Fortieth Time Reading the Bible

Today, the 8th of Dec 2022, the Lord graces me to complete my fortieth time reading through the Bible! This is the third time this year and this time is reading with the footnote in the Holy Bible Recovery Version. I just have this one dream that my physical age can be equivalent to the number of times I am reading the Bible.  Since I am forty-four running, I still need to catch up in reading more of the word of God to achieve my personal Bible reading goal.

This kind of reading of the Bible helps me not to waste my time. Whenever I find time I read the Bible as I have the schedule to complete reading three times this year out of which one time with the footnotes, which is almost double the time of reading only the text.  The scheduling that has been done has helped me a lot in reading the word of God.

Thank God for my grandfather who had helped me to read the Bible daily since my childhood days. That habit has been inculcated in my life enabling me to keep reading the Bible. Well, it is one thing to read through the text of the Bible and yet it is another thing to pray-read and study the Bible in depth.  I have been doing both. Even in just reading through the text, the Lord is sovereign in speaking to me now and then. The text of the word itself touched me a lot of times, becoming Rhema word to me, supplying the divine life.

What a blessing it is to be able to read the Bible! My desire is to read as much as I can for as long as I can. I don't know how long the Lord will enable me to be able to read. One day, human eyes may become dim and all kinds of practical difficulties will occur. Until then, I am doing my best to read and eat the word of God as much as I can so that I will not have any regret when I may not be able to read as I can today. 

Likewise, I have been encouraging all my children and the saints in the church life to read the Bible daily. In fact, wherever the Lord opened the door for me to minister the word of God, I would encourage the believers to love the word of God and read the word of God daily.

Thank you, Lord, for the Bible! Thank you, Lord, for the good health to be able to read the Bible!

Impromptu Fellowship

Last Monday, two brothers came without any appointment to meet me. I was not prepared for such an impromptu meeting as I had many official works pending that I need to finish. In fact, one of them had tried calling me up twice but I did not have the peace to receive the call as I knew his intention which he revealed to me briefly when I visited Imphal last time. He requested a piece of land from the land the Lord gave us in Ngarian which has now become a prime property in the village.  But I told him frankly that I had no intention to sell at the moment. Now, that he came to meet me face to face to request the same I had to be frank and use the opportunity to minister something of Christ to them instead.

They came just before I went to eat lunch. Since they came I had no choice but to sit with them and listen to them first. I was very much exercised in my spirit so as not to be deceived and repeat the mistake done by Joshua with the Gibeonites. As they requested if I could sell a portion of the land to them I had to explain to them that without the Lord's leading I have no liberty to decide anything on the land. Then I gave them the history of how that land was purchased and how the Lord sovereignly provided the finance during my wedding in Taipei through the saints offering. Since it was from the Lord the usage of the land is also up to the Lord's leading. As of now, I have no leading concerning the land.

Since they came all the way, I also took the opportunity to minister the truth concerning Christ and the church. How as Christians we all should live by the spirit and seek the Lord's leading in everything. We should not care for what people say about us, but care for what the Lord says about us. We should live before the Lord and treasure His presence above everything. Satan will come and place many baits to distract us from Christ and the church, but we must live a praying life to discern what is from the Lord and what is not from the Lord. Much more, we must stay away from any bait and distraction placed by Satan in our lives in many ways and forms. I also encouraged them to be open-minded to receive a fellowship from the brothers in the church life as both of them are already in contact with a few brothes, one in Imphal and the other in New Delhi. I also cleared off the notions surrounding the practices of the church life which are false accusations. But encouraged them to be open-minded, study the Bible, learn the truth, and be in fellowship with the brothers so that they can also be recovered to enjoy the Christian life in the church life. 

Though I did not heed their request, I did tell them that they can pray and if the Lord leads so, what the Lord has allotted for them will be theirs. They need not pursue or initiate anything on their own self-desire. As they ran after me to pursue and persuade me to sell a piece of land to them, I encouraged them to pursue the Lord in such a way as to gain Christ by all means. I took the opportunity to also gift them some ministry books which they can read; I did so by first asking them if they wanted to read. Only on their positive response I selected the following books and gifted them:

1. The Normal Christian Church Life
2. The Orthodoxy of the Church
3. Enjoying Christ as the Spirit and through the Word
4. The Overcoming Life
5. Shepherding Materials

The meeting went on for about two and a half hours and I had to miss my lunch and a weekly official online meeting. I do believe this fellowship will have a lasting impression on their inward being and pray that they also be recovered to enjoy the Lord with the saints where they both are. 

May the Lord gain these two brothers for His testimony one day.

