Language of Judah

Ne 13:23In those days I also saw that the Jews had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab;
Ne 13:24And as for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod; and none of them could speak the language of Judah, but they spoke the language of the respective peoples.
Ne 13:25And I contended with them and cursed them and struck some of them and pulled out their hair; and I made them swear by God, saying, You shall not give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.

When the chosen people of God under captivity for seventy years returned back to Jerusalem their being was just like that of the Babylonians. Except for the fact that they were the children of Isreal, all their inward constitutions and outward behavior were Babylonians. The degradation was to the extent that they even forgot their own language, the language of Judah. What is this language of Judah in today's Christian life? It is the spiritual "culture" we live out in church life today. The practice of the church life is the language of Judah that we speak. This is how we communicate with one another and this is also how we define the truth the Lord has revealed to us. Perhaps, this is also the way we fellowship and go on in our Christian life for the church life. The following is an excerpt from Br. Witness Lee's ministry concerning the new language, the language of Judah.

In the new language of the Lord’s recovery,…incarnation means that God brought Himself into man, mingled His divinity with humanity, and made God and man one entity. This is the new language. To understand that God became a man is easy, but it is more difficult to understand that God brought Himself into man and mingled His divinity with humanity. The mingling of divinity and humanity is the highest interpretation of incarnation. If our understanding of incarnation does not reach this height, we do not know it well…Incarnation means that God mingles Himself with man, making Himself one entity with man. This is deeper than saying that God became a man. 

There are many examples like this of the new language. The highest definition of regeneration is that God has regenerated His people with His divine life, grafting His divine life with the human life to have one living (Rom. 11:17). To be renewed
is to have our mind changed to be Christ’s mind (1 Cor. 2:16; Phil. 2:5). Christ’s mind with the mingled spirit penetrates our mind, making our spirit the spirit of our mind (Eph. 4:23)…Our spirit is the center of our being, and our soul, the main part of which is our mind, surrounds our spirit. In regeneration the Spirit comes into our spirit to be one with our spirit (1 Cor. 6:17). From that time on, the Spirit, who is mingled with our spirit as one, is waiting for the opportunity to spread into our mind, that is, into our soul. This is renewing according to the new language. 

We all must learn to pick up this new language in the Lord’s recovery…The Lord’s recovery is a new culture. I hope that all the saints will enter into the new vocabulary, the new language and utterance, of this new culture. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, pp. 38-39)

I was very much touched when I came across this portion of the ministry. On the one hand, it was a reminder of what kind of church life I have been living, and on the other hand, it was a warning not to forget my spiritual mother tongue, the language of Judah. This language also includes the culture we have been living out in the church life, which I emphasize again and again; the daily morning revival, the daily Bible reading, the daily personal prayer life, and the corporate prayer life of the church or the family. It also includes the shepherding of the saints and new ones, the preaching of the gospel, and participation in training, conferences, and blending meetings. All these comprise the language of Judah.

One Lord's day, I shared the burden on the need to speak the language of Judah to all the saints. We should not and must not forget this spiritual language. This is our lingua franca of the church life. This language must be spoken among ourselves and also be taught to all the children of God. This speaking-living of the language of Judah will enable us to grow in life, blend with one another, and build up with one another for the building up of the Body of  Christ. It is also this language that will prepare the Bride of Christ and bring the Lord Jesus back for the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose.

May we always speak the language of Judah and teach others as well.

Helping Hands

It is normal as human beings and especially as Christian brothers and sisters to lend helping hands to one another wherever and whenever the need arises. Within my capacity, I desire to help in whatever way I can to whoever is appropriate to help. For I definitely cannot the devil, but definitely must help the saints.

As usual, a sister and her husband used to come to me every year to help them in filing their income tax through which she also got her TDS back as incentives. I learned to do this for myself when my own CA charged me a hefty amount for a simple filing many years ago. Since then I decided to learn and do filing myself. In fact, I have been filing my own income tax for myself. Now what I have learned has become useful even to other saints. 

