Bengaluru: Combined Lord’s Day Meeting

On the 21st of July, the church in Bengaluru conducted a combined Lord's table meeting in the venue where the proofreading was held. Prior to this, the leading brothers came for fellowship on this regard and we all agreed to hold the combined meeting of the church. The venue has given us a hall and lovefeast for the same without any extra charges from what we already paid for the volunteers. It was indeed a time of wonderful blending together at the start of the proofreading project.

The brothers fellowshipped that two of our visiting brothers from abroad minister the word for all the saints. the church has been pursuing on "fellowship" to help all the new ones with regard to what is fellowship in the Body. Therefore, the brothers coordinated well to release the burden on "fellowship." 

Romans 12:4For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function.

One crucial point I learned from this fellowship on "fellowship" is that, though we all are members of the same Body, we all do not have the same function. This is a colossal truth I just got enlightened with. Therefore, it is imperative for me to know that I am a member of the Boyd and at the same time, as a member I have my function in the Body. Likewise, others too have their own function. So, we all do not have the same function. Since we do not have the same function, we must recognize and honor the function of other members of the Body and receive help from their functions. If this truth of the Body is realized by all, there will be no problem with the fellowship in the Body of Christ. 

In fact, most of the problems in the Body are caused by some saints who do not know that they all do not have the same function in the Body. Therefore, this resulted in overstepping one's function and causing confusion in the coordination in the Body. O what a lesson on "fellowship!"

In such a blending meeting, I was able to meet many saints whom I never met before. I was even thrilled to meet some new families who eventually came into the church life whose initial shepherding into the church life I was also involved in. At least with two families, the initial introduction of the ministry was directly or indirectly through my function in the Body. This is not a boast, but just declaring the fact of the matter. May the Lord continue to grace these families to remain faithful to the Lord and bring many more new ones into the church life as they have been shepherded into the church life.

The Lord is sovereignly wise in His arrangement of things.  What a blessing to simply receive from the fellowship of the Body! What a timely blending!

Kannada New Testament Proofreading Stage 1

On the 15th of July 2024, the first stage of the Kannada New Testament Proofreading began. A few days before this date, a few of us serving ones arrived at the venue in Begaluru for the preparatory work. Prior to all these, I had been praying daily in my personal prayer life. I did not know how things would go by. I had no idea how we were going to make it through. Therefore, the best I could do was, pray, and pray and pray.

When we had the preparatory fellowship, new things that needed to be done were done immediately. Many unforeseen things cropped up. But in no time, they were all resolved one by one. The venue management cooperated in all that we requested for. Thank the Lord for this coordination! As we were about to begin, a prayer request was sent to the churches.

Prayer Burdens: Kannada New Testament Recovery Version Proofreading Project
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And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands upon us; Indeed the work of our hands, establish it. (Psalms 90:17, RecVer)
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Date: 15 July to 20th Aug 2024
Venue: Bengaluru, Karnataka
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Pray for the Lord to preserve the tripartite being of all the serving ones throughout the entire project. 

Pray for the Lord to bless the proofreading so that anything that needs to be corrected be corrected.

Pray for the Lord to cover and head up all the practical matters; health, travels, food, lodging, venue facilities, weather, and our coordination.

Pray that the Kannada New Testament Recovery Version be printed and distributed on time among all Kannada-speaking Christians and seeking ones and fill this land (Karnataka) with the knowledge of Jehovah.
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To manage the schedule of all the volunteers, we created a WhatsApp group and communicated all information through this medium. The initial and final announcements at the beginning and end of the stage were noteworthy.

Announcement

Date: 15 July Monday

Please be at the dinning hall by 8 AM for breakfast.

Breakfast Time: 8:00-9:00 AM
Proofreading
Time: 9:00 AM

Please be at the Sushil Kumar Rudra Seminar Hall at the basement, entrance is opposite to the reception counter.

Please be on time.

Or service, let us be faithful in that service; (Romans 12:7a, RecVer)

Much grace

Since I needed to take care of many practical matters, I fully and simply trusted the Lord and fellowshipped with my fellow brothers and sisters. As the saints arrived one by one, the Lord enabled us to manage everything without any complication. Though some saints fell sick during the first few days, it was my responsibility to give them timely medical care. A sister fell sick and we took her to a nearby clinic where she was given a two-hour drip. Some other sick saints were given timely medicines. In discharging my responsibilities, the Lord gave me timely help in finding the right clinic and pharmacy to meet all the medical needs on time. Though we had a little rough start, things went on and the project was not disturbed at all.

