Jehovah-nissi: Jehovah is My Banner

Go now and strike the Amalekites; and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, oxen and sheep, camel and donkey.

And Jehovah sent you on a journey and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed. 1 Samuel 15:3, 18

God hates the Amalekites as they represent the enemy of God and His people. The Amalekite is a type of the flesh, warlike, always against God and His people. Therefore, the command against the Amalekites is to utterly destroy them until they are fully consumed. God hates the Amalekites to the extent that not utterly destroying them as per His command would mean disobedience and even a rebellion.

Saul fought against the Amalekites and won the battle but he was not completely obedient to what God commanded. He reserved the "good spoils" that God commanded to utterly destroy. Therefore, he failed God.

And Samuel said, Does Jehovah delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed, than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination,  And insubordination is like idolatry and teraphim. Because you have rejected the word of Jehovah, He has also rejected you from being king. 1 Samuel 15:22, 23

This morning the Lord convicted me deeply of my failure in not dealing with my flesh utterly and absolutely. I was reminded of the case of Saul how God commanded him to fight against the Amalekites and utterly destroy them. I failed to fight against the flesh and utterly destroy the flesh, and therefore, I was convicted deeply. Fighting against the flesh is a matter of the Spirit in my spirit, and I cannot do in myself. 

The picture in Exodus 17 is the way to deal with the flesh. I need the interceeding Christ. As Joshua obeyed Moses and fought against the Amalekites, I must also obey the speaking Christ to fight against the flesh. As in the case of Samuel, he was completely consecrated to Jehovah and took the Nazarite vow. I was commanded to completely consecrate myself to Lord and make a vow before the Lord, a Nzaraire vow, to separately and sanctify myself from the defilement of the "wine and strong drink", the earthly pleasure and worldly entertainment and anything that is the "product of the vine", anything that is of the world, which has no source in God. This was the Lord's definite speaking to me today. 

A Vow to War Against the Flesh

Therefore, today, in my morning prayer time the Lord convicted me of my failure and need for making a vow to be fully consecrated to God, and in the afternoon prayer time, I took the vow, trusting in the Lord's grace to keep the vow.  I know myself too well and how vulnerable I am to the attack of the enemy and how wishy-washy I have been in my stand against the flesh. Therefore, my burden was mostly on the Lord's grace to lead me through this battle all the days of my life. I have no confidence in myself nor in the vow I make, but I put my confidence in the Lord to whom I make the vow and upon whom I depend and put my full trust. 

And Moses said to Joshua, Choose men for us, and go out; fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And when Moses lifted his hand up, Israel prevailed; and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. And Jehovah said to Moses, Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi; Exodus 17:9-15

Today, as I ministered the word to the group of believers in Madhya Pradesh, I ministered my very experience of the Lord in fighting against the flesh.  The Lord comforted me so much when the Bible mentioned that Joshua did as Moses had said and fought against the Amalek, and Joshua defeated Amalek! And Moses built an altar and call the name of it Jehovah-nissi, Jehovah is my banner!.

God spoke, He commanded, He shows the way to obey His commandment, and also comforted me with the confirmation of victory so that He can be my Jehovah-nissi! Hallelujah!

Now, all my worries fled away for it is He who fights and wins the battle for me and He is my banner. Henceforth, I can boldly declare that Christ is Victor! Yes, Christ is my Victor!

An Impromptu Guest

Yesterday, I had a plan to go out for a prayer walk and also finished my pending daily schedules when a brother called me and informed me about a brother for the UAE visiting Delhi for just a day and that we could possibly host him for a time of fellowship. Initially, I was a little reluctant as I had my schedule running in my mind to accomplish it. Yet at the same time, I would not say no to the brother's fellowship nor to a brother visiting from another country. Just within a few minutes of consideration and also fellowship with my wife, I decided to postpone my personal schedule and host a brother, an impromptu guest.

Since he agreed to visit us, I decided to give him a love feast, and then fellowship over dinner. But the time for preparation was too short, I had to purchase some dishes from outside and involved my wife and daughter to make the meal ready. As I was a little concerned if he came before we were ready, but it so happened that due to unavailability of transportation he came a little late giving us enough time to finish all the work and also finished my pending personal assignment for the day, which basically is Bible reading. Besides, I could also fellowship and pray over the phone with another brother. When all these works were done, he reached our home and the meeting hall.