Last week, a brother applied for a Taiwan visa but his income tax need to be filed urgently. Out of urgency, I was graced to help him out which enabled him to get his visa. Later, a received calls from two more brothers. I readily helped them out too. But their documents were not complete and certain banking and government matters were not updated. Therefore, it took me hours and hours of my time. In the process, I "waste" my time on them. Yet I also helped them to keep all their banking details, and government documents updated and handy. Meanwhile, a brother also learned how to file income tax for himself. In this way, I was able to lend a helping hand to the brothers in need.

Yes, there definitely was the paying the price of my time. But I was glad that I could help. In a similar manner, I should help needy people more, physically and spiritually.  The more I can help the better. This is also a way of shepherding people in a way of cherishing that one day they can as well be nourished and be saved, and also brought into the church life.

Yet on the flip side, I declined to help an unknown person with his work who requested my help through a gospel friend that I used to help for publishing at least four books. In this case, I felt the person was simply trying to use me. Besides, I was not very peaceful to help him which he could easily do it using a professional instead. I directed him to go get his job done with the professionals. I felt helping that person would be stretching beyond my function and I must also uphold the integrity of the office the Lord has placed me in. So in this case, I peacefully and gently declined. I discerned that it was not proper to help him at all. Moreover, the work can be done easily by paying some price to the professionals who are into publication.

Yes, I extend my helping hands, but not to where I should not and do not have peace from the Lord. My helping hands are within the limit of God's grace. 

Help hands where the Lord leads and not blindly.

Company Matters

Today, a brother and I met our company's CA to consult him on the matter of company affairs. As one serving the Lord in the aspect of the ministry of the word, there are many government formalities that have to be followed. For the sake of the spreading of the word of God, we are registered as a private limited company and are bound by the law of the land. We function like any other private limited company as far as formalities are concerned. But the goal of our company is "to give food at the proper time" to all the children of God through the translation, printing, and distribution of the ministry of the word. 

Of late, one of our co-directors has not been able to join the quarterly board meetings due to ill health and old age. Therefore, we have been considering how to take care of the directors and also plan for new director induction. The execution of all these needs thorough consideration as shares, transactions, filing, and a few other formalities need to be fulfilled. As a serving one, it is my responsibility to make sure that all official things are done properly and at the right time. Yet, to do it, I am taking all precautions and necessary steps to execute all my official duties. 

I do not take things for granted and would like to check, and double check the law of the land with our CA and CS, and also with my co-directors and all the brothers involved.  All important decisions should be taken with utmost care and after much prayer, consideration, and fellowship. For all these matters, I went before the Lord and prayed for the Lord's wisdom and leading. Today, I felt deep within that I should meet our CA together and get his opinion on official matters and then decide on what to do related to directors induction, shares transfer, etc.

This weekend we need to travel for the same matter based on the fellowship of the brothers to fellowship with one of our co-directors to get his feeling about his service. As I told my other co-directors too, I respect this brother who is the seniormost one among us, and the Lord has also used him for the initiation of His move and the introduction of the literature service in India. Even the need to meet him was decided in fellowship with the brothers serving in the work in India. I am glad that I have brothers around me for fellowship and guidance in important matters like this which otherwise will be impossible for me to take any decision, much less take action.

I trust the Lord will lead us through in all these matters for the sake of His testimony and move in India.  In the future, there should be no regret in any decision or action we take today. After all, we are serving the Lord and His interest on this earth. We are just servants serving Him, carrying out what he intends to accomplish in us and through us.

May the Lord bless His move in India even through the literature service.

Repair and Renew

Recently I learned a wonderful lesson from the Lord through my old cooler. This cooler was gifted to us about nine years ago by a brother who actually used it for himself for nine years. So the cooler is eighteen years old.  I could have thrown it off and buy a new one, but somehow I did not want to throw it when it can somehow be repaired. Therefore, I did my best to fix the motor and still make it work. The whole idea of a cooler is to generate cool air for this hot summer, especially for my children. After a few days of working on it, it now works as good as a new one. The lesson I learned is, what can be repaired must be repaired and not be discarded. Make use of what seems useless. This needs burden and skill. Not only for inorganic material things but also for people; turning the useless to be useful. 