Since we were short of manpower, we decided to work overtime by extending a session after dinner. Therefore, we worked from morning 9:00 AM till 9:30 PM with tea and lunch breaks in between. The first stage of two weeks went well with this schedule.

Finally, at the end of the first two weeks, the assigned tasks were all completed and the first stage was completed successfully!

Important Announcements

Saints, whoever is leaving tomorrow Saturday, please inform whether you will leave after breakfast or lunch.

For coming Lord’s Day, we may all go to attend the church in Bengaluru meetings, therfore, no lunch will be served in the venue.

If anyone is leaving on Lord’s Day, you may check out after breakfast itself.

Please make sure to check out with date and time from the reception when you check out.

Please get your travel reimbursement from Sis -----, if not yet.

Plead also text your postal address with pin code and phone number for us to send your Kannada New Testament Recovery Version when it is printed.

Thank you, saints, for your coordination and labor!

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Dear Saints,

Praise the Lord! We have come to an end of the first stage of the proofreading. 

Therefore, we will not come together after breakfast as usual tomorrow morning. To those who are leaving, please make sure to fellowship with one another before you leave and remember to pray for those who are continuing for the second week of proofreading. 

Thank you again for all your coordination and labor!
Much grace to us all.

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Thank the Lord, the two weeks of the first stage of the Kannada New Testament Recovery Version were completely on time.

Church Life: Pursuing the Truth

The church going on in the Lord is very much determined by the leading of the brothers who take the lead in the shepherding of the church. By the Lord's mercy, the church in Gurugram has a good number of brothers who are truly one with one another and are sweetly coordinating in every practical matter. This is one of the secrets to the blessings the Lord has been pouring upon the church. The brothers are truly one in every practical matter. Every time a matter was brought up, though generally proposed by a brother or two, the other brothers followed suit without much opinion. Though there used to be some discussion and fellowship for clarity's sake, ultimately, the thing proposed was agreed upon in one accord. 

In the Lord's move in India, the direction these days has been to lead the saints in the local churches into the truth and life of the Bible through the pursuit of the Life-study messages. This burden was released over a year ago. The practical way has also been chalked out. After much consideration and fellowship, the Lord gave us a way even in Gurugram for the daily pursuit of the Life-studies messages.

On the first of July 2024, we formally started the corporate pursuit of the Life-studies message beginning with the book of the Gospel according to Matthew. We pray that the Lord will be our faithfulness in His truth pursuit until its completion in 2044. Announcement has been made to the church group as follows:

Life-study Pursuit in Hindi and English Online
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Monday to Saturday
Hindi Time: 9:45 PM to 10:00 PM, 15 minutes only
English Time: 10:00 PM to 10:15 PM, 15 minutes only

Start Date: 1 July 2024
Duration: 20 years

Hindi and English WhatsApp  groups have been created and saints have been added. In case you are not yet added kindly inform immediately mentioning which group you want to be in, Hindi or English. 

That by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I have written previously in brief, By which, in reading it, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ (Ephesians 3:3-4, RecVer)

Thank the Lord, the saints all in one accord embarked on a twenty-year reading plan of the Life-studies of the Bible. This Life-studies pursuit is a study of the Bible using the Life-studies as a study tool. The plan is a daily reading with just fifteen minutes of corporate pursuit. Two groups have been formed, one for Hindi-speaking saints and the other for English-speaking saints. Thus, a new chapter is being unveiled in the history of the church in Gurugram!

Now that the plan has commenced, we pray for the Lord's grace to grace us day by day until the entire Life-studies have been pursued or until the Lord returns.

Two goals I could perceive in this endeavor are:

1. Reconstitute the saints with the truth of the Bible and supply life from the truth of the Bible. The Bible being our unique standard, let us all pursue the truth in the Bible, be constituted with it, and be filled with the divine life.
2. Reading the Bible with the help of the life-studies must be the daily habit of the saints. This should even become a part of our daily life. 

Lord, bless the saints pursuing of Your word, reconstitute us with Your truth and fill us with Your life day by day.

A Brotherly Tribute to Br. Joseph Yang

 Furthermore we ask you, brothers, to acknowledge those who labor among you and take the lead among you in the Lord and admonish you, And to regard them most highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, RecVer)

Br. Joseph Yang was specially gifted by the Lord in shepherding the saints and the new ones in a very fine and detailed way, yet all in a hidden way. The Lord sovereignly used him in my life while I was struggling inwardly to take spiritual turns. At some crucial junctures, amidst my inward struggles, on my spiritual journeys forward, he was very instrumental in shepherding me step by step and ushering me into the church life in the Lord’s recovery. Below are some instances where the Lord used him to shepherd me.

