Experience of Christ in Critical Conditions

On the day when we joyfully completed the much-awaited proofreading project of the New Testament Recovery Version in Kannada, the enemy tried to creep in and cause trouble among the serving ones. In fact, while the project was going on, due to pressure and other human opinions and feelings that differed from person to person, some exchange of words and misunderstandings happened among the key serving ones, the translators, the editors, the typesetters, and the coordinators. Though I was vaguely aware of it, I did not get myself involved in it unless needed. I simply stayed in my lane and never bothered to cross over to the other lane that the other brothers were taking care of.

On that day, I was immediately called for an urgent fellowship to the room of a brother. There, the typesetter, editors, coordinators, and translators were present. Point by point, a brother who called the fellowship narrated the incidents that led up to the emergency meeting being called for. Point by point, he brought the facts out; the hurtings and the words exchanged among them. The whole matter was addressed to me as a witness as they all went through some complicated relationship already. I just sat there and listened carefully to all the words and sentences my brother had to say. Meanwhile, I also turned to my spirit to discern the feeling of the Lord concerning the matter. I dare not voice my opinion on any of the points being mentioned. I inwardly cried out to the Lord and asked for His wisdom and discernment so that I may know exactly how I should react and respond. It was indeed a critical moment. This could either make the work successful or break the entire project to nothing; a very pivotal moment, like the climax of an event. The tides could turn in favor or against the entire project. I just listened and prayed, not uttering any word until I was fully clear about what the Lord wanted me to say.

As he narrated the entire episode and asked for forgiveness from the saints, I carefully observed the reaction of the saints. However he felt he was hurt or being hurt, therefore he did what he felt was best. I prayerfully observed the scenario of the meeting and considered it carefully before the Lord. One by one, everybody confessed their mistakes and asked forgiveness from one another. When all had spoken, I realized I had to speak. Only then, did I open my mouth to say what the Spirit gave words to say.

My statement was simple: the facts were declared, confessions were made, forgiveness was sought, and according to the truth of the Bible, the problems were solved whatever, right there and then. I quoted 1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I further stated that no one should hold on to their feelings any longer. The facts were declared, and the word of God was plain and clear. Since confession was done, the Lord is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Period(.) Satan's work was stopped right there. 

After that, we all prayed one by one, and the matter was resolved once and for all. Later, in the afternoon, as a conclusion to our project, we all declared and sang the victorious hymn, Hymn #124.

1

Praise Him! praise Him! Christ is Victor!

  He has won the victory!

Sin is judged, old Adam finished,

  Full redemption now we see!

Vanquished all the evil powers

  Thru the Cross triumphantly!

2

Praise Him! Christ is resurrected!

  God hath raised Him from the dead!

All the pow’r of death is swallowed,

  Man from death to life is led!

Broken through are hell and darkness

  And His pow’r exhibited!

3

Praise Him! Christ hath now ascended!

  God hath raised Him to the throne!

Far above all rule and power,

  He the highest Name doth own!

All authority receiving

  Till His foe is overthrown!

4

Hallelujah, Christ the Victor

  Triumphed on Mt. Calvary!

Hallelujah, resurrected,

  He displays His victory!

Hallelujah, now ascended,

  He shall reign eternally!

 Witness Lee (1905-1997) 

What an experience of Christ in critical condition! Christ is Victor! And to prove it so again and again, the Lord even used the enemy to really prove that He indeed is the Victor! 

How can there be a victory when there is no enemy? How can there be a victory when there is no fight? Satan is being used as an ugly tool for the declaration of Christ the Victor! 

Christ is Victor! Jesus is Lord!

Shepherding by Being Responsible

Bearing responsibility is not an easy task in oneself. The only one Person who bears responsibility fully well is the Lord Jesus Himself, the Chief Shepherd. Today, in His heavenly ministry, He still shoulders His responsibilities by shepherding His children to shoulder the same responsibilities He bears. By His mercy, I believe I am one of the "shepherds" he has been shepherding to shepherd others. As such a one, I am still learning to shepherd.