In a similar line, I also learned the lesson of renewing overseas trip for training and conference that has been put on hold for a couple of years due to Covid. Since the Lord gave me the burden to renew attending this kind of training, I brought it to fellowship with the concerned brothers. After a couple of weeks, the Lord opened the door and made it possible for a brother and me to resume attending international training and conferences. What it took me was the burden, then the fellowship which made it practical.

In yet another similar case, as I was booking flight tickets for our overseas training trip, I realized that my passport needs renewal. Therefore, immediately I took action and did all the necessary filling up of forms for the renewal. In this way, the Lord taught me a simple yet important lesson on renewal. 

Taking timely action, and renewing matters and things before it gets expired are important lessons the Lord has been teaching me these days. The same applies to my need for daily renewal and revival to stay afresh in the Lord and in my service and function in the Body of Christ.

Lord, renew me day by day. 

Recovery of Brothers

On the 12th of May, while I was in Hyderabad, I was surprised yet joyful about the dream I just had the previous night. I woke up with the dream of two brothers who left the church life in my locality, Gurugram, being recovered back into the fellowship of the Body. These two brothers are local Hindi-speaking brothers and they love the Lord. Though they both were from denominational backgrounds they have the discernment as to what the Lord is recovering in the present age. They have been into Christianity for many years and are not void of its constitution either. Nevertheless, they faithfully proclaim the truth. 

One of the brothers is a much older brother in age. Since he lost his wife, he has been unconsciously suffering from depression. Therefore, his daughter has been taking good care of him and he just follows where his daughter leads him to fellowship on the Lord's day. This is the reason he has drifted away from the practical church life. But he is not satisfied there either as he already tasted the truth in the church life. Since he felt the teachings there are kind of "childish" in comparison to what he has been fed with the ministry of the age. He gradually stops attending those meetings even. For important matters, he still keeps in touch with a brother and generally gives his things to the saints in the church life. Recently, he had shifted his house and given a good number of household items and dresses to the saints. Proving that his heart is still with the church here, though he could not regularly meet with the saints. This is one of the brothers the Lord showed me coming back to practice the church life together with all the saints again. I receive this dream by faith and I do believe, the Lord has done it.

The other brother is a much younger one. I have been in fellowship with him since the time he came into the church life. A few months ago, he began to be late to the meetings, and gradually also missed the meetings on the Lord's day. At one point in time. he proposed to meet the churches in India for his secular agenda which we did not encourage him as the church cannot be mixed with the things of the world however good they may seem to be. This perhaps, is one reason that upset and discouraged him. Then one day, he left the church's WhatsApp group but was brought back immediately by a brother. A few weeks later, he left again. this time, it sent a shock wave to my being. I and a few brothers tried to contact him by phone or text message, but he decline to respond. I realized that he has not been properly shepherded despite my view of him as a strong brother. The Lord opened my eyes to see that people change and that every saint needs proper shepherding-fellowship and also a proper human care. In my personal prayer, in our family prayer, and in the brothers' prayer, we started praying for his recovery. The Lors is faithful to answer this prayer much sooner than I expected.

When I saw the dream of his recovery, I was filled with hope. And this hope turned into reality a few days after my dream. He texted me and said "Sorry" for not responding to me. Immediately, I texted him back and promised to meet him as soon as I return back to Gurugram as I was still traveling then. Promptly, he replied in the affirmative. 

