This is good and acceptable in the sight of our Savior God, Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4, RecVer)
Monday, 28 October 2024
Truth Constitution
Friday, 25 October 2024
Special Meetings
Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget hospitality, for through this some, without knowing it, have entertained angels.
Remember those who are imprisoned as bound with them, those who are ill-treated as being yourselves also likewise treated in body.(Hebrews 13:1-3, RecVer)
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Philippians 4:4
Wednesday, 23 October 2024
Special Fellowship for Prayers
Two days ago I received a call from a brother concerning the combined prayer meeting of the churches in NCR especially in relation to the ongoing situation as we have been facing persecution and that five of our brothers have been placed in confinement. This is one of the cases among others where certain anti-Christian groups joined together to purposefully persecute the believers who are a mere minority in their large influential domain. It has been one month since our brothers have been imprisoned. Since then, the churches have been praying and whatever legal steps necessary were all taken. Now the only way out is for the Lord Himself to intervene and do the needful. No matter what transpires these days, we believe in the sovereignty of God and His wise way of doing things. He knows what is best for His testimony in India, especially in North India. Therefore, we all came together online for a time of fellowship and prayer yesterday, Tuesday night, the 22nd of Oct exactly after a month of our brothers' imprisonment.
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18, RecVer)
Whom God has raised up, having loosed the pangs of death, since it was not possible for Him to be held by it. (Acts 2:24, RecVer)
For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of our affliction which befell us in Asia, that we were excessively burdened, beyond our power, so that we despaired even of living. Indeed we ourselves had the response of death in ourselves, that we should not base our confidence on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 2 Cor. 1:8-9
And the living One; and I became dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever; and I have the keys of death and of Hades. (Revelation of John 1:18, RecVer)
For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of our affliction which befell us in Asia, that we were excessively burdened, beyond our power, so that we despaired even of living. (2 Corinthians 1:8, RecVer)
Indeed we ourselves had the response of death in ourselves, that we should not base our confidence on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead; (2 Corinthians 1:9, RecVer)
And raised us up together with Him and seated us together with Him in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, (Ephesians 2:6, RecVer)
And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he who sits on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer. (Revelation of John 6:2, RecVer)
Hand Ourselves Over, Consecrate Ourselves to God
Finally, there is a need for absolute consecration to God. As we see all these calamities, we must no longer live to the earth but live to the Lord. We must pray that God may have His way to come in and turn this age. We are not afraid of persecution and opposition. We are afraid that there may not be many who are consecrated fully to the Lord.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14, RecVer)
Tuesday, 22 October 2024
Fellowship: Newly Married Couple
One of our serving ones in the literature service just got married last Friday. Though he has been eating lunch with us during office working days and is close to our family we could not attend his wedding due to the limitation of the number of invited guests. Because of the persecution faced by the churches in North India at the present time, some families have been affected, and one brother's marriage which was scheduled a day after this brother's marriage had to be canceled as he could not be released yet from the imprisonment for the sake of the gospel. For that reason, the marriage was conducted in a simple and quiet eat and only close relatives and saints in the same district were invited. Therefore, yesterday, after three days of their marriage, we invited them officially to the office for a time of fellowship, prayer, and lovefest. This was the best way I could think of shepherding and cherishing the newly married couples along with their relatives.
Ephesians 5:31For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh.
I beseech you therefore, I, the prisoner in the Lord, to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing one another in love, being diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3
A married brother and four sisters also testified of their marriage life especially their relationship with their spouse as a testimony and encouragement to the newly married couple. Then, we continued our fellowship over lovefeast lunch. In the humanity of Christ, I did all that I could do officially to shepherd this brother as he newly got married. I allowed him to take marital leave to prepare for his marriage and allowed him to work from home as he requested a week after his marriage. Should he request for a honey trip and a holiday too, I believe it would have been granted. But I left it to them to decide.
In the church in Gurugram, we have not yet conducted a proper marriage among the saints. All marriages that we have witnessed so far were not really from our locality though they have some connection with the church here. There are a couple of unmarried saints in the church life. I do believe, the Lord will grant us a breakthrough in the matter of marriages in the church life.