In Discerning My Inward Struggles

In 2002, as a student seeking the Lord for His leading concerning the church and not being satisfied with the degraded and denominated system of Christianity, I was spiritually stuck not knowing how to go on. I was desperately praying for a clear sky whether to leave the denomination I was in. At that juncture, I came into contact with the saints and Br. Joseph Yang took a special interest on me. One day, he visited my hostel room and brought a book by Witness Lee, The Genuine Ground of Oneness. He proposed that we read that book together weekly. As we read a few pages in ch.1, my spiritual eyes were opened, I felt light dawning within, and I knew immediately that this book addressed the very questions I had on the ground of the church. After a few pages of reading in turns, he paused, stopped the meeting, and proposed to meet again the next week to continue the reading. Deep within, I saw light dawning concerning the questions on oneness and division. I just tasted something I had been longing for! After he left, I continued reading the book until I finished the entire book. Then I saw the ground of oneness which enabled me to come out of the denomination I was in. My two years of struggling to leave the denomination came to an end. I got the answers! Then, I became very clear about the ground of oneness and fully came into the church life!

In Seeing the Vision of the Age

I was just a Master's degree student in Chennai. Surprisingly, he invited me to attend a "Responsible Brothers' Training in Mumbai" for which he paid the price for my two ways train tickets along with the training registration fee. In fact, I was not qualified for that training as I had not yet taken the way of the Lord’s recovery, much less, a responsible brother. But the Lord used that training to open my eyes to see the vision of the Body as the training subject was on the vision of the age. The messages I heard, the book and the outlines I read were very timely. In that training, I saw the vision of the age, the need to do the work of building up the Body of Christ in this age! If brother had not invited me for that training, I would have missed seeing the vision on time.

In Giving Me Hospitality When I Needed the Most

I just graduated from my Master's degree and I had to leave my hostel. I was wondering where to stay for a week before I went home. I did not have any guts to request for hospitality. Surprisingly, Br. Joseph Yang discerned my need though I did not mention it to him. He invited me to stay with his family. He even came to pick me up from my hostel with all my luggage. Oh, what a cherishing it was for a student to find a home far away from home!

In Genuine Care and Concern

He exhibited a genuine care for me in action. In ushering me into the church life and in shepherding me to join the training, he wanted to confirm my decision before the Lord. One day, he came alone to my hostel room with a lot of burden for me. He fellowshipped with me about the church and the church life, and the need for training to be equipped with the truth. Then, he requested me to kneel down and consecrate my life to the Lord. So, he and I, we both knelt down and prayed a prayer of consecration. First, for me to fully come into the church life. Then, to join the full-time training. I could sense his heartbeat in all his deeds as a serving one who cared for me genuinely. 

In Suppling My Material Needs

While I was serving full time in the church in New Delhi in 2005, brother came to visit me. He enquired about my well-being, shared his recent enjoyment of the ministry imparting what he learned, and prayed for me. Then, he took me to a woolen shop and purchased for me a navy-blue woolen sweater as it was a winter time. I did not mention this need at all to him, he just discerned my need and supplied immediately.

Since he had impacted my life at crucial turning points, I felt so blessed to be shepherded by such a brother. I felt the Lord had sent him to India to shepherd me. Though I received help from other brothers too, his portion was very unique and it came at special times when I needed the most. I praise and worship the Lord for such a member in the Body from whom I receive a specific shepherding at crucial and critical times of my life.

For these reasons, when as a family we visited Taiwan last June 2024 and heard about his ill-health, I determined to visit him or at least his wife, at whatever cost. Though we could not meet him due to hospital restriction for critical patients, at least we met Sis. Marline Yang and their son Zion. I reckoned that as a sign of honor to a brother the Lord had used to shepherd me.

Render to all the things due: …, honor to whom honor is due. Romans 13:7

As the Lord used him as a pattern to me, may the Lord grace me as well to be a pattern to others. All glory to God! 

Much grace to sister Marline and brother Zion.

 

Palmei, INDIA 12 July 2024

Learning to Be Apolitical

Blending and Exhortation Fellowship

Last Lord’s Day, the saints from the church in Mathura gave us an impromptu visit. Though we were not informed beforehand, we welcomed them and let them also function during the meeting in bread breaking and in prophesying. The Lord has been working in their being so much that we could easily blend with them in oneness. Their visitation truly uplifted the meeting. Praise the Lord for the blending in the Body!

