Proposal Paradox

One thing we have been struggling to break through among the single saints here in the church in Gurugram is helping them in their marriage matters. As one of the church brothers, I have been so burdened to help the unmarried brothers and sisters find a match and get them married. But the hardest part is to help them settle with someone that satisfies them. Time and tide waits for none. As they keep waiting to find the "perfect" match they have been aging. Year by year, they are aging and are not even ready to settle down with anyone. 

To me, marriage is easy to settle as long as I am clear of the Lord's perfect leading. That's exactly how the Lord led me. Once I was clear with the person the Lord had chosen for me, I just said amen. Even I had to deny my soul life in this matter. What the Lord arranged for me is the best. And as I went ahead with the Lord's arrangement, I have been enjoying all the blessings the Lord bestowed on my family. In a similar manner, I have been trying to help the unmarried saints, but they seem to have altogether different opinions.

As a brother in the church, I along with other brothers have approached a couple of brothers and sisters to fellowship with them regarding their marriage proposal. In fact, we have even started with two brothers. Sadly enough, these brothers have squarely or subtly denied the proposals. On the one hand, they profess their urgent need to get married and seem to be open to fellowship, yet on the other hand, they have their own preferences which they did not reveal either. When we brought sisters for a proposal, they denied them. 

With one brother we have even gone to introduce the sister face to face, online though, but for some minute reasons he backed off. I am stuck at the horn of dilemma, to propose or not to propose any longer. God, help us!

This was so disheartening. The sisters we proposed were quite good, at least according to my understanding. For I see them as a sister in the Lord. I don't know what these brothers were looking for or what were they expecting their future wife to be. Sometimes they seem to indicate they need help, and when we put our hands to help, they reject it. They profess that they need to get married and will be willing to get married to sisters in church life, but when we propose sisters in the church life, they reject stating their own reasons. What a paradox! I call this a proposal paradox.

Sometimes I thought to myself, if I were not yet married and were in their shoes, I would have married multiple times already, assuming I put on their shoes; whoever was proposed I would just say amen. I failed to understand what stopped them from getting married. What are they looking and waiting for? At their age, I have already become a father. Yet they still do not seem to bother about their marriage at all. Sometimes, I wonder, have we been cursed? Of course not. But I do hope that the Lord will come in and renew all of their minds and bring them to be a plain paper where He can write whatever name He wishes to, and they all say amen to the Lord's sovereign arrangement.

May the Lord have mercy on all these single saints and grace them with perfect matching partners; to be established in their human life and become pillars for the Lord's testimony.

Lesson on Offerings

The Lord has been blessing me with His rich supply through different means and channels. No matter the channels and means, the Lord is the source of them all. He supplies according to His riches to meet all my genuine needs. And He has been faithfully doing so. What a blessed life to be supplied by the Lord!

Since I got saved and especially since I came to serve the Lord full-time, I have been experiencing the Lord's timely supply to meet all my needs and also the needs of others, including my family sometimes. For years altogether, I have been receiving the Lord's supply and also have been distributing His supply to the needy saints, as He leads and reveals to me. This month, the offering came only during half the month. I have been considering some portions of the offering and how to distribute them. Even for the previous month, I withheld some as I was not clear to whom to offer. 

Then, a sister, a distinct relative contacted me for the first time from nowhere and mentioned her dire situation and desperate need for immediate medical attention. Initially, I wanted to ignore her as I generally do not entertain people who directly ask for monetary help. But later, as I considered before the Lord over and over again, the Lord impressed me deep within that, she was the one I needed to help. Therefore, after being clearly led by the Lord, I requested her bank account number and transferred offerings twice. This thereby met her immediate need. Besides, I also took the opportunity to lead her to read the Bible and spend time with the Lord in prayer and also sent a link for her to read shepherding material online.  May the Lord bless her physically and spiritually too.

This month too, as I was considering how to dispense the offering to the needy saints the Lord dawned on me the needs of a brother whose parents have been devasted due to the recent riots in Manipur. Now, he is here in Gurugram studying in a college and not being able to pay even his college fees. In fellowship, I enquired all the practical details of his college fees, his education, and family matters. Then I realized that he was the right person to receive the offering. Therefore, last Lord's Day, a considerable amount of offerings was offered to him through the church offering box. This is also to shepherd him and his family who are in desperate need. Besides this, another student-brother was also offered to meet some of his needs. In this way, the Lord led me to discern to whom to offer the offering channel through me. The source is the Lord, and I must exercise to be one spirit with the Lord to discern the recipients of the offerings.