Ministry of the Word in Mathura

 Who, when he arrived and saw the grace of God, rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain with the Lord with purpose of heart;” (Acts 11:23, RecVer)

The Lord has been truly gracious and merciful to the saints in this city of Mathura. After a year of our first visit, we came to visit the saints again. And this time, we literally witnessed the grace of God among the saints in the church in Mathura!

Since our first meeting, the leading brothers have been very aggressive to practice the God-ordained way taught to them in fellowship with the brothers in the church in Gurugram and New Delhi. Though we have not touched the outward matters much, they themselves decided to practice what has commonly been practiced among all the local churches in the Lord’s recovery. I was so encouraged by the positive imitation that has been taken in their Christian life and church life.

On the Lord’s day, the saints gathered together with much exercise of the spirit in calling upon the Lord’s name, in singing hymns, in prayer, and in prophesying. It was a meeting as though in my own locality. Oh, what a joy to enjoy the Lord together!

When the brothers gave us time to minister the word, we ministered on what the church is to God. The church is holy, perfect, and beautiful!

“For from the top of the rocks I see him, / And from the hills I behold him. / Here is a people who live alone / And do not reckon themselves among the nations.” (Numbers 23:9, RecVer)

“He has not beheld iniquity in Jacob, / Nor has He seen trouble in Israel; / Jehovah their God is with them, / And the shout of a king is among them.” (Numbers 23:21, RecVer)

“How fair are your tents, O Jacob, / Your tabernacles, O Israel! Like valleys they are spread forth, / Like gardens beside a river, / Like aloes which Jehovah has planted, / Like cedars beside water.” (Numbers 24:5-6, RecVer)

We encouraged the saints to love the Lord and tell Him, "Lord Jesus, I love You" in all situations and live a life of contacting the Lord by calling upon His name all the time. The church here has been blessed with the increase inwardly in the saints' enjoyment of the Lord and constitution of the truth, and also the increase outwardly in the multiplication of the numbers of the saints as they have now almost doubled within a short span of one year. The Lord has been blessing the church in Mathura! May He continue to do so...

Then, after the meeting we left the city and concluded the ministry literature journey that started two weeks ago and ended in Mathura, covering four North Indian states; Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. 

The church in Mathura is one of the results of the Lord’s move through the ministry of the word literature journey. 

May the Lord continue to supply, preserve, and perfect the saints for His testimony in Mathura. Praise the Lord!

Ministry of the Word in Agra

A decade ago, propagation of the gospel was once done in Agra. In fact, a group of saints even took the stand as the church in Agra. But in course of time, due to lack of fellowship and shepherding, the testimony became dimmer and dimmer and the saints were scattered until no solid contacts were left. This is one city we have been targeting for the distribution of the ministry of the word. Though we tried a couple of times in the past, nothing worked. But, this time the Lord has opened a new door!

The opened door the Lord provided us was through the Pastor's monthly gathering in the city of Agra. We requested a time for the introduction of the ministry literature and our request was granted by the Pastors. Therefore, we could attend and introduce the ministry literature. 

Our introduction of the ministry literature was warmly welcomed by all the Pastors. In fact, many of them were new to the Hindi ministry literature. After the meeting, all the books we brought for free and sales distribution were distributed and sold! This was also our final destination in this two-week-long distribution trip to North India.

Initially, we thought we would be free after lunch and if no meeting came up, we would go to visit Taj Mahal. But, once the Pastor's meeting was over we had a Pastor who came at the last minute and through him, a couple more Pastors were introduced to us. Then, he invited us to his home to also meet two other Pastors who are also his relatives. Therefore, we were fully occupied in fellowshipping with them till evening. We could not even find time for lunch. 

Then, finally, on the way back we met another brother who is running a school and an orphanage with his father at his school office. There, we spent a considerable amount of time fellowshipping and introducing the ministry literature. When we were about to introduce the Holy Bible Recovery Version, his immediate response was that he has many study Bibles and commentaries already. In fact, he recently purchased one based on NIV. But when we finished introducing the Recovery Version, he was so excited and immediately requested to purchase one copy for himself. And he commented that he never heard the word of God being expounded in such a deep and detailed way as was being done in the Recovery Version. 

When we finally came back to our place of hospitality and had a late dinner in Mathura, it was past midnight. It was indeed a well-spent day. Though we thought we would have time for some sightseeing, we were fully occupied in the ministry literature introduction and fellowship. No time for seeing the old creation but fully occupied to see the new creation by faith.

May the Lord recover His testimony in Agra soon!

