Hindi Hotspot Checking

During the proofreading project in Bengaluru, a week was allocated for the Hindi New Testament Recovery Version team to come for the hotspot checking of the translation works they have been doing. Even in this practical arrangement, I experienced the Lord a lot. 

The convention center we were lodged in was overbooked for at least the first two days went the Hindi hotspot began. I was with the management team trying to find a solution for the saints accommodation. I did not agree to lodging the saints outside the convention center. It seemed like we hit a roadblock as the venue management said they had no room left. In fact, I had mentioned this need long before. But I did not want to fight and try to make my way out. Instead, I discussed with them how to find a way out. I told them, "If there is a problem, there must be a solution. Let us take a break and come back to work things out." They all agreed. Meanwhile, I was praying and considering that somehow something could be arranged for the saints' accommodation. When we all came back, the solution came too. We found a guest house within the same campus for our saints to deal with overbooking for two days. Even in this, I experience the Lord's hand in every situation.

With the Hindi team hotspot checking, the Lord did something new unexpectedly. Through the review of the work that was done, we realized that the work needs a lot of improvement. Hindi being the most spoken language in India and the second most spoken in the world, we have to bring the best translation of the New Testament in Hindi. Therefore, through fellowship, the Lord made a last-minute change to the way the translators need to work. I even had to buy dictionaries and useful Hindi looks for translation purposes. With one more year or so to go, the changes and adjustments could be made well in time.  This was also the sovereignty of the Lord. This also afforded a wonderful time for the translators to fellowship and blend together.

Through the Hindi hotspots checking, it all came to light what the translation quality was, and the way to improve further. The Lord made things clear well on time. The Lord will bless the Hindi New Testament Recovery Version.

Last Minute Crucial Fellowship

It was amazing how the Lord worked things out in His way and in His own time. When He wanted to move, He just moved. Oftentimes, moving us at the last minute. There were a few last-minute fellowships this month. 

The invisible hand of God has always been operating behind the scenes as I personally played out the "act of God" He placed me on the platform of His choice. In fact, I was not clear about many things. But what I was clear was, to be open to the Lord for His leading at any point in time. I simply had to deny my opinions, feelings, or willpower. As such, at the last minute, He accomplished things miraculously, one by one.

In the rooms and halls arrangements of the proofreading project, the Lord came in at the last minute to allocate which room to whom and which hall for what purpose. though I had no initial plan, He knew exactly where each one should be, and what things needed to be arranged. At the very last minute, though I did not plan for it nor did I make a pre-booking for rooms and halls, the Lord opened the door, and everything, yes everything was done at the right time, though at the last minute. Oh, what a relief! Even my shortsightedness was a way for me to experience the hand of God.

Though I rejoiced now that things were accomplished successfully when I was there facing the heat, I was clueless and did not know what to do except to turn to Him and pray and pray, and He came to sort things out. Many important decisions and works were carried out just at the last minute through some urgent and crucial fellowship with the members of the Body.

Besides the project itself, the plan to visit Mysuru and Coorg was done at the last minute. Even the plan to meet the principal-in-charge of a theological seminary whose business center we used was also done at the last minute, which led to another last-minute decision to participate in a theological conference. Almost every important decision that transpired this month were made at the last minute. 

These last-minute fellowships were crucial. I personally open myself to the brothers' fellowship and amen all that were fellowshipped. Now, looking back, I can only praise and worship the Lord for all the last-minute crucial fellowship that turned out to be the Lord's tuning us to take the way He wanted us to take.  Praise the Lord!

These experiences taught me how to follow the Lord in the Body through crucial fellowship. If I did not have a direct leading from the Lord, He would lead me through the fellowship in the Body. Above all, He is the One Who had led me all the way.  Never too late. Last minute crucial fellowship always came to my rescue.