We had a good time of fellowship, ate dinner together, and prayed for the churches in India and the UAE. I also shared with him about the Lord's move in other parts of India among the Hindi-speaking people. The fellowship was worth all the preparation. I have learned to host a guest within short notice, and my family has also learned to coordinate with me and adjust according to need. 

After the fellowship and prayer, I went to drop him at his hotel near the New Delhi airport. And still, I could accomplish one more pending personal assignment, a time of prayer before I went to bed at past midnight.

With a proper heart and will, things can actually be done. Praise the Lord for this wonderful opportunity to host a brother and also an important lesson in preparing to host an impromptu guest! 

Lord, enlarge our capacity.

One Soul at a Time

Today morning as I was spending time with the Lord in prayer, I was burdened concerning bearing spiritual fruit. I have been so barren, not bearing any spiritual fruit for long. Though I preached the gospel at least weekly, I am not satisfied. Though I preached the gospel to people who came to meet me or on the street,  I am not satisfied. Though I lead people to call upon the Lord's name, I am not satisfied. I am looking for a solid spiritual remaining food. Therefore, with such a deep burden I prayed to the Lord that at least I can bear spiritual fruit s regularly and normally. Perhaps, a soul at a time.

Since by the Lord's mercy and grace, as the church, we have been preaching the gospel weekly for at least two hours on Saturdays' afternoon after the church prayer meeting. Well, every time we went out, the Lord was faithful in bringing us to the sons of peace who would listen to the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  If we could at least gain one solid one in a week, the fruits that we can bear in a year would be at least 50 for one person. If at least 10 people go regularly to preach the gospel we should have 500 gospel friends in a year. And if these ones can be shepherded in the proper Christian life and church life, the increase of the church would be manifold.

This burden has become so strong within me that, after the brothers' fellowship I spent time to pray on this burden and wrote a hymn using the tune of a famous Christian song, "One day at  a time." 

Preaching the Gospel: One Soul at a Time

Composed on 26 March 2022

Being desperate in bearing fruit as I prayed before the Lord, a burden to bear fruit one soul at a time was borne. Thus, the hymn.

 Tune similar to “One Dy at a Time” 

One Soul at a Time
1.  Go and disciple, all of the nation!
     Help me obey, Your command today,
     The great commission;      
     Baptizing sinners into Your name-
     Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
     One soul at a time.
 
              One soul at a time, sweet Jesus!
              That’s all I’m asking of You.
              Just give me the grace,
              To bear normally what I have to bear.
              Yesterday’s gone, sweet Jesus!
              And tomorrow may never be mine.
              Lord, grace me today, to preach the Way,
              One soul at a time.
 
2.  You are the true Vine, in You, I am a branch,
     Abiding in You, I share Your divine life,
     I am one with You!
     Living and preaching, the gospel of grace.
     So, for Your sake, teach me to bring
     One soul at a time.
 
3. Preaching the gospel, in spirit, at all time,
     In season and out of season, no matter what,
     Tis now my burden.
     Bearing spiritual fruit is all I need.
     So, for my sake, grace me to bring
     One soul at a time.

Today, as we went to preach the gospel, the Lord blessed us with a good number of the sons of peace to whom we could preach the gospel, and to some, we led them to pray. Within a span of two hours, the Lord blessed us with four solid contacts, much more than I expected. I prayed for a soul a day, the Lord gave me four souls today. 

Lord, grace me to bear fruit normally, a soul at a time.

Shepherding: Pay the Price

“But the king said to Araunah, No; but I will surely buy it from you for a price, and I will not offer to Jehovah my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And there David built an altar to Jehovah, and he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And Jehovah responded to the entreaty for the land, and the plague was stayed in Israel.” (2 Samuel 24:24-25, RecVer)

“But King David said to Ornan, No; but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for Jehovah and offer up burnt offerings that cost me nothing.So David gave to Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the site. And there David built an altar to Jehovah, and he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And he called on Jehovah, and He answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering.” (1 Chronicles 21:24-26, RecVer)

The above two verses show the attitude of David in paying the price for offering to Jehovah. He emphatically said, "I will surely buy it from you for a price, and I will not offer to Jehovah my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." This is a good pattern for all believers to follow. Not to take the things of God for granted and always pay the price for anything that is worthwhile.