As a brother in the church, as a serving one in the literature service, and as a father in my family, I too have enough responsibilities to handle day by day. I have been learning this lesson of taking the Lord as my Shepherd in shepherding others. On the one hand, it is a difficult task but on the other hand, it is an easy task as the Lord Himself is the One who does the shepherding, though maybe through me too.

One of our serving ones had been suffering from a disease in his internal organs for many years. The matter was brought to my notice while the proofreading work was going on. In fellowship with the other brothers, we immediately decided to take care of his health. So, it was my responsibility to take him for all the medical tests and make sure that all that needed to be done was actually done before the project was over, even before he went back to his hometown.

This was a wonderful opportunity the Lord bestowed upon me to be responsible and at the same time shepherd him by discharging my responsibility. From finding a doctor to consult his case to taking him to different tests in different parts of Bengaluru, purchasing all the medicines prescribed, and making sure that all needs were taken care of.  Yes, it was a responsibility from my side, but it was more an opportunity for shepherding him.

I am truly thankful to the Lord that this matter came to light during our stay in Bengaluru and that within the period of our stay there, all medical tests and care were taken care of. This was a real shepherding to the brothers as this was what he had been waiting for for years as he confessed that though he knew what to do, he postponed it due to lack of financial assistance. The Lord had provided all the needs at the right time. Most importantly, I was especially graced to be a brother who could take responsibility for all the needs and discharged them in time in a way of shepherding.

Just by discharging my responsibility, I was actually shepherding the saints. Prasie the Lord for this grace.

Experience of Christ in Dealing with People

Dealing with people is one of the most difficult things in any work. People are living with full of feelings and opinions. Hurting even one person is a big deal. Especially, if the people concerned are children of God. But, with the Lord's wisdom and discernment, it is easy to handle people. Satan tries his best to bring confusion among people, especially among the children of God.

There was an incident on one of our serving ones concerning the publication of another New Testament where he was involved by his mobile number being used for contact information. The feelings and reactions of the brothers were not positive. But, as we fellowshipped, the Lord gave us the grace to handle this wisely with much prayer. Though I had my feelings and opinions, I learned to bring them before the Lord in prayer and seek the Lord for His leading in the way to deal with him, not according to me nor any brother whosoever, but solely according to Him. As we fellowshipped, the Lord came into that matter and thus it was resolved amicably. By turning to the Lord concerning people, I could experience the Lord and get to know His will and feelings about the people being dealt with. Thank the Lord that I could experience the Lord, even in dealing with people.

In my service and also in the church life, there were many people that crossed my path. Like it or not, some of them I had to deal with accordingly as the Lord led me to. Not alone, but with a brother or a few other brothers, we learned to handle people together and deal with whatever matters brought to our notice. The lesson of experiencing Christ in dealing with people is more important than the person concerned, however "troublesome" they may be. Of course, only troublesome people create problems. The Lord sovereignly allows them to do what they are doing. In this way, He disciplines them and also perfect the brothers whom He uses to discipline the naughty ones. This is the wisdom of God. 

Brothers and sisters who were coordinating the recent proofreading project had issues too. Every issue when brought to our attention, we had to face them head-on. Yet not in a natural way or trying to solve the problems, but in a prayerful and wise way, not merely to solve problems, but to perfect one another and experience Christ in the process.

The lesson of dealing with people brought me to contact the Lord more and more each day. Even in dealing with my own relatives and the saints in church life, I simply turned to the Lord in prayer and brought the matters to the Lord again and again. These experiences taught me to have no confidence in myself but fully trust in the Lord's doing. Not trying to deal with people according to my natural man, but bringing them to the Lord as I also brought myself to the Lord in the process of dealing with people.

Lord, by Your grace, deal with me as You taught me to deal with others in need. And in the process, may we all experience You all the more.

Experience of Christ in Money Matters

Money is a test to many people especially to the children of God. Anyone who loves money will be tempted by money and they will eventually fail in handling it. This is a good lesson for me to learn, the lesson of not loving money yet faithfully and righteousness handling it, no matter what the amount.