Ministry of the Word in Rajasthan

Last year we visited Bharatpur in Rajasthan bordering Uttar Pradesh where we met a brother who took the lead and conducted gospel meetings among villagers and gained thousands of believers. Yet he did not have a proper understanding of the Scriptures nor any vision concerning Christ and the church. Therefore, we ministered on the truth concerning Christian life for the church life. This time he was busy so we could not meet him, but we met his "second in command" and the main preacher of his group at Sogar, Rajasthan. About ten new believers gathered together for the meeting last Friday, the 2nd of December. 

Initially, we were told that a good number of them were "Pastors" so our ministering the word was on the Christian life of living Christ for the church. But later we discovered that many of the so-called "Pastors" were not even baptized despite the fact that they have been believers for years. For sure, there was a shortage in their understanding of the truth. After a brother finished ministering the word, we took a break and I continued.

The burden the Lord gave me was on helping these believers with the basic truth concerning baptism. So I spent the first half of my time ministering the truth concerning baptism, the seven spiritual significances of baptism. Using relevant Bible verses, I showed them the examples of baptisms in the Bible and the need for a proper baptism on time once a person genuinely believes. I encouraged all those who already believe into the Lord Jesus Christ to also be baptized at the earliest. Then, expounded the truth concerning the church as the kingdom of God, the Body of Christ, and the local aspect of the church. 

The key brother, being a gospel preacher himself, was so much supplied with the ministry of the word as truth, life, and light. He was so thankful that we could visit him and also promised to meet with the nearby local church in Mathura.

The following Lord’s day, this key brother came and attended the Lord’s Table Meeting in the church in Mathura and brought along another leading brother. It was their first time attending the meeting in the way of the Lord’s recovery with every saint participating in prayer, hymn singing, and prophesying. They were so excited that they expressed their desire to meet again soon. In fact, they invited us to visit them again for the ministry of the word.

This is the Lord’s doing! May His hand follow His speaking that all His remnants may be fully recovered to take the stand as local churches in the oneness and fellowship of the Body of Christ. 

Lord, raise up Your testimony in Sogar and many parts of Rajasthan!

Intimate Concern

…You are in our hearts for our dying together and our living together. Great is my boldness toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf; I am filled with comfort, I overflow with joy in all our affliction. 2 Cor. 7:3-4

Today morning as I was spending time with the Lord in prayer and enjoying the morning revival time, the Lord spoke a very specific word to me, "Intimate Concern." I have an intimate concern for my own blood relative. That comes naturally. In fact, every normal human being will have an intimate concern for his own family members, irrespective of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  So what difference does it make if I have an intimate concern only for my close family members? 

Recently, I have been very much concerned about my niece and I have been praying for her on a daily basis. And I have an intimate concern for my siblings too, especially when they do not do well in life; I used to pray and intercede for them a lot. I do the same for my own children. These are all very natural and it is common to every normal human being. But the question is, "Do I have an intimate concern for the saints the Lord has blessed me with?" This is a million-dollar question the Lord asked me personally on the last day of my distribution trip this time while I was in Mathura.

The Lord has blessed me with a good number of brothers and sisters for my shepherding care. He even asked me to count the spiritual children He gave to me. I counted a few of them, and I was already deeply convicted for my lack of concern for them. Of late, due to some reason or other, I have even avoided and cut off some of them. The Lord strongly convicted me of how I do not have an intimate concern for my own spiritual children unlike the concern I have for my own physical children. Oh, what an exposing it was! I repented and asked the Lord for forgiveness. No wonder I am not fruitful spiritually. I was so convicted by the Lord today morning and my eyes were opened to see my need to have an intimate concern for my spiritual children. One by one, the Lord reminded me to recover my shepherding of them. 

He even reminded me of three brothers who need to be shepherded urgently. I--n, A----l, and S-----t, these names were spelled out. Though they are not in my locality in Gurugram still they are my own spiritual children. Each of them has something in common, being rejected by their own family members due to their mental and physical state. Oftentimes, violent and abusive, but to me, they still have some sense of "respect" as their brother in Christ. The Lord showed me further that I am the only one who can shepherd these ones. So should I leave them as orphans? Should not I have an intimate concern for them? No matter what their condition may be, they are the children of God and also my spiritual children. So it is my rightful duty and spiritual responsibility to shepherd them.