It is one thing to exercise faith to depend on the Lord and the Lord supplies all my needs through offering. Yet it is altogether another thing to discern in one spirit with the Lord to whom to offer.  Not just for my own needs, but also to learn to discern the needs of others and channel the Lord's supply to them, even as He pleases to do it through me. This is an important lesson on offerings.

God-man Living

One of the high peaks of the divine revelations is the God-man living. This is the living of God and man; man in God and God in man, a living of a union, mingling and incorporation of God and man. This is the living again of God on the earth in and through man. This is the life the Lord desires us to live today. In fact, this is the Christian life in a very pure and practical sense. 

This God-man life is not an impossible life. For this life is not lived out by man alone, but by God in man. Having seen this revelation of the God-man living from the actual living of the Lord Jesus as recorded in the four gospels, it may sound like it is impossible. Yes, it is impossible in our natural life. But it is possible by the divine life already imparted into us when we first believed into the Lor Jesus Christ.

Apart from the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and his visit to the temple in Jerusalem at the age of twelve, the Bible did not record anything about his life for eighteen years from the time he was twelve till He began His ministry at the age of thirty. What had he been doing for the silent period of eighteen years? Perhaps, He simply lived a normal human life carrying out the daily chores of life at His physical home, but nothing spectacular He did, He silently lived out God. This is a wonderful virtue of a God-man life. A life lived out in silence. No pomp and show, no boasting and pride. A life of patience, simply living a normal human life.

Even when He began His ministry at the age of thirty, the first thing He did was, He dealt with His flesh by getting baptized. He openly acknowledged the fact that in His flesh He was good for nothing but death and burial. Only then, did He begin His earthly ministry. His life began with the manager and ended at the cross. The manger is a symbol of lowliness, poverty, and even rejection. His whole life was just this, from the manger to the cross.

As such a pattern, His living was His work, and His work was His ministry. There was no difference between His living and His work and His move. Above all, He as a man of prayer, a man who always lived with the Father, and in oneness with the Father. Such was the pattern of the God-man life. 

The Lord’s life was His work, His move, and His ministry; His work was His living, and His move was His being; with Him there was no difference between His life, His work, His move, and His ministry; the Lord Jesus lived His ministry—cf. Luke 22:26-27; John 10:10b; 1 Cor. 15:45b; 1 John 5:16a; 2 Cor. 3:6; Phil. 1:25. The Lord Jesus was a man of prayer, being one with God, living in the presence of God without ceasing, trusting in God and not in Himself under any kind of suffering and persecution, and being One in whom Satan, the ruler of the world, had nothing (no ground, no hope, no chance, no possibility in anything)— John 10:30; 8:29; 14:30b; 16:32-33; 1 Pet. 2:23. Excerpt from An Overview of the Central Burden and Present Truth of the Lord's Recovery before His Appearing, msg 5.

This is the life we need to live today by taking Him as our life and living Him out day by day. I was so impressed by seeing the vision of the God-ma life. I was not and am not and will not be discouraged even if I fall short of this. Because, this life is His life, not mine. I exercise to be one with Him to live His life out. May the Lord grace me to live such a God-man life.

This message also was the one in which the church in Gurugram was tested during the recent video training. My portion was to speak on the introductory word on the God-man living with all the points mentioned above. Among all the twelve messages during the training, this message touched me the most.

Lord, grace me to live You daily, the God-man life.

Lesson from Video Training

This year, video training switched from the traditional way of DVD messages to webcast training. Early this year we started to fellowship with the brothers about the change in the mode of training. Since it was something new, we needed to prepare the leading brothers to take this training. The first fellowship we had was in Hyderabad before the serving one training. We briefed the saints about this new change. But neither I nor anyone really knew what practical preparation it was going to involve. But a new thing, I had to adapt to learn to serve the saints.

First, we made arrangements for all the translators to be able to translate the audio messages on time. We eventually were able to do and meet the target. At the very first go, the Lord graced us to translate the audio messages into seven Indian languages and upload them via FTP for incorporation into the video of the speakers.

Second, to equip the saints for this new mode of translation, we had a Zoom fellowship with all the leading brothers in India. I personally had to draft, design, and redesign all the important information, attendance, online questionnaires, online registration form, etc. Once these were done, we had another round of fellowship with all the brothers in India to brief them again on the regulations. Then these regulations and forms were translated into all seven Indian languages and made available to the brothers in the churches in India.

Third, we had to get ourselves familiar with the online mode of training. Where there would be internet connectivity issues, we had to try our screen mirroring or casting from Android phone to a TV monitor; for a smart TV or an Android TV or even for a simple monitor with a screen mirroring dongle. A brother and I had to spend one day experimenting with this technical issue at an electronic gadget shop. Then we had another online fellowship, demonstrating how to play online or do casting from phone to TV. A whole new thing, a technical fellowship with all the brothers was carried out.

