Give Up and Give In

Following the Lord is exciting and also challenging. Following the Lord requires faithfulness and flexibility. Following the Lord is a matter of the Lord’s mercy and garce. I do not believe anyone can follow the Lord without the Lord gracing him to follow Him. It is simply impossible to follow the Lord faithfully without the Lord's faithfulness upon His followers.

These days, the Lord has been training me to follow Him by taking His grace and faithfulness as mine own. The first lesson is, I must learn the lesson of giving up my own plans and opinions. I believe this is the first requirement in following the Lord. Not that I should have no plan or opinion, but that, all my plans I must commit to the Lord and let Him decide what to do with it. If He approves it, well and good. If He rejects it, then He will replace it with His own, and that will be the best plan ever. This is a simple life lesson in following the Lord.

In taking care of my dad who has come for his medication and family visit, I made many plans. But most of them the Lord took it and tore it and gave me back a better one, perhaps the best. My cooperation with the Lord in this matter is to simply GIVE UP my plans and GIVE IN to His plan! And it turns out that as I gave up mine and gave in to His, the best came out! God knows best! Hallelujah!

I count it all joy to be able to cater to the need of my dad as he is now running 78 years of age. I believe the Lord has sent him to us here in Gurugram so that I can do my best to honor him as my father even as My heavenly Father commanded so.

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be extended upon the land which Jehovah your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12, RecVer)

“Honor your father and your mother, as Jehovah your God has commanded you, that your days may be extended and that it may be well with you upon the land which Jehovah your God is giving you.” (Deuteronomy 5:16, RecVer)

““Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with a promise,” (Ephesians 6:2, RecVer)

Therefore, my one goal with my father now is to honor my heavenly Father by honoring my earthly father in taking care of all his needs. I have been doing my best to give him the best I can, with what my Father has blessed me. Whatever was the need, I did not care much for the cost, but as my heavenly Father provided I provided it to my earthly father. I gave up my plans and gave in to My Father's plan for my father.

Vision of Egypt, the Slave House

“And Moses said to the people, Remember this day on which you came out from Egypt, from the slave house, for by strength of hand Jehovah brought you out from this place; and nothing leavened shall be eaten.” (Exodus 13:3, 4; 20:2; Deuteronomy 5:6; 6:12; 7:8, 8:14; 13:5, 10; Joshua 24:17; Judges 6:8; Micah 6:4, RecVer)

In my study of the Bible, the Lord showed me a new light concerning the world and all its vain glory. Though I knew vaguely that Egypt is a type of the world, never was I so deeply enlightened to dread the reality of this vain world. The glitters and glamours of this world looks so luxuriously attractive. In fact, many people, including the believers, have labored and ran after this deceptive world without realising what the world truly is. The world is a mere slave house. Implying that, laboring and living in this world is actually a slavery. What glory is there in slavery? What is there to be proud of being a slave? The world, Egypt, according to the Bible and in the eyes of God is just a slave house.

Having seen this vision of the world, will anyone take pride in anything of the world? Only the blind and the fools will. I surely would not wish to be one among the blind and the fools. May the Lord have mercy on me that I would no longer be deceived by the world. May the Lord opened the eyes of the saints that we no longer be deceived by the glitters and glamours of this world.

I repent even for dreaming of having any future in the world. I repent of dreaming and wishing my children to be somebody in the world. Of course, I will give them the best education possible, but definitely not for the world. People may study hard and invest in education to become somebody in the world, but I no longer. All my vain dreams in the world have been shattered by this one vision of the world. The world is just a slave house. 

“For the kingdom of the heavens is like a man, who is a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire workmen for his vineyard. And having agreed with the workmen for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And to those he said, You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you. And they went.” (Matthew 20:1-4, RecVer)

All the knowledge, skill, and education we learned in the world, if they are not useful to the Lord they are definitely vain. Anyone laboring NOT in the Lord’s vineyard is standing idle. All that he does in the world and are not for the Lord are worthless to God and are reckoned himself as "standing idle."