In this matter, the Lord has been teaching me to do the same. Whenever I want to do something for the Lord, I must not do it in a light way. Even in my shepherding, I must pay the price to take care of the new ones. The price involves time, money, energy, and sacrifices here and there. In a very practical way, whenever I shepherd new ones I also gifted relevant ministry books for them to read. As a serving one in the literature service, I have easy access to all the ministry books, including the printed ministry materials.  But I always pay the price to buy books and gift them to the new ones. I would not take it freely that costs me nothing and give it to others freely that costs them nothing. I would rather pay the price and give it to the new ones so that they will also pay the price in reading and being shepherded by the ministry books. Free things often have no value at all.

The past few weeks I have gifted five different people some selected ministry books. A New Testament, Recovery Version for a new one who visited me on his birthday. What better gift can I give other than the Bible? As he came along with his friend, I also gifted his friend a copy of the Shepherding Materials and to him a copy as well. In addition to the gospel I preached to them with a brother, I gifted the ministry books as a follow-up and also as seeds sown into them.

Similarly, when a Christian brother visited me for the first time, I made sure that he also receive the ministry books. So I gifted to him a set of Life lessons and Shepherding Materials. Though I ministered something, I trusted in the written word too as backup support to whatever I have ministered to him. The same thing I did to a new brother who was baptized. 

To a family who has been serving the Lord for many years in Gurugram and with whom I have been in fellowship for about a year now, I felt the burden from the Lord to start a home meeting where we can pursue the ministry books on the truth concerning oneness. Therefore, I gifted to the brother and his wife, a copy of The Genuine Ground of Oneness in Hindi and English. The burden the Lord gave me for them was on ministering the truth concerning oneness among the children of God and recovering them into the practical reality of being one and meeting as one Body in the city of Gurugram. This book helped me a lot in 2003 and shepherded me into the practical meeting with the saints standing on the local ground of oneness in Chennai. Therefore, I deemed it best to use the same book to help others who may need the help as I needed some twenty years ago.

All these gifts, I believe, the Lord will bless them and make them as seeds that will sprout in their inner being and grow to gain them for the Lord's interest one day. Definitely, when a seed is sown there is the hope of harvest one day. With such divine hope, I keep sowing where and whenever there is an open door.

I believe in the same principle recorded in the Bible, to pay the price for what is precious. Lest I turn the precious into worthless and ended up throwing pearls to hogs. Therefore, in shepherding, always pay the price and do not offer anything that costs nothing.

Amalek: The Flesh

Then Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, Choose men for us, and go out; fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And when Moses lifted his hand up, Israel prevailed; and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 

Exodus 17:8-13

In typology, the Amalekites signify the flesh—the fallen man. It literally means warlike. Exodus 17:8-13 shows us how to fight against Amalek. In the description of the battle against the Amalekites, there are four persons, Moses, Aaron, Hur, and Joshua. The spiritual significance of these four persons is marvelous. 

Moses lifting up his hand on the mountaintop typifies the ascended Christ interceding in the heavens—Exo. 17:9, 11.

Joshua fighting against Amalek typifies the indwelling Spirit fighting against the flesh 

vv. 9, 13.

Aaron, the highpriest signifies the priesthood, related to the priestly service in the Holy of Holies, which in experience is our spirit.

Hur, a tribe of Judah, signifies the kingship, to which we must submit ourselves to and be in proper order under the headship of Christ.

The relationship and spiritual significance of the four persons involved in the battles against the Amalekites portrays a wonderful and complete picture of how to fight against the flesh. Our fight against the flesh is not by ourselves. The victory of the battle depends on all the four persons coordinating together, meaning our victory depends on how we are rightfully related to God's ordained authority, how we live before God and man as priests, and how we cooperating with the interceding Christ in the heavens in His ascension with the fighting spirit indwelling in our spirit. Basically, the key to victory lies in our praying life in oneness with the interceding Christ by being in the spirit and living under the kingship of Christ. The practical application of this picture is the key to victory in our fight against the flesh. Excerpts from The Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Samuel, msg 5:

We fight against Amalek by the interceding Christ and the fighting Spirit—Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25; Gal. 5:17.  