Fourth, we even had to design a step-by-step guide to playing the video message online or via webcast on screen-mirroring and translate these guidelines into various Indian languages.

Fifth, as the training began, many technical issues related to login, date issues, rescheduling of training date, email non-receipt issues, and video blocked issues. For this, I need to coordinate with the serving ones at LSMa and address all technical issues as and when they come.

Finally, the churches in India were able to cope with this new method of training! Many churches have upgraded their technical know-how and purchased the necessary TV or dongle to be able to take the video training. 

Now that many of the churches have taken the training, I wonder how the Lord led us through. The grace of the Lord has been richly upon us. We simply fellowshipped with the brothers and carried whatever were fellowshipped. Thank the Lord for all the coordination. The Lord became our wisdom and grace in handling all practical issues. For the sake of the saints in all the churches in India, the Lord graced us to serve Him by serving the saints in all practical details.

Praise the Lord! Learn and adapt for the Lord's move. These are lessons learned from conducting video training in India.

Lesson in Service

This month August turned out to be one of the busiest months. I thought I would be more free and more relaxed as I had no traveling schedule. But when I thought I would be free, I became the busiest. Some very crucial official works were executed, one by one. And finally, by the second week of August, all pending official works were completed.

One of them is pertaining to the shareholding pattern of the literature service company of which I am one of the coordinating brothers. After much fellowship and consideration, the decision was taken to adjust the shareholding pattern. The Lord was sovereign and He knew what was best for the literature service in India. My responsibility was to execute what was decided by the brothers. Though I could voice my opinion, it was much more blessed to simply amen the brothers' decision and faithfully carry out the execution of the decision made. Similarly, with the filing of the resignation of one of our coordinating directors due to his ill health and age. 

In all these official duties, I learned to serve faithfully as a slave. Whether in coordinating with our CA or with any other persons involved in the matter, my attitude is to coordinate and execute the tasks at hand in the best possible way. Sometimes, there were short-cut ways, but I have learned the lesson never to take a short-cut.  I have learned the lesson that, "the shortest way is the longest way, and the longest way is the shortest way." So, when I have to execute a task, I first explore the best way and then execute it in that way, often this way is detailed and time-consuming. But once it is done, it is done with complete satisfaction.  

The Lord has been training me to serve in the way of coordination; especially in faithfully executing whatever has been decided by the brothers or the board of directors. I have been learning to not voice my opinion unless I am sure it was the Lord's opinion too. Though officially I may be in a position to voice my opinion, I decide not to, unless I have a clear leading from the Lord. I never considered my official position as something to exercise official authority, I simply regard it as a training ground for me to learn to serve the Lord in coordination in the Body, with whoever He placed me with.

But by the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace unto me did not turn out to be in vain, but, on the contrary, I labored more abundantly than all of them, yet not I but the grace of God which is with me. 1 Corinthians 15:10

I have also been proving over and over again that it is purely by the Lord's mercy that I am what I am. Whenever He placed me in whatever function, I must be faithful to the Lord's assignment. I must only learn to humble myself and submit to the Lord's arrangement in every matter.  This is the lesson in service.

Laboring on Christ

God has given us the all-inclusive Christ as our allotted portion of the good land. The land is rich, besides, He has provided rain and sunshine. Yet man must labor on the land to get the produce out of the land. God's rich provision does not mean man need not do anything, he still must labor lest he will be like a mouse dying of starvation in a grain house. The land is for cultivation. Laboring on the land is a must for man to enjoy its riches of it. 

The Israelites were fed with the manna for forty years until they entered the good land. The day they crossed the river Jordan and stepped into the good land, the manna stopped. Since then they had to labor on the land and produce the riches of the land for themselves and even bring the surplus to the temple for the corporate enjoyment and feasting together with others. This was a type in the Old Testament. Today, the same principle runs with our Christian life today. The land has been given, and we must labor on the good land.

Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light; Colossians 1:12 

The practical question today is how to labor on the good land. The best way to labor is to exercise our spirit. In exercising our spirit, the first thing is not to pay attention to our soul; the thoughts in our mind, the feelings in our emotion, and the preferences in our will. These are the most distracting things in exercising our spirit. When Peter expressed his own about the Lord's crucifixion, the Lord called him Satan. Meaning, when we are not in the spirit, we express ourselves or even Satan who subtly has been working through the fallen flesh. Besides, we must also not pay attention to the environment. Many distracting things will happen as Satan does not want us to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. So having avoided these two things, our soul and our environment, then can we pay attention to the deep sense in our inner being. Discerning the Lord's speaking and leading in our spirit and following it faithfully is the key to labor on the good land. Only by such an exercise of the spirit, we can experience and enjoy Christ. The result of which will be, Christ will be produced.