My heart cries out to all the children of God who are not laboring in the Lord's vineyard, "Please do not waste your time and energy for nothing. Serve the Lord, even in your worldly job. Serve the Lord by making use of the access to the world to gain people from the world for the Lord. Or atleast, plunder the world and offer your earning for the Lord’s work."

Looking back at my life, I simply worship the wise God who had called me out of the world to serve Him. All my shattered worldly dreams have now been replaced by the joy, peace and satisfaction of laboring in the Lord’s vineyard. What a salvation from Egypt, the slave house!

Lord, open the eyes of Your children to see the worthlessness of the world and the worthiness of Yourself!

Eye Care, Health Care, I Care

My father has come to be with us for sometime and also for his medical tests done, especially his eyes. I reckoned the best place for his eye care will be with the best and biggest eye hospital in Gurugram. This hospital was brought to my notice a few years ago but I had never visited. When my dad came, my wife also needed to check her eyes as she felt uncomfortable while reading. Therefore, with daddy and my wife, we all visited the Indira Gandhi Eye Hospital, for the first time and did a thorough check up of all our eyes including mine. We were impressed by the facilities and the different rounds of checking and consultation done. Therefore, my dad's eyes treatment was done, my wife's too was checked and done, and mine too, but no further check or treatment required for me. What we have been waiting for concerning our eyes check up was done for the three of us on the same day. 

Since my dad came all the way for his health check up, I did my best to consult the best doctor for his health needs. For eyes, for kidneys, for legs, and any other need, if there be. In the process of health care, I got the opportunity to care for my beloved dad while he is still with me. The Lord also gave me the wisdom where to go, whom to meet, and when to meet. All check ups so far after the test results came, were fine. Through this medical need, the Lord gave me the opportunity to honor my father and do to him the best I could offer. 

One whole day, we visited Safdarjung Hospital and did doctor's consulation for dad for his internal organs and legs. That gave us opportunity to visit some parts of Delhi, Dilli Haat and India Gate, where we spent time together with daddy. I wonder if such opportunity would come our way again. I followed my spirit to do the best I could to make daddy happy. I was not sure if there would be another time like this. Besides, the eye care and health care, I too care for my dad to be happy. Whrn he expressed his need for a shoe, I purchased for him the shoe he chose for His own. I reckon this act as honoring my father.

“The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish son is a grief to his mother.” (Proverbs 10:1, RecVer)

“A wise son makes a father glad, / But a foolish man despises his mother.” (Proverbs 15:20, RecVer)

“Whoever loves wisdom makes his father glad, But he who keeps company with harlots wastes his substance.” (Proverbs 29:3, RecVer)

I was so thankful to the Lord that within my limited resources, the Lord graced me to do my best to serve my father. And I did so with a joyful heart. My joy was made even more joyful by this opportunity to care for my dad.

Thank the Lord, He even uses our health situation to strengthen our family bond. Lord, keep us all in good health for Your sake.

Faithful in Service

“Therefore, brothers, be the more diligent to make your calling and selection firm, for doing these things you shall by no means ever stumble.” (2 Peter 1:10, RecVer)

Faithfulness is what God requires from His servants. Yet, this faithfulness is of God, which through the exercise of our spirits, we can gain the God of faith to become our faithfulness. Faithfulness is the one quality of life I require from all the serving ones in my area of service as I myself exercise faithfulness in my service. Interestingly, my wife gave me a Chinese name on our wedding day which literally means faithfulness. I trust my faithfull God to be my faithfulness in all my relationship with Him, with my wife, with all the saints, and also in all my services.

One of our serving ones has been found to be lacking in certain aspects of his service. Time and again, the matter about his lag in his service has been reported to me. Atleast, for a couple of times, we have had fellowship with him in love as brothers concerning his service. In all our fellowship, he accepted his shortages and amen all our fellowship without any argument. Yet, in course of time, the very matters that we fellowshipped with him has to be repeated again and again as he also has family issues that has been bogging him in his service.

The past week, I received a report face to face from another serving one about his lagging behind in his responsibilities. Then, another serving one reported about his lag again. When the matter was brought to me, I felt good to bring him online over a conference call. Instead of discussing about a person behind his back, I prefer to talk to him directly and let him speak from his viewpoint too. Therefore, we had a conference call for over an hour and finally settled the matter.