Thanksgiving to the Churches in Karnataka

On the 18th of August 2024, in the combined meeting of the church in Bengaluru along with the responsible brothers of the churches all over Karnataka, we were given an opportunity to thank all the saitns for their prayers, offerings, and volunteering for the Kannada proofreading project of the New Testament Recovery Version. 

The burden of Kannada New Testament translation was conceived in 2014 when two Kannada translators signed up for a Greek course. Two years later, these two became the main translators to embark on an eight-year and six-month translation journey. The Lord had been faithful through all these years of translation and now the final work was completed. 

God has a plan. Much more, for His plan to accomplish, He needs man to carry out His plan. This divine thought is expressed in this verse.  

And no plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up — for Jehovah God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to work the ground, (Genesis 2:5, RecVer)

Thank God, He found Kannada translators who would cooperate with Him! Though this burden was impossible at the beginning considering the number of Kannada-speaking saints and the situation of the churches in Karnataka, but with the Lord nothing indeed is impossible. This work also seemed to be difficult, but the grace of the Lord led us through in the translation of the New Testament, word by word, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, and book by book. Finally, the difficult task was accomplished!  

There are three stages to every great work of God; first it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done. Hudson Taylor 

Even after the completion of the translation work, there still need to be the final stage of proofreading and typesetting to make it printable. From the beginning of this year, a brother and I in coordination with the serving ones in the churches in Karnataka called for volunteers. After much prayer, calling, and fellowship, we finally got half the number of volunteers required for the proofreading. But the Lord blessed all that we had in our hands. Later, a few more volunteers joined in. We simply made some changes to meet the need by working extra hours and working harder than we generally should have. Day by day, week by week, from stage one to stage two through the final, all the works were completed well before the due date! The Lord took our five loaves and two fish and blessed them! 

And He said to them, How many loaves do you have? Go and see. And when they found out, they said, Five, and two fish. And He ordered them to have all recline by companies on the green grass. And they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And He took the five loaves and the two fish and, looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve full handbaskets of the broken pieces of bread and of the fish. And those who had eaten the loaves were five thousand men. (Mark 6:38-44, RecVer)

Now that this work was completed, all glory to God. Apart from Him, this is an impossible task. 

Because out from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36, RecVer)

As of August 2024, there are approximately 44 million native Kannada speakers in India. Now, we prepare ourselves for the printing of this New Testament Recovery Version in Kannada and plan to reach the Christians speaking Kannada first. One day, it will be a blessing to the 44 million native Kannada speakers in India and a few more lakhs abroad.

Lord, bless Your move among the Kannada-speaking people especially in Karnataka for Your testimony even through the release of the Kannada New Testament Recovery Version!

Lovefeasts in Bengaluru

At the end of the proofreading project in Bengaluru, we had a couple of days to relax. The schedule was such that in case of any unfinished task, a few more extra days were planned beforehand. Since we could finish the project well on time, we ended up having more time to spend. 

A sister who participated in the proofreading project was so keen on inviting us to her home for a time of lovefeast and fellowship. Due to her persistence in inviting us, we ended up visiting her for dinner. She prepared all that she could to make us truly enjoy an Indian dish. In fact, we all enjoyed the traditional meal prepared for us. Thanks to the sisterly love a sister had poured forth. She captured the opportunity available to her to show her love to us as Mary did to the Lord before He accomplished His early ministry. From our side, we encouraged the sister and her family to enjoy the Lord and be in fellowship with the saints in the church in Bengaluru. We also prayed for the entire family in addition to encouraging them to dive into the ministry and be constituted with the truth. They were very precious as they were all local Kannadigas whom the Lord could use for His testimony in Bengaluru and in different parts of Karnataka.

A brother also invited us for a time of lovefeast fellowship with his family. One day, we spent our whole day traveling back and forth from our hotel to his house and the time spent in his house. Bengaluru traffic took most of the time. But the visit to our brother's family was truly worth it. The love they poured forth for the saints was praiseworthy. 