On the one hand, we labor but actually, it was the Lord who produces Himself. Because the laboring is not out of ourselves, so is the produce.

For it is God who operates in you both the willing and the working for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13

These days, I have been laboring on Christ my good land through the very many situations in my Christian life, family life, work life, and the church life. In dealing with matters, persons, and things, I have been laboring on Christ. At times, I failed and at times I was able to gain something of Christ. 

Last week, we had a video training for the churches in North India where about 350 saints gathered together in a basement. The auditorium did not have proper ventilation and there was no AC installed. When many people were gathered together, the hall was very humid and caused sleepiness during the meeting. In this regard, I expressed my opinion to the brothers for AC. But I realized I should not have done it. Though I expressed my opinion, I turned to the Lord and asked for forgiveness for paying too much attention to my own feeling, though good it may sound.  They were also helpless as it was not our own facility, it was a hired facility with no AC. In this regard, I experienced the Lord's perfecting training in learning to accept whatever He has arranged. Besides, I have been financially tight. In fact, very tight this month. I looked to the Lord on how to meet the family transportation expenses to attend the video training in Delhi. The Lord opened a way for us and the financial need for transportation was met without my spending anything.  

These are a few cases of my laboring on the good land. The result of such labor that produces Christ is for the building up of the Body of Christ. Therefore, whenever we meet together, I must share my portion of the gaining of Christ to others for their benefit as well. In this way, we build up the Body together.

What then, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. 1 Corinthians 14:26

This is the way to labor on the good land to produce Christ to offer it as a corporate worship to God for the genuine church. This same burden, I released on the Lord's Day as the concluding word of the meeting in the church in Gurugram.  The summary of these experiences is Christ, our allotted position, upon which as Christians we have to labor and bring the produce to the church for the building up of the church and for the corporate worship to God. 

Daily Dependence

 Give us today our daily bread. Matthew 6:11

Daily dependence on the Lord is what I have been learning these days. When I first got saved, the Lord taught me how to live by faith, depending upon Him, especially on my financial matter when I had no source of income of my own except the ones I received from my father. Step by step, the Lord led me to trust Him in all things. In fact, I have been graced by the Lord to follow Him all this while as He also provided all my needs. It was so thrilling yet encouraging to learn the faithfulness of the Lord. He has been so faithful all the time. I especially felt his faithfulness during trying times. 

Now, though the Lord has arranged a way for me to be taken care of financially, I still have to depend on Him. For, His arrangement is just the means, He is still the source. The means exist because of the source. The means without the source has no meaning, it nullifies its existence. Though the means have been arranged to meet my family's needs, still, my dependence is on Him, the source, and not on the means.

This experience is also so much in line with the Life-studies pursuit these days on the book of Genesis on the line of life signified by the tree of life versus the line of death signified by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Day by day, I learn to exercise to partake of the tree of life and learn to live by the spirit. Even on physical and material things, I look to Him and depend on Him. I cease to depend on what He has already provided me with. I still depend on Him, the Source, for all things even if I already have them. This is what I understood of the prayer, "Lord, give us today our daily bread." A life of depending upon God all the time.

I treasure this lesson so much. Even after twenty-five years of living and walking with the Lord, my dependence on Him becomes more eminent and desperate. For I have learned the lesson that I am nothing without Him. My life, my work, and my everything depends on Him. There is nothing I can claim of my own, literally nothing. All that I have are from Him. My life, my family, my children, and all that I have, spiritual or physical, all are from Him. I have because He gives. 

Though I have enough deposits in the bank, all from the Lord's blessing financially, I do not depend on them too. I would learn to live by His monthly provision of finance and learn to manage within it. The expenses for my family have grown much. So I am learning to save wherever I can. So I would rather try to repair all my broken gadgets than throw them and buy new ones. As much as possible, I try my best to repair at a low cost and avoid shelling out a huge amount for purchasing new gadgets. Recently I have had to face this decision with a fridge, cooler, and hairdryer. They have been good enough to throw them as junk yet I still somehow tried to repair them and make them work. Though there was a price to pay for running around for the repair and a couple of days and weeks to wait for the repair to be done, I would rather pay the price of my labor and wait than pay the price of money, an easy way to get things done just by buying new ones.

In all these little things, I got the grace to experience the Lord in depending on Him. This is what I have been learning these days. Depend on the Lord, yes even a  daily dependence. Given a choice, I would always choose to depend on the Lord even if I could do without it. And I am glad I could not do without the Lord.  So I depend on Him daily.

Lord, give me today my daily bread!