We need to be in union with the interceding Christ in order to cooperate with the fighting Spirit—Col. 3:1-3, 5; Rom. 8:34, 13; Gal. 5:24, 17. 

In the battle against Amalek, we need to cooperate with the Lord by praying and by putting the flesh to death—Luke 18:1; 1 Thes. 5:17; Rom. 8:13; Gal. 5:24. 

When we pray, we are one with the interceding  Christ—Rom. 8:34. 

When we put the flesh to death, we are one with the fighting Spirit—Gal. 5:17. 

On the one hand, we must pray with Christ; on the other hand, we must slay the flesh by the fighting Spirit—v. 24. 

Crucifying the old man was God’s responsibility; crucifying the flesh is our responsibility— Rom. 6:6; 8:13; Gal. 5:24.

Lessons from Saul

Go now and strike the Amalekites; and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, oxen and sheep, camel and donkey.

Then Saul struck the Amalekites from Havilah as you go toward Shur, which is opposite Egypt.

And he captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fatlings, and the lambs and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them; but everything that was despised and worthless, this they utterly destroyed. 1 Samuel 15:3, 7-9

Saul was commanded to destroy the Amalekites utterly, but he spared its king, Agag, and the best of the spoils. This signifies that while dealing with the flesh we must deal with it thoroughly. God hates the flesh and the Spirit is against the flesh. Sauls's failure lies mostly in his preserving the good spoils purportedly to offer to God. But God would not want anything good or bad from the flesh as the flesh has its source in Satan. It must be exterminated completely. No mercy in dealing with the flesh. 

Oftentimes, we are aware of the evil flesh and deal with it, but we may preserve the good flesh thinking it might be useful to God to some extent. But the flesh is the flesh, the good flesh is as evil as the evil flesh. Therefore, the flesh must be dealt with thoroughly and absolutely.

In addition to dealing with my evil flesh, I have also been learning to deal with my good flesh, especially the sympathy and kindness I used to show when God would want me to deal with it otherwise. In my natural goodness, I often try to sympathize with people and help them when their situations touched me emotionally. Of late, I am beginning to learn that even in doing "good" I must be in the spirit, otherwise, it is as evil as doing evil by doing good in my good flesh. This is not an easy lesson to learn, I admit. I am still learning and I pray that I learn this lesson thoroughly will until my flesh is completely dealt with to the uttermost.

O, the grace to live by the spirit all the time! O, the grace to pray unceasingly! O, the grace to deal with the flesh utterly!

Ichabod: No Glory

In their degradation, the children of Israel offended God to the uttermost, and God left them; eventually, instead of the Ark saving Israel, the Ark itself was captured, and the glory of God departed from Israel (1 Sam. 2:30, 34; 4:10-18, 22; Psa. 78:61); to be “Arkless” is to be “Christless,” and to be “Christless” means that there is “Ichabod,” meaning No Glory (1 Sam. 4:21-22; Rev. 3:20).

1 Samuel 4:11 And the Ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

1 Samuel 4:18 And when he mentioned the Ark of God, Eli fell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate. And he broke his neck and died, for he was an old man and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

1 Samuel 4:19 And his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to deliver; and when she heard the report that the Ark of God had been taken and that her father-in-law and her husband had died, she bowed down and gave birth, for her pains came upon her.

1 Samuel 4:20 And around the time that she died, the women who stood around her said, Do not fear, for you have borne a son. But she did not answer or pay attention.

1 Samuel 4:21 And she named the child Ichabod, meaning, The glory has departed from Israel, because the Ark of God had been taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

1 Samuel 4:22 And she said, The glory has departed from Israel, for the Ark of God has been taken.

This is a history, but it must not be repeated in our Christian life. Glory is God expressed. If there is no expression of God in our Christian life, it is an Ichabod situation. This would be a sad thing to ever happen in the course of our Christian lives. This must also serve as a warning that we should not do anything that the glory of God may depart from us. We cannot take things for granted. While there is still time and when things can still be amended, we must heed to the warning and do the needful. Lest, we end up with our "Eli, Hophni and Phinehas" death and the Ark of God being taken away. 