These two invitations were very precious to us. During our more than a month stay in Bengaluru, we had been feasting only on hotel food. With these two homes, we were able to enjoy deliciously home-cooked food prepared with lots of love. May the Lord bless the two families for His testimony in Bengaluru!

Lord, bless the saints and the church in Bengaluru!

An Open Door: Bible College

The day before we departed from Bengaluru, in fact, our very last day in the city after the proofreading project, the Lord opened the door for us to meet the principal-in-charge of the Bible college whose business center we had used for the proofreading project. Although we should have visited the college during our stay there due to the tight schedule of the project we were not able to do so. I personally did not have any leading from the Lord during that time. The Lord has His better plan always.

On the last day, we were given an appointment with the key person in the college. We had a good time of introduction and discussion on some theological aspects of the Christian journals that the ministry has been publishing. I for my part did not speak much. My two brothers from abroad did most of the talking and they could relate with one another on a theological level. Much of the talk concerning the citations of the journals by different scholars were all unknown to me for the obvious reason that I had never been a theologically trained person, much less a biblical scholar as such. Perhaps, one day, if the Lord would lead, let His will be done.

My only contribution to the talk was the introduction of the Holy Bible Recovery Version and an offer to gift them the Bible that I introduced along with a couple of ministry books by both Brother Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. I did this with the burden that the Lord would use the minsitry literature as a key to open the door to theological seminaries. For, the ministry is for all, including those in the Bible colleges and seminaries, to all the saints in the local churches, Bible students, and Bible scholars. As promised, a week later, I did send the promised gifts which they confirmed when they received them.

This meeting opened up the door for further contact with theologians in the upcoming conference of the Bible scholars associated together under a theological banner, mostly of the evangelical Christians. We picked up the burden of this opening and made the necessary contacts with the key people. A brother from the States made the contact and I came into the picture to carry out the practical printing of a Christian journal, a special issue meant for free distribution to all Bible students and scholars.

A week later, after much prayer and fellowship, I made an urgent arrangement for me to participate in the theological conference, though not a theological one myself. This participation came with a heavy price financially as we had to pay for the conference attendance and the book tables we booked. It was not a cheap affair at all. But we paid the price. Besides, I had to find my own accommodation in addition to the price mentioned before, then my flight tickets, and a week amid my tight busy schedule when the Hebrew class that I registered myself for just started. The Lord knows why all these prices need to be paid. 

During the conference, we were given about ten minutes to present all that we needed to present. I spent a good amount of time, praying and preparing what to present and how to present. I truly experienced the Lord's presence in all our presentations. No matter what the responses were at that time, I believe the Lord had touched something that He wanted to bless the "theological objective doctrinal mindset" with something of "the truth embodied in the word of God and ministered forth as living water to be a subjective and enjoyable life supply to all God's children." That was the purpose. The enemy may try to thwart God's special move, but he will not succeed. For Christ is the Victor and he always will be. I stand in oneness with Christ the Victor. And all the prices paid were worth it.

Faithfully, we brothers participated in the conference and spent most of our time at the book stalls where we met with all those who came to visit us. We had good contacts all over India among the key Bible colleges. At least, these contacts compensated for all the prices we paid to attend this. May the Lord use this as a starting point and a turning point for many of the beloved Bible scholars for the spread of the high-peak truth in this country. 

Thank You, Lord, for this open door. Keep the door open for the spread of Your minsitry.

Experiencing Christ in Mysuru Visit

Since we completed the proofreading project earlier than expected and we had some free days, for the sake of taking care of the visiting saints from abroad, I proposed a two-day trip to Mysuru and Coorg. In fellowship, the brothers all agreed and I made all the plans for vehicle and hotel booking with the help of some local brothers. 

In Mysuru, we visited almost all the tourist sightseeing places that we could visit in one whole day; Mysore Palace, Car Museum, hilltop view of the city, and other places of interest. In the city, we also had a time of lovefeast with a brother's family. Here, I learned a very important lesson in service and coordination.

