confirmation of the Lord's word of blessing in the church here.

Coincidentally, another brother from the church in Miraj was also present in the fellowship as he came for a sister's wedding. In fellowship, though he knew nothing about this brother, he prophetically prophesied the need for being in a local where there is a church life for the sake of learning, blending, and building up. This word was also a confirmation for this brother's migration to Gurugram.

Now, through the fellowship, the leading of the Lord has become clearer. As the Lord leads on, he will find a medical doctor job in any hospital in Gurugram, migrate,  and learn to serve and bear the Lord's testimony in this city.

Meanwhile, I have been graced to take care of his breakfast every morning and fellowship with him. He also joins the morning pursuing on the Life-study of James. In this way, we have been fellowshipping and blending with one another. 

May the Lord fully gain this brother and his family to live a life fully and for God's economy.

House of Prayer

“And He taught and said to them, Is it not written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations”? But you have made it a den of robbers.” (Mark 11:17, RecVer)

“Even these will I cause to come to My holy mountain and to rejoice in My house of prayer; Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable upon My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.” (Isaiah 56:7, RecVer)

“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still night, He went out and went away to a deserted place, and there He prayed.” (Mark 1:35, RecVer)

The house of God is the church comprising the believers. When the word of God says, My house shall be called a house of prayer, it implies the prayer life of the believers. If the believers as the church, the house of God, are not praying how can the house of God be a house of prayer? This was the burden I released for the seeking believers in Madhya Pradesh last week. 

Prayer is so crucial in the Christian life. Paying heed to prayer is one of the biggest tasks and challenges of the Christian life. Satan attacks a believers' prayer life more than anything else. Prayer is the core of Christian life.  In fact, a Christian life must be a prayer life.

One lesson the Lord taught me recently is the experience of prayer. Forsaking the religious way of praying at specific places and postures, prayer must be in the spirit. I used to pray and ask the Lord for many things, but now the Lord has led me to pray in a way of enjoying His presence and listening to Him. In my prayer life, I spent time with Him and listen to him what He has to say. I enjoy my prayer life by listening to His speaking, echoing back His words, and enjoying His presence. Most of my prayer time is in listening to Him. But in a corporate prayer of the church or the family, we released the burden the Lord has given to us. Otherwise, in my personal prayer time, I listen and pray, and pray and listen. Corporately, I reestablish a group prayer in my family, in the office, and also encourage the brothers to pray together more.

For a strong prayer life, I keep track of the time spent on prayer. Now I also learned how to mingle prayer with the reading of the Bible. While reading the word of God, I also learned to touch the spirit through the word. As I read the word of God, I responded to the living word by prayer. In this way, I could read the Bible, and at the same time pray as well. This is so wonderful and enjoyable. In fact, my Bible reading became very intersting and is mingled with prayer. Read and pray and pray and read;  to me, the two go together. My prayer points are the revelations of the word of God,  a response to the Lord's speaking. 

For corporate prayer, I still pray with my family for specific burdens, with the serving ones in the office for the literature burdens, and with the brothers in the church for the church's burden. In these ways, prayer life has been so enjoyable.

In these ways of prayer, the believers can indeed be the house of prayer as a fulfillment of the prophecy concerning the church.

Lord, grace me to enjoy spending time with You more and more and be a part of Your house of prayer.

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!