My heart has never been to fire any serving ones for whatever reason. I don't believe in making an impromptu and harsh decision. I would hear from the person directly whatever he has to say. And then consider carefully what is in the Lord’s mind concerning the matter and the person himself. Then, in fellowship, I would hear from my coordinators what they have to say. And only if the Lord gave me a clear word I will take decision. Otherwise, I would wait and wait until I am clear of what to do in the official position the Lord has sovereignty placed me in. In fact, I fear God so as not to misrepresent Him in anyway or in any matter. I fear God not to abuse the official position He has granted me with.

I trust the Lord that through this kind of fellowship, the said serving one could be shepherded and be recovered in His function in the Body assigned by the Head Christ. Indeed, the Lord anointed our fellowship and he took the points of fellowship positively. Thus, my brother has been shepherded and restored in His function.

Today, we, the serving ones in the distribution, prayed and fellowshipped together. Our prayer was that our calling and selection be made firm and that we be diligent in all our official responsibilities. I do believe, the Lord is pleased to hear this kind of prayer. 

“Or service, let us be faithful in that service; or he who teaches, in that teaching;” (Romans 12:7, RecVer)

Lord, preserve us all serving ones to be faithful in the services You assigned to us by Your own faithfulness.

The Church in Mathura

Today, the 19th March 2023, the church in Mathura was formally raised up in fellowship with the Body and the first Lord’s Table Meeting held in fellowship with the nearby churches. The past two days there was a perfecting training for the saints in the church in Mathura, a perfecting training on the fundamental truth concerning Christ and the church, and the practical Christian living. As the church in Gurugram, we all went to participate in this important meeting today by bus. It was a wonderful and glorious church trip to Mathura!

The history of how the Lord recovered the church in Mathura was truly the sovereignty of the wise God. The first contact was with the key brother on 19th July 2021 when he searched online for "Amana Literature" as printed in the ministry books in Hindi. When he called the office landline number, the Lord’s move in the serving ones enabled him to be in contact as it was during the time of Covid second wave and it was all work from home. However, a serving one, led by the spirit was there at the office when the call was actually made. Then our online contactbwas established. 

On the 21st of July, two days after, he showed up at the literature office in Gurugram without any prior information. Then, we had our face to face fellowship. He was then introduced to the bothers in the church in Gurugram and New Delhi. There and then, he purchased all the Hindi ministry books which he had not gotten yet. On our request, he stayed back for a night and also joined the young people fellowship which was conducted in English. But he testifed that he enjoyed the meeting in the spirit and was so joyful despite not knowing the language spoken in the meeting, English.

Since then, he started pursuing the ministry books faithfully and dropped all the other ministries he used to pursue before. He then tasted the ministry and seen the vision of Christ and the church!

Now and then, he called, and invited us to visit him. On his third invitation call, I took it seriously and made first visit to Mathura with a brother from the church in New Delhi on 11th September2023. 

The prayer request sent out for the first visit:

Prayer Request

Colossians 4:3-4

Praying at the same time for us also, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak.

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Dear Saints,

Pray for the follow-up shepherding visit to a group of seeking believers in Mathura who came to fellowship with us through their reading and enjoyment of the ministry of the word in Hindi.

This weekend, 11-13 September, we are visiting and fellowshiping with them.  

Pray that that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ.

Pray that the Lord would shepherd them into the rich enjoyment of Christ as the unsearchable riches and be  fully recovered for the Lord’s testimony in Mathura, UP.

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Facts about Mathura

Mathura is a sacred city in Uttar Pradesh, northern India. It is believed to be the birthplace of an important deity in the Hindu religious pantheon. It is an important pilgrim place of the Hindus and one of the seven sacred cities in India.

It is about 50 kms from Taj Mahal in Agra.

The report sent after the first visit to Mathura:

Follow-up Shepherding Visit to Mathura, UP

Dear Saints,

Thank you for your prayers!