Once I came back, I called him and made an appointment with him. I and a brother went to visit him and asked him to speak about his feelings and whatever he may want to speak about. He stated two reasons for leaving the church life temporarily. The first is, he is desperate and discouraged in the church not bearing fruit for the increase. The second is the issue of marriage. In the two points, we agreed with his observations. In fact, I personally testified to him of my desperateness too for the increase in the church life in our locality, Gurugram. And that he and we all should stand together for the increase. To the second point on marriage, I let him know that a sister was actually proposed to him when he first came into the church life, but he rejected it. Therefore, he cannot say that we did not do anything for the single saints concerning their marriages. In fact, I share my burden that if all the single saints would simply open to the Lord for His choice and they all give up their preferences, they all would have been married and become fathers and mothers by now. In the two points, we fellowshipped and came to a mutual understanding of the situation as the church we are in. Then we prayed together, and I promised to have a home meeting with him regularly to which he readily agree. And the following Lord's day, he resumed his coming to the Lord's table meeting. He has been recovered back into the church life and also into the church's WhatApp group. 

May the Lord continue to shepherd him to become a pillar for the Lord's testimony and recover his whole household members too for the church life.

Praise the Lord for the recovery of the brothers!

Shepherding Fellowship

Last Friday night, we had a time of fellowship with a visiting brother and gave him a free hand to fellowship whatever he was burdened to fellowship with us, the saints in the church inGurugram. After a time of love-feast, the Lord gave him, our brother, the timely word that we need so much, on the line of shepherding.

After the disciples, especially Peter denied the Lord and backslide, the Lord came to recover him step by step unto the point he became an apostle who brought thousands to the Lord Jesus Christ through his gospel preaching as recorded in the book of Acts. This is how the Lord shepherded Peter despite his unstable testimony and unfaithfulness to his own word to the Lord Jesus.

Peter took the lead to go back to the world, his forsaken profession and took along with him six other disciples of the Lord Jesus.

Jn 21:1 After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. And He manifested Himself in this way:

Jn 21:2 Simon Peter and Thomas, called Didymus, and Nathanael from Cana of Galilee and the sons of Zebedee and two others of His disciples were there together.

Jn 21:3 Simon Peter said to them, I am going fishing. They said to him, We also are coming with you. They went forth and got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.

Miracle #1

However, the Lord came and did miracle after miracle. Despite them being professional fishermen, and despite seven of them fishing the whole night, miraculously they caught nothing. Zero fish! 

They went forth and got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.

The Lord came in the morning to meet them and asked them a question He himself already knew.

Jn 21:4 Now as soon as the morning broke, Jesus stood on the shore; however the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

Jn 21:5 Then Jesus said to them, Little children, you do not have any fish to eat, do you? They answered Him, No.

Miracle #2

The Lord instructed them in the morning to cast their net on the right side. The timing and the location of fishing was totally illogical. Nevertheless, he obeyed the Lord's word and did accordingly. Then, they caught an abundance of fish. The total number of large fish they caught was 153.

Jn 21:6 And He said to them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some. They cast therefore, and they were no longer able to haul it in because of the abundance of fish. 

Jn 21:11 Simon Peter therefore went up and hauled the net to the land full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and though there were so many, the net was not torn.

Miracle #3

Though they caught an abundance of fish which was according to the Lord's word, still the Lord did not use even what He blessed them with. For, He wanted to show to them that they should not depend on even what He blessed them with, but they should solely and absolutely depend on the Lord Jesus alone. So, He did not feed them with the fish they caught, but He already prepared fish on the shore, readily cooked to be eaten for breakfast.

Jn 21:9 Then when they got out onto the land, they saw a fire of coals laid there, and fish lying on it and bread.

Jn 21:10 Jesus said to them, Bring some of the fish that you have just now caught.

Jn 21:12 Jesus said to them, Come and have breakfast. But none of the disciples dared to inquire of Him, Who are you? knowing that it was the Lord.

Jn 21:13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise.

The Lord Jesus asked Peter three times, "Do you love me?" And each time, He charge him to shepherd his sheep.

Jn 21:15 Then when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You. He said to him, Feed My lambs.

Jn 21:16 He said to him again a second time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You. He said to him, Shepherd My sheep.

Jn 21:17 He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me? Peter was grieved that He said to him the third time, Do you love Me? And he said to Him, Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You. Jesus said to him, Feed My sheep.