By the Lord's mercy, since the beginning of my service, I have been handling money, mine, and others. One principle is to be faithful and righteous in every rupee and coin. This is possible when one has a pure heart towards money. Lovers of money will never pass the test of money. Money is so tangible that the Lord equalized it with mammon. 

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24

The Lord here directly equates mammon with Satan. Loving mammon or wealth in whichever form, of which money is the most tangible form, is equivalent to loving Satan himself who is an enemy of God. The love of the Lord is the panacea for the love of money. Without the love of the Lord, it is impossible for one not to love money. 

Within a few years of my service, I have been handling money for my official service, my personal money, and those of the church, in terms of lakhs and crores.  The more I handle money, the more I realize my need to be more and more purified in my motive and intention. Even for this, I have experienced the Lord so much. Only the Lord is pure. Only the Lord is faithful;. Only the Lord is righteous. Now having Him as my purity, faithfulness, and righteousness, I am actually and practically experiencing Him in His purity, faithfulness, and righteousness. Without the Lord Jesus Christ as the Spirit indwelling me and living in me, it was, and it is, and it will be impossible for me to handle money in a pure, faithful, and righteous manner. Thank the Lord, He is my life!

In the past few weeks, I had to spend money daily on the daily activities and services for the official work. The Lord graced me to record every expense in the most detailed and fine way. Therefore, I regularly updated my day book for every money spent. That was a wonderful opportunity to exercise handling money and at the same time, be faithful and righteous in money matters. Finally, when the project was over, without any hurdle, the account was submitted to the brothers.

Ultimately, what matters most is the Lord's blessing financially in abundance. When the supply is the Lord or from the Lord, there is a blessing in the usage of it. With such blessing and being under the Lord's blessing, accountability is just an experience. 

Lord, grace me to experience You in money matters and be faithful and righteous to the last rupee.

Experience of Christ in Serving as a Slave

The Lord Jesus Christ is the best pattern of one who served as a slave. In his humanity, He served God the Father by serving the people on earth at His time as a slave. The gospel of Mark recorded His service as a slave. 

Today, the same Slave-Saviour as the Spirit is in me! I have been graced to learn this lesson in many practical ways. A couple of weeks ago, in the proofreading of the New Testament Recovery Version in Kannada, I needed to serve the saints who came to serve. From the very beginning, my attitude was, I am a salve of God. I never allowed  the enemy to take hold of my mind to question my service. Though I had the rights to command and dictate works to be done, I was constantly was under the deep impression of being a slave of God. Therefore, I am also a slave of the saints. Whenever there was work to do, I did not hesitate to do nor pass the job for someone else to do. I simply exercised myself to serve as  a slave.

That said, I also was very aware of the fact that it was impossible for me to serve as a slave. By nature, I am not a slave. In fact, I would never serve as a slave given my own choice. Thank the Lord for the truth in the Bible that transformed my way of thinking and way of service. I also knew for sure that the Spirit of the Lord jesus is within me, the Spirit of the Slave-Saviour Jesus. Only by exerxsing my spirit to be joined in oneness with the Lord, I could actually serve as a slave.

Whenever the brothers wanted me to get things done, it was an opportunity for me to exercise to serve as a slave. Whenever the sister wanted me to get things done, especially in their shopping and official works, they give me an opportunity to serve them as a slave. Whenever the saints who came to serve were physically ill or weak, it was an opportunity to serve them as slave; by taking them to clinic and taking care of their medical needs. In many practical services, the Lord gave me opportunity after opportunity to experience Him as a slave.

Even in dealing with the venue management, I had the rights to demand and get things done. But the Lord reminded me to hold on to the very best and the very base position of being a slave. When there could be debate or argument based on the charges levied upon us for using the venue, I simple did not have any desire to fight back. As long as the accounting were properly done in righteousness, it was my rightful duty to pay righteousnely what was due. As a slave, I had no guts to fight back or argue. These are nothing compared  to what the Lord had become when he was on the earth. 

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal with God a treasure to be grasped, But emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in the likeness of men; And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and that the death of a cross. Philippians 2:5-8

What I experienced was just a glimpse. There will be many ore opportunities to experience the Lord as a slave. This is just a foretaste of experiencing Christ in serving as a slave.