The Lord has richly blessed the visit to Mathura in answer to the prayers of the Body. Since the time we arrived there, we enjoyed fellowshipping with the saints, sessions by sessions until midnight. Their hunger for the word of God had literally drawn out from our being the living waters. We simply followed the Spirit's flow and flowed along with it by ministering the word.

On the Lord's Day, about 70 saints gathered together for the meeting. As the Lord led, we ministered the word of God on God's plan, the redemption accomplished by Christ, the salvation we can enjoy by believing into His Name, the need for household salvation, and the need to grow in life through the word.

After the meeting, we fellowshipped with the leading brothers on some practical ways to enjoy the the Lord by calling upon the Lord’s name, pray-reading the word of God, and prophesying for the building up of the Body of Christ. We also introduced a practical way to be revived through the morning revival and also taught them some hymns in Hindi for their spiritual enjoyment.

Having thus released the burden for this time, we commit them to the word of God's grace that can build them up and left to be visited again soon.

Acts 20:32

And now I commit you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who have been sanctified.

Prayer Burden

Please continue to pray for the brothers and sisters in Mathura for their daily enjoyment of the Lord and growth in life unto the full recovery of the Lord's testimony. Amen.

The prayer request sent out for the second visit:

PRAYER BURDENS: The Ministry of the Word Literature Distribution

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“And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must lead them also, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one flock, one Shepherd.” (John 10:16, RecVer)_

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Dear Saints,

Brothers are coordinating this distribution and shepherding trip to the seekers in Uttar Pradesh. 

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May 9-12: Mathura and Gatholi in Uttar Pradesh

May 10: Bharatpur in Rajasthan

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Prayer Burdens

Pray for the distribution and shepherding in Mathura, Bharatpur, and Gatholi, especially for the meeting with Christian seekers, and reaching the seeking ones with the ministry and be gained to bear the Lord’s testimony.

Pray that the Lord would supply many of His lovers and seekers with  His rich speaking and life supply through the ministry books.

Pray for the  coordination among the serving ones.

The report sent after the second visit to Mathura:

Thank you for your prayers!

In answer to the prayers of the Body, the Lord has blessed the distribution and shepherding visit where the ministry literature were introduced and distributed to the seeking Christians besides ministering the timely words. 

Yesterday, we enjoyed a wonderful fellowship and meeting in Mathura; singing hymns in Hindi, calling upon the Lord’s name, pray-reading the word, and ministering the word. As a result, 10 new ones took baptism after the meeting. All the saints and new ones were filled with joy!

Continue to pray for the follow-up shepherding unto the raising up of the Lord’s testimony in Mathura, Gatholi, and Bharatpur.

Praise the Lord!

The third visit was.carried out on 22nd November 2022. These were the official literature journey to Mathura. In addition to all these visitations, a regular monthly visits took place in coordination of the brothers in the church in New Delhi and Gurugram. Finally, this weekend, a training was held for two days and the church was formally raised up with the first Lord’s Table Meeting in fellowship, oneness, and coordination with the Bidy of Christ!

Praise the Lord! Jesus is Lord! Christ is Victor in the Hindi heartland of India! Hallelujah for the church in Mathura!

Prayer for Teenage Son

Today is my son's thirteenth birthday. He has entered into a very crucial phase of his human life, a teenage life. My best way of wishing him was, I hugged him and prayed for him with all of my heart as I wished him a happy birthday. My prayers for him to the Lord were that:

• the Lord's grace may be upon him
• the Lord's love may fill his heart
• the Lord's covering and protection be upon him from all the attacks of the enemy
• the fear of God would keep him from all evils
• he experiences and enjoys the Lord as His wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and intelligence
• he be a vessel sanctified, separated, useful to the Lord
• he be a vessel filled with the God of honor and glory
• he be a pillar of the church and for the church, and serves the Lord all the days of his life in whatever way the Lord would lead him

A few days ago I asked him what he would want as a birthday gift, he thought about it for a while and asked for a football. Later, we both searched online on amazon.in and asked him to choose and I purchased one for him. In addition, I realized that he needed a new water bottle, so he and I together searched for a water bottle and ended up buying a new model of a copper flask. Well, this was more of my choice and he agreed to it. And today, I asked him what food item he would like to eat, he requested a Pizza and I took him to Domino Pizza and let him choose his favorite pizza, BBQ Chicken, and a pack of potato chips. Of course, I purchased for my two daughters as well, similar food items.