Our day in Mysuru was very tiresome, at least for me. Since that was right after the project and I was busy settling many official matters, I was physically worn out. By the end of the day, I was completely weak and kept sneezing and coughing. That drew the attention of my brothers and they requested me to take a good bed rest. Initially, I felt I could handle it, but in the night I was really tired, I had a body ached and slight uneasiness. 

The next day morning, we were to visit Coorg. But one of the brothers had a special concern for my health and requested that I stay back just to rest the whole day. In the morning, I was informed that I should take a rest and not go to Coorg. Initially, I felt I was fit enough to go after the night's rest. But deep within me, I realized that that was the Lord's speaking. The crucial point was not whether I was healthy enough to go to Coorg, but whether I was willing to take the fellowship of the brothers contrary to my own natural feeling and decision. Whether I was healthy or not, one of the members of the Body felt that I should stay back and rest. I better listen to the voice of the Lord through the Body. I denied my personal feeling of being well and took the brothers' fellowship. I willingly decided to stay back. 

In fact, I was actually well and good to go. But since the word had already spoke and a brother already expressed his strong feelings, I took that as a spiritual test for me in my service to listen to the fellowship of the Body. To submit and obey the leading of the Lord through the brothers and to not rebel in any way, even in my attitude, was the lesson the Lord graced me to learn. 

And Samuel said, Does Jehovah delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed, than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, And insubordination is like idolatry and teraphim. 1 Samuel 15:22-23

So, I stayed back and took a good rest. In fact, that rest gave me enough time to make up for the many chapters of the Bible I could not read as per my schedule the past few days. Therefore, I could make up all the lag. That was the Lord's sovereign arrangement.

The next day, we headed back to Bengaluru. Again, according to the feeling of the brothers we vacated our stay at the convention center and checked into a hotel room for two more nights near the airport. In all these, I denied my opinions and amened the brothers' fellowship. The Lord reminded me again and again to always go along with the flow according to the fellowship of the brothers. All the outward sightseeing, eating out, hotel stays, and traveling around kept aside, I learned very important lessons of coordination, fellowship, and exercise to be in one accord with all my fellow brothers and sisters.

These were my experiences of Christ in Mysuru visit and a non-visit to Coorg.  Lord, thank You for the grace that enabled me to learn a very important spiritual lesson on obedience and submission.

Kannada New Testament Proofreading Stage 3

On the 12th of August 2024, the third and final stage of the Kannada New Testament Proofreading began. Four weeks before, the first and second stages started and were completed on time. As my experience was for the first two stages, my experience of the Lord was the same in the final stage too. I had been praying daily in my personal prayer life for this particular task at hand. I did not know how things would go by. I had no idea how we were going to make it through again, not basing my confidence on what was accomplished in the previous stages. Therefore, the best I could do was, pray, pray and pray.

In the final stage, the task was completed within two days. So, we even released the volunteers earlier than expected. But my task became the busiest of all. I had to settle all the invoices for food and lodging with the venue management, clear off the copiers and stationery items, discard all the printed papers, and complete every pending work before we could wind up the proofreading project. The Lord graced me to experience him much, especially in all the human dealing involving money and manpower handling. Day by day, the Lord graced me to carry out all my responsibilities. It was a wonderful experience of Christ in his humanity and also the wonderful Spirit of reality who taught me and led me step by step. In fact, at the end of the project, I was so worn out physically that my body suffered a little bit and I felt sick for one whole night. But a rest the following day recovered back my body to normality. The words of Hudson Taylor confirmed my experience: There are three stages to every great work of God; first it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done. 

Finally, the Kannada proofreading of the New Testament came to completion! Halleluiah! Praise the Lord! May the Lord bless the printing and distribution of this Kannada New Testament and recover many of His children for the testimony of Jesus all over Karnataka!