Therefore, I have consecrated to the Lord to grant me the grace and the wisdom to shepherd these ones and many others. I indeed started texting them and praying for them one by one, and also prepared myself to be able to shepherd them with an intimate concern. Meanwhile, the ministry portion further strengthened this burden of having an intimate concern:

If we have the ability to carry on a work but lack an intimate concern, our work will be fruitless…How fruitful we are, how much fruit we bear, does not depend on what we are able to do. It depends on whether or not we have an intimate concern. Paul was very human and emotional in his ministering of life. Paul was so emotional because his concern was so deep and intimate. Without this kind of concern, we could never be abundantly rejoicing in the way Paul was. Instead, we may be as cold as a freezer, altogether lacking in concern for the saints. Instead of warming up others, we make them even colder. Nothing can  grow when it is in such a frozen condition. We need the weather of spring to come to thaw us out and warm up our life. Once again there is a need for a ministering life. Do you know what a ministering life is? It is a life that warms up others. Learn to warm others. This is to have an intimate concern for them. If we do not have this kind of concern for others, we shall not be fruitful. If I would minister life to the saints, I must have a genuine concern for them, a concern that is emotional, deep, and intimate. I must be so concerned that, at times, I may appear to others to be foolish or beside myself. Only the ministering life enables us to bear fruit. Fruit-bearing is the issue of a ministering life. ( Life-study of 2 Corinthians, pp. 379-384, 386)

Besides, the Lord also gave me a strong burden to help four brothers to shepherd and pray for them that they can recover their marriage life again. Sadly enough, the four brothers really need to be shepherded with an intimate concern to help them recover back their wives. All their wives have left them for reasons known to them best, but to me, as I was told by these brothers, the blame is on the wives. But I have not heard from their wives about these breakups. I strongly do not agree with separation or breakups after a legal and proper marriage. I do believe, in time, through prayer and shepherding, these four brothers will recover back their married life for the Lord's testimony. With an intimate concern, the Lord will grace me to shepherd them unto the recovery of their family lives for the church life.

Lord, shepherd me to shepherd the saints with an intimate concern.

Open Vessel

The last weekend was a Thanksgiving Conference. Since I was traveling, I thought I would missed it this time. But thank the Lord, I still got the opportunity to listen to all the messages from the video archives. I was able to listen to all the messages at different times while I was traveling on road by an SUV while on a ministry distribution journey from locality to locality. Each of these places I travelled to, were about an hour to two hours' time distance. These time intervals were apt for me to dive into the messages. Among all, the last message dispensed so much of life into me. As an open vessel,  I was able to receive the divine dispensing of the divine Trinity through the brothers ministry, and all these are for the divine economy.

Excerpt from Message Six 

Being a Vessel Open to the Lord and Living Ordinary Days in the Divine Dispensing of the Divine Trinity

An open vessel is doing nothing but keeping itself open to be filled by the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity—2 Cor. 13:14. 

A genuine Christian life is one that loves the Lord and keeps itself open to the Lord and stops its doing—Mark 12:30; 1 John 4:16-21. Then the Lord comes in and does everything; the vessel simply contains the Lord and enjoys the Lord’s filling and doing. We simply need to love the Lord and keep ourselves open to Him, giving Him every opportunity to do everything He wants to do—Eph. 3:17. This is the proper and genuine Christian life—Gal. 2:20. 

We need to receive the divine dispensing little by little, day by day, receiving this dispensing again and again in a slow, steady way—2 Cor. 13:14; Matt. 6:11; Psa. 68:19.

As I was enjoying the dispensing of the divine Trinity through the ministry of our dear brother, I was so supplied, strengthened, and encouraged. In fact, I could not even take a break and had to continue receiving the dispensing when I was in a meeting, even when a brother started speaking in a meeting where I had to follow after him. When it was my turn to minister the word, I asked the believers to take a break and sing a song until I could fully receive the entire dispensing of the word through the webcast I was listening to. What I freshly enjoyed, I also ministered to the saints when it was time for me to speak.

My inward prayer now is, "Lord, I open my vesselto You for Your divine dispensing. Keep me open all the time and keep dispensing all the days of my life." Through ordinary days in all my ordinary works, I must open to the Lord. There is no need to seek for miraculous and spectacular incidents to happen. If need be, the Lord may do so in time. But I don't have to look out for such, but simply open myself to Him for His divine dispensing through any circumstances that He may allow to come to me. 

By this way of being an open vessel to the Lord, enjoying His dispensing day by day, I can be constituted with Him and be rapture ready. 

For this, I need to love the Lord more and more each day. In His sovereignty, He will arrange people, matters, and things that will affect me positively with my positve response as an open vessel. Day by day, here a little there a little, again and again, all the days of my life, I will thus be dispensed with the Triune God to become the same as He is, in life and in nature but not in the Godhead, and be thus fully conformed to Him, to be rapture ready. 

Lord, grace me to be Your open vessel for Your divine dispensing all the days of my life.