One interesting thing was, as went to place an order for pizzas, the shop was too busy and asked us to place an order after an hour. We used that one hour's time to go and have an evening walk and pray. My son and youngest daughter came along and we had a time of walking and prayer. It was a time well spent. Then, as a family, we all ate pizzas together, prayed together, and also ate cake together. Interestingly, our family Bible verse that we pray-read tonight was:

I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart; And I will glorify Your name forever. Psalms 86:12

In addition, today the Lord also enabled me to complete reading the Holy Bible Recovery Version, only text, for the forty-first time (41 times). The Lord gave me another way of getting into the word of God with a view of the actual recipients of the word when it was actually written many years ago to many different groups of people.

May the Lord bless all the young people in the church in Gurugram and gain their best phase of their human life.

Life Lesson: Brothers' Fellowship

The Lord speaks in and through the Body. There are times the Lord speaks personally to me in a very personal way for some personal matters, but when he wanted the church to get involved, He revealed His will in His sovereign way. He does this to manifest certain situations so that in fellowship He can move through the Body.  When the Lord speaks and moves in such a way, my simple responsibility is to cooperate with His move and amen whatever He wanted to do. Herein lies the need for self-denial. Once a matter is revealed through the Body which He wanted to deal with in the Body, I only have one choice; to cooperate with the lord in the Body irrespective of my feelings or thoughts or will. 

Two weeks ago, a situation transpired in which the situational manifestation succinctly indicated the need to take an action in two specific matters. Firstly, to deal with a brother who needs proper shepherding in his mental health. In fact, he needs to be restricted from attending any meeting until he is mentally normalized. This is for his own good and the good of the Body. Not that he has been cut off or excommunicated, but only temporarily quarantining him so as not to affect other innocent saints who may not be aware of his mental state. The matter was followed up in a timely manner with a brother taking the responsibility to shepherd him.

Another matter is concerning a brother whom we called for fellowshipped and let him know clearly what the feeling of the Lord expressed through the Body in fellowship in one accord. Though he naturally tried his best to justify his deeds and decided to personally break off an engagement the church had helped him with, we expressed a strong contrary feeling, with a stern warning in love that he may not continue in his own way. Whether he agreed to it or not, the feeling of the Body has been conveyed with a strong emphasis on the need to honor the vow he had made before God and men. Whatever reasons he gave to justify his deeds, we stood firm and warned him, and expressed our strong feeling to him. The rest is up to him, whether to obey or go his way. We have no intention to direct or control anybody as such, but we want to be faithful to God and His word as revealed in the Bible and long only to stand on the ground of maintaining the sanctity of the engagement made. What will transpire of the matter is up to the Lord. Having thus expressed our feelings, we told him to stop all improper, immoral, and sinful affairs other than the person he was already engaged to. And then, we all prayed together for the Lord's mercy and grace that He may shine on each one so that we all see the light of God and obey the fellowship through the supply of life the Lord so graciously supplies.

After this fellowship, I felt so peaceful. The burden that I had been bearing alone for months has been released. In fact, I had been waiting for the perfect time when the matter of concern could be opened up. I did not want to initiate anything on my own but kept the matter to the Lord in prayers until He takes the necessary step. I felt the time had come and that in time, the matters had been fellowshipped with the concerned person. What a relief! What peace!

Now I am peaceful in the Lord concerning the two matters. I trust the Lord in His sovereign way will settle the issues. The common enemy we were fighting is Satan. He is the master of confusion. Now that we have identified the mastermind behind all these ugly episodes, the next step is to stand in the Body in prayer and fellowship and release all the saints from the enemy's further attack.

May the Lord preserve the humanity of all the saints; to be vessels holy, pure, sanctified, and filled with His honor and glory!