Last Lord’s Day was also the last Lord’s Day for the present term of trainees undergoing their training and participating in the church life in Gurugram. Since the saints from Mathura and trainees were with us, we invited them to a time of blending and fellowship over lovefeast dinner. All the saints willingly participated in the meetings.

As we fellowshipped, the Lord burdened us to exhort the trainees with words of love from the Scriptures. First of all,  a good number of them shared how the Lord brought them to join the training and many of them shared their experiences of being trained by the Lord theough the corporate God-man living in their coordination. I encouraged them to love the Lord, fear Him, and serve Him. Then, I addressed the trainees who were persecuted with prison term for a while and that they could not go home due to the case registered against them for preaching the gospel. Though it was a sad decision for the young sisters, they willingly accepted the Lord’s arrangement. To them, I specifically addressed to exhort them and even comfort them with the words of the Scriptures.

Beloved, do not think that the fiery ordeal among you, coming to you for a trial, is strange, as if it were a strange thing happening to you; But inasmuch as you share in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice exultingly. If you are reproached in the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. For let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler into others’ affairs; But if as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this name. (1 Peter 4:12-16, RecVer)

Henceforth let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the brands of Jesus. (Galatians 6:17, RecVer)

With these few words, we all prayed for them as they were going home during their training interim. Then, we feasted together too. The following day, I was given the opportunity to drive all of them to the metro station trip by trip with all their luggages. While driving them too, I prayed with them and encouraged them to spend their time wisely. I was glad that I could at least participate in whatever way, within my limited capacity, to blend with them and encouraged them too.

What a sovereignty of the Lord! The saints in Gurugram, Mathura, and the trainees all blent together!

Faithful Over a Few Things

In the Lord's word to the slaves for a reward of entering into the joy of the Master, the only qualification is, "Be faithful over a few things."

His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful over a few things; I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your master. Matthew 25:21, 23

I was enlightened by the Lord with this verse. The Lord has never told us to do things we cannot do. Neither did He demand that we do big and great things. Much less, trying to become famous and popular with a huge crowd of followers in order to be approved by Him. The thought of bigness and greatness has corrupted man servants of God. What God only requires from us is, to simply be faithful over the few things He apportioned to us in His wisdom and sovereignty.

The few things may refer to the talent mentioned in the preceeding verses. These talents are our natural abilities God has given to us. In this age, as the Lord is working Himself into us to transform us, He requires us to be faithful to His transforming work. The faithfulness over the few things refer to the Lord’s work in us as we cooperate with Him. Our faithfulness is required in two aspects:

Subjectively in our inward being, He moves as the anointing, teaching us what we should do and what we should not do.

And as for you, the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone teach you; but as His anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and is not a lie, and even as it has taught you, abide in Him. (1 John 2:27, RecVer)

We must simply be faithful to the anointing within us. We say amen to His teaching and abide in Him. This will lead us to obey the anointing. Such obedience is our faithfulness. In everything, obey the anointing. Then, the presence of the Lord will be our enjoyment.

Objectively in our outward environment, He moves. He has spoken to us in the Son through the Word. Obeying the word is our faithfulness over the few things. He has already commissioned us to preach the gospel. He has commanded us to love Him and also love one another. He has charged us to be a man of prayer. Our carrying out of His commission and charge is our faithful over the few things.

And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39, RecVer)

Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you all the days until the consummation of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20, RecVer)

Unceasingly pray, (1 Thessalonians 5:17, RecVer)

Humanly speaking, we must be faithful to all the tasks assigned to is. As a father in a family, I must be faithful to my responsibility. As a brother in the church, I must be faithful in functioning for the building up of the church. As a serving ones in the literature service, Imuat faithfully serve. In this way, I can be faithful over the few things.

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

To be faithful over few things is to be faithful over whatever responsibility the Lord has blessed us with. It is not a herculean task, but normal and ordinary. Besides, He gives grace to all those who desires to be faithful. 

Practically, it is also to be faithful to the fellowship in the Body, in the church, in the work, and in the ministry.  If the church says, let us preach the gospel, so must we. If the church says, come for prayer meeting and come on time for all the church meetings, do likewise. If the church says, every one prophesy, simply obey.

This enlightened words were my prophesy last Lord’s Day, and the same message I minsitered last Wednesday night.

Lord, grace me to be faithful over the few things You apportioned to me that I may hear You say, "Well done, good and faithful slave. Enter into the joy of Your Master!"