May the Lord's will be done among all the saints, especially in their marriage life.
Wednesday, 16 October 2024
Lessons on Discernment
Joseph in the Bible in Genesis 42-45 exercised a strong discernment and acted wisely when he met with his brothers who betrayed and sold him off to strangers many years ago. He placed his emotions under strict control and waited until it was the right time to express them publicly. Though he loved his brothers, he exercised restraint and acted wisely so that they also could learn the lesson they needed to learn because of their past misdeeds against him. So he meticulously planned the incidents to touch their consciences and at the same time expressed his love at the right time. Likewise, Solomon also prayed for wisdom when God appeared to him in a dream, and immediately God gave him problems to solve using his God-given wisdom.
In Gibeon Jehovah appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, Ask what I should give you.
And Solomon said, You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth and righteousness and in uprightness of heart with You; and You have kept for him this great lovingkindness and have given him a son to sit upon his throne, as it is this day.
And now, O Jehovah my God, You have made Your servant king in the place of David my father, though I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.
And Your servant is in the midst of Your people, whom You have chosen, a vast people that cannot be numbered or counted for multitude.
Give therefore to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?
And this word seemed good in the sight of the Lord, that Solomon had asked for this matter.
And God said to him, Because you have asked for this matter and have not asked for long life for yourself and have not asked for riches for yourself and have not asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for discernment for yourself to understand justice;
I now do according to your words. I now give you a heart of wisdom and understanding, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor will one rise up after you like you. 1 Kings 3:5-12
Enjoying Christ in Fellowship
Three Students
Monday, 14 October 2024
The Test of Taste
Ps 34:8 Taste and see that Jehovah is good; Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.
Jn 6:48 I am the bread of life.
Jn 6:57 As the living Father has sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me.
Jn 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
When the Lord Jesus said, "I am the bread of
life", He implies that He is edible and that we should eat Him to
receive the divine and eternal life. This is quite contrary to the
concept held by many Christians today when they think of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Yes, He is worthy of worship, praise, and thanksgiving. Yes, to Him we pray
and petition. And we revere Him supremely. But, how about eating Him?
If John 6:57 was not in the Bible when Jesus said,
"Eat Me" no one, even in his wildest dream, would even dare to
think of eating Jesus. But the Bible plainly records Jesus telling us to eat Him.
What a salvation to see this!
However, to eat the Lord Jesus, one must have a hunger for spiritual food. In the gospel of John chapter six, the Lord revealed Himself as the bread sent from heaven, the heavenly bread, the bread of life, the living bread, and the true bread, all referring to Himself as food to eat. The burden is clear, to eat Him. Without hunger for food, it is rather difficult to eat food. Similarly, without true hunger for the word of God, one cannot eat Jesus.
In addition to hunger, there must be a taste for food. If one does not have a taste for Jesus, it will again be difficult to eat Jesus. This taste can be developed by faith. The more we hear about Jesus or read about Him, the more we will know Him, the more we will have revelation concerning Him, and the more the taste for Him will develop. Then, the hunger and taste for Jesus will drive one to eat Jesus.
While I was taking a personal training on this message on "The Bread of Life," I was very much impressed by this truth of eating Jesus. For which, hunger and taste are two crucial matters to eat Jesus and enjoy him as my daily spiritual food.
This also unveils a very important principle in eating. One eats what one enjoys, meaning having a taste for it. There are worldly and sinful foods too that many have the taste for and enjoy. So, the development of our spiritual taste for Jesus and His word is an antidote to the temptations of worldly taste and enjoyment. Moreover, the taste for Jesus as followed by eating Him should also be followed by nourishment with proper digestion to ultimately become our constitution.
The question is, what taste do you have? For Jesus or something else? Your taste determines what you will eat and enjoy. This is the test of taste.
May we have a revolutionary change in our taste. May our taste for Jesus grow sweeter and sweeter until all the taste for the world fades away. That we may only eat Jesus and enjoy Him every day. And live because of Him!
Lord, preserve our taste for You. Give us hunger for Your word that we may eat You every day as our bread of life and live because of You!