Perhaps, there may be successes outwardly with good jobs, fat payscale, high position, comfortable living, and outward prosperity, but the question is, "Is there God expressed in all these?" What difference does it make having all things but God's glory even when many godless people are healthy and wealthy? The striking difference is the expression of God's glory in all that we are and do. 

When I learned of this truth my being trembled before God that I and my family and the church I am in should not end up in an Ichabod situation. God is everything in my life. I cannot imagine living a Godless life. All my taste for worldly wealth has since long gone. Given a choice today between God and prosperity, I would willingly and happily choose God even if it meant poverty. I have tasted God and I cannot live without Him. To me, a life with God is not worth the living. I treasure the presence of God more than anything else. I care not for anything else even if they are necessary. God knows what I need and He knows what is the best, I would rather leave the matter of any physical blessing, if need be, to His discretion. Let Him decide and I just receive whatever He bestowed upon me. I would only care for Him and His presence. I do not want any godless life, no glory life, an Ichabod life. 

Lord, have mercy on me. Do not depart from me, and preserve me in You and in Your presence all the days of my life. I don't want an Ichabod situation ever in my life.

Acacia: Christ's Humanity

Ex 25:10 And they shall make an ark of acacia wood: two and a half cubits shall be its length; and one and a half cubits, its width; and one and a half cubits, its height.
Ex 25:11 And you shall overlay it with pure gold; inside and outside you shall overlay it; and you shall make a rim of gold upon it all around.

The Ark of acacia wood signifies Christ as the embodiment of the Triune God possessing divinity mingled with humanity, strong in character and high in standard. This Ark is the center and content of the tabernacle, spiritually signifying Christ as the content and center of the church today. 

As children of God and believers of the Lord Jesus Christ, our experiences should be in who Christ is in His divinity and in His humanity. Today, Christ is the life-giving Spirit dwelling in our spirit. By living and walking according to the Christ who indwells us, we can live out the life of Christ. This living out of Christ is the meaning of the Christian life. This is the kind of life God desires His children to live. The life of Jesus, when He was on the earth, is the pattern for us to live out and follow as our pattern. Not in an outward way of "what would Jesus do" as some Christians try to imitate, but in the way of experiencing Him as life and life supply. 

As much as Christ's humanity is strong in character and high in standard, our lives should live out the same characteristics; strong in character and high in standard. Today as we live in this evil age, filled with characterlessness and sinful living, the believers can actually live a life, the living again of Jesus on the earth, an anti-testimony to the godless people, in this crooked and perverted generation.  

Satan attacks people's humanity the most.  Therefore, trusting the Lord, the believers need to be exercised in their living to exhibit the life of Jesus as a testimony to others. Action speaks louder than words. In addition to witnessing the love of God and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, we also need to live a life that testifies the very Christ we preach and witness. This is the urgent need today; a living testimony.

According to God's ordination, the rightful place of the Ark is in the tabernacle, and then the temple after the temple was built in Jerusalem by Solomon. The history of the Ark from its rightful position to displaced positions due to the failure of the Israelites and back to the temple must be a reminder and a warning to make sure that our expereinces of Christ must be in and for the church.  The Ark had been in the house of Abinadab at Kiriath-jearim for twenty years (1 Sam. 7:1-2) and then in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months (2 Sam. 6:10-12),  and later David prepared a tent for the Ark in Jerusalem. All these were a record of the abnormal position of the Ark. But when the Ark was brought into the temple in Jerusalem, the glory of God filled the temple, because the Ark has come back to the right position as ordained by God. In a similar manner, our experiences of Christ as the Ark should be on the proper ground of the church. Christ and the church always go together. Therefore, our experience of Christ must be in the church and for the church. 

The experience of Christ as the reality of the acacia wood overlaid with gold must be in the proper church life for the building up of the church as the Lord's corporate expression. This is the need today. 

Experiencing Christ as the acacia wood overlaid with gold must be in the church and for the church.