In this way of shepherding, the Lord fully recovered Peter from his backsliding and the Lord established him to be a shepherd to shepherd the flock of God.

The Lord reckoned the believers as His sheep and Himself as the Shepherd. Sheep have many wonderful characteristics:

1. Always flock together
2. Cannot live alone, when being alone could not feed properly
3. Could survive alone for only upto seven days
4. Had dim eyes, so they used their ears to hear the ones next to them. They simply followed the ones nearest to them
5. Knows their shepherd and 
6. Follow their shepherd 
7. They are meek

These should be how we live our Christian life, like a sheep always following our Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. And also function as a shepherd to shepherd our new ones, not to leave anyone unattended, but to visit them at least once a week.

I was so much shepherded by this fellowship. My daughter herself enjoyed this fellowship so much so that she shared it after the meeting and she also shared the same point of her enjoyment today in the church meeting today.

May all the lost sheep be recovered through the shepherding of us as the saints' shepherds.

Two Brothers' Baptisms

Since 2008, I have been in a brotherly yet house owner-tenant relationship with the physical house owner of which I have been a resident and his tenant to date. As a Christian brother, I have also been praying for my brother's family to be shepherded into the church life and his children to be saved. Now and then, in our family prayers, we have been praying for them. In the past few months, I have received a message from him concerning his sons' baptism that he would want me and the brothers in the church to help them baptize. In fact, it has also been our prayer that the entire family be saved and brought into the church life. At the beginning of this month, I received an email and a WhatsApp message from my brother requesting prayer for the baptism of his two sons and also that I could baptize them. I brought this matter to the Lord and also fellowshipped with the brothers in the church in Gurugram. After I came back from a trip to Hyderabad, I proposed 21 June for the baptism. Somehow they could not make it.  Meanwhile, we have been praying, and a few days ago I received a message that they would be coming today, the 28th of May for the baptism.

Today morning, they all came and attended the meeting. After the meeting, as the church we prayed for the baptsim of the two brothers and I released the burden concerning believing and baptism with an emphasis on the seven significances of water baptism. 

Believing and Baptsim: First, believing, and only then, baptism.
Mk 16:16He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned.

Fulfilling the Righteous Requirement of God
Rm 6:4We have been buried therefore with Him through baptism into His death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so also we might walk in newness of life.
Identification with the Death of Jesus
Rm 6:3Or are you ignorant that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?  
Identification with the Resurrection of Jesus
Rm 6:5For if we have grown together with Him in the likeness of His death, indeed we will also be in the likeness of His resurrection.
Termination of the old man and germination of the new man
Mt 3:13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him.
Mt 3:14But John tried to prevent Him, saying, It is I who have need of being baptized by You, and You come to me?
Mt 3:15But Jesus answered and said to him, Permit it for now, for it is fitting for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness. Then he permitted Him.
Open declaration, a witness, and a testimony
Mt 3:16And having been baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon Him.
Mt 3:17And behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is My Son, the Beloved, in whom I have found My delight.
Entrance into the kingdom of God
Jn 3:5Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Becoming member of the Body of Christ

1Co 12:13For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and were all given to drink one Spirit.

After the ministry of the word, first, the younger brother was baptised. Later, the elder brother made a fuss about some mistreatments he met in the past by some so-called "Christians" in the past. However, we fellowshipped with him and helped him to know the differences bewteen those who believe into so-called Jesus' "photos" and do not live a normal Christian life and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Then, I also mentioned the difference between the soul and the spirit and that in the soul many negative points may be there concerning the so-called Christians but that is not the key point. The key point is beliveing in the spirit and receiving the Lord as simple as calling upon the Name of the Lord Jesus. We helped him to call upon the Lord's name, then he was willing and finally took water baptism. Thus, the two brothers were baptized!

The Lord answered the prayer of their parent and also the prayers of the church. Hallelujah!

May the Lord cause them to grow in the divine life for the testimony of Jesus!