Experience of Christ in Shopping

Shopping is what I generally do not like to do at all. I only go shopping with my wife to buy family essentials once a month. Or when there was a need to buy something important, I would go to the shop to get what was needed. But this time in the proofreading service I had to accompany some sisters to take them shopping. It was my duty to take care of the sisters. Though I did not want to go shopping since it was my duty to take care of the sisters, I needed to go along with them. This definitely was not an enjoyment for me, though some sisters may love it, to me it was just an experience I had to endure. 

Within a span of four weeks, I had to go shopping multiple times at different shops and shopping malls in Bengaluru. Sincerely, it was not my choice nor my desire, but it was simply a discharge of responsibility. I took that as a lesson of faithfulness in taking care of the ones I was serving with. Therefore, I denied myself and experienced the cross to deny myself to take care of the sisters.

While the sisters were shopping in a mall I could only walk around and see whatever things were available. Sometimes, I simply stand at a bookstand and read the books on display to pass the time.  At times, I considered if there was anything I could buy for myself or for my family and spent time researching some products. In that way, I could exercise myself not to waste time but learn to experience the Lord even in such a situation that was not favorable to me.

It was altogether a new experience. Sometimes, the Lord led me to do things I did not like to do. Yet, I still had to do it out of faithfulness. Thank the Lord for this experience! The Lord is perfecting me to do things that I do not generally like to do too. These are experiences. One day, these experiences will become my enjoyment too.

Shepherding by Waiting without Words

As I have been shepherding some new ones and in the process the Lord has been teaching me more and more lessons on how to care for the saints. One important lesson I have been learning these days is, to wait and pray. Oftentimes, I wanted to say something to the ones I have been shepherding, but the divine instruction is, to wait and pray. This lesson is not so easy to learn when the ones you care for are not doing well spiritually. Naturally, there is a sense of responsibility to do something with the view of shepherding them. But that's just the natural man. This lesson of self-denial and learning to wait is not an easy lesson to learn. Yet, the Lord in His faithfulness has been teaching me this lesson. Wait without saying a word and just pray for the ones you care about.

Sometimes, it would be much easier for me to simply wait and pray if I had no words to say. But when I know things so well and I have words in abundance, yet the Holy Spirit is forbidding me to say anything, it was rather difficult to simply wait and keep mum.  This is the lesson of the cross every shepherd needs to learn. Sometimes, the best shepherding is by not saying anything, but waiting and praying for the ones under my care.

I have been regularly calling up at least seven new ones on a weekly basis to shepherd them. Some of them are responding very well to my shepherding care, yet a few others are closed, at times making it hard for me to contact them. Even if I want to talk to them, visit them, or even pray with them, if they do not open up, I just cannot do anything. That's when the lesson of waiting comes in. Of course, waiting with prayer.

This reminds me of a hymn that I used to sing when I was in college with a couple of other brothers in the Lord. Teach Me Lord to Wait

Teach me Lord to wait down on my knees
Till in Your own good time You answer my pleas
Teach me not to rely on what others do
But to wait in prayer for an answer from You

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength

They shall mount up with wings as eagles

They shall run and not be weary

They shall walk and not faint

Teach me Lord, teach me Lord to wait

Teach me Lord to wait while hearts are aflame
Let me humble my pride and call on Your name
Keep my faith renewed, my eyes on Thee
Let me be on this earth what you want me to be

There's a time and a season for all things
You promised in Your word to answer my pleas
I'm crying to You, Lord to grant sweet relief
Oh, Lord remove all my unbelief

Stuart Hamblen

The ones under my shepherding care the ones my "teachers" too. They have been teaching me life lessons. The more I care for them, the more lessons I learn from them. I believe the Lord also uses them to train me. Even their closeness or openness is used by the Lord to train and perfect me. Ultimately, I am the one shepherded by my shepherding others. This lesson is not easy to learn. 

Shepherding by waiting without words. Teach me, Lord, to learn this lesson well.