Paying the Price to Gain Christ

God’s plan in creating man in His image and according to His likeness is that, God could come into man, live in man, and that man could express and represent God on this earth. This plan of God was partially fulfilled in Genesis as Jacob was transformed to Isreal and expressed God. In addition, Joseph, after passing thtough many sufferings, reigned in life, literally ruling over the entire Egypt at his time. 

And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of heaven and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26, RecVer)

From the reigning aspect of the life of Joseph, we could see that to gain food, four kinds of price need to be paid. The people who came to Joseph for food paid four kinds of prices: their money, their cattle, their land, and themselves.  These four items cover all the prices we need to pay today. When we pay with our money, cattle, lands, and ourselves, we receive all four types of supply. Money represents convenience, cattle represents the means of livelihood, and land represents the source of supply. And finally, the giving of their lives for food represent the consecration of one's life fully to the Lord.

And there was no food in all the land, for the famine was so very severe that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. And Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan for the grain which they bought, and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. And when the money from the land of Egypt and from the land of Canaan had been spent, all the Egyptians came to Joseph saying, Give us food, for why should we die in your presence? For our money is gone. And Joseph said, Bring your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock, if your money is gone. And they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses and for the flocks of sheep and for the herds of cattle and for the donkeys; and he fed them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year. And when that year had ended, they came to him the second year and said to him, We cannot hide from my lord that our money has been spent, and the herds of cattle are my lord’s. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord except our bodies and our lands. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we and our land will become servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate. (Genesis 47:13-19, RecVer)

In the spiritual application today, we need to consecrate our whole life to the Lord in detail by paying the four kinds of prices. This entails our consecration in giving up all that we have, only to gain Christ as life. Surely, many things that we love and many things convenient to us may be exchanged for gaining Christ as our food and life. Our paying the price to come to the word of God, spending time in prayer, attending the various church meetings, preaching the gospel, and shepherdig the new ones, are different aspects of paying the price. No pay, no gain. No price, no value. 

In the conclusion of the Life-study meeting on Genesis last Tuesday, we learned and fellowshipped this important matter to all the saints so that we all can pay the price to gain Christ. Only in this way, can we gain Christ and be constituted with Christ to express Him and represent Him wherever He placed us. What a glorious ending of the Life-study of Genesis!

Lord, grace us to pay the price to gain Christ and be Your expression and representation in this earth.

Burden for Fasting Prayer

As the Lord moved through the early Christians, the enemy also did his best to frustrate the Lord’s move as it was, and is, and will always be a spiritual warfare between Satan and God. Today, especially in North India, we are facing the same spiritual battle. This time, the battle is so fierce that we can visibly see the fight. Four sisters and two brothers were imprisoned for the gospel sake in Noida a few months ago, and a month later,  five brothers were imprisoned in Mathura, also again for the sake of the gospel. In the midst of this, many many things transpired in the lives of the saints in the churches in North India especially. The family members of the imprisoned saints went through untold hardship. Yet, the Lord in His mercy has been preserving each of them to date. Because of this raging spiritual battle, the Lord also taught us many life lessons. In this battle, the enemy has been trying his best to create turmoil in the church life through some weaker saints. It has become very obvious when the family members gathered together for an update concer ing the situstion and steps taken, complaining and murmuring came out of some of the saints' mouth. But the Lord is the Victor and He will lead this battle into victory. Because of this, to shepherd the saints, we have been encouraged to study Acts 12 with the help of the Life-study. Last Saturday, we read this message in the brothers' fellowship and also in the prayer meeting and prayed a strong in one accord. 

This incident also reminded us to pray unceasingly. So, we fellowshipped to strengthen our personal prayer life and also our corporate prayer life. And we also encouraged the saints to fast and pray atleast once in a week. Yes, fasting prayer not in a religious ritualistic way, but fasting prayer in a way of life led by the Spirit with burdens from the Lord. Now, the saints have picked up the burden of prayer, even fasting prayer, having realised the significance of prayer in times of engaging in intense spiritual battle. 

The goal of fasting prayer is for the strengthening of the saints, the churches, and the Lord's move. So that, God can have His free way to move in an intensified way, ushering in the growth in life and maturity of the saints to be overcomers and also for the spreading and multiplication of His word all over India, especially, North India.

From this coming week, all the saints are encouraged and some have seriously picked the burden to pray and even fast and pray. Praise the Lord! Out of seemingly confused situation, the Lord brought out something precious, the practice of persistent prayer. 

Lord, gain our payer life! Make us all a man of prayer.

Excerpt from the Life-study of Acts, Message 34.

A BATTLE BETWEEN GOD AND SATAN

There are a number of other matters in Acts 12:1-24 that we need to consider. First, when Peter was in prison, “prayer was being made fervently by the church to God concerning him” (v. 5). This indicates that behind the scene there was a battle between spiritual forces, a battle between God and His enemy, Satan. Apparently the conflict was between Herod and Peter; actually it was between God and His enemy. No doubt, Herod was instigated by Satan. Satan was behind him and even within him. Therefore, the church fought the battle with God against Satan, the evil one.

This battle was fought not by the flesh but by prayer. The church prayed, and the weapon used by the church to defeat Herod and the spiritual force behind him was not of the flesh but of the Spirit.

THE WORD OF GOD GROWING AND MULTIPLYING

Finally, 12:24 says, “But the word of God grew and multiplied.” The previous verse says that Herod was eaten by worms and expired. Then this verse begins with “but.” Herod expired, but the word of God grew. The word of God is actually the Lord Himself because the word is the container of the Lord. Therefore, for the word of God to grow actually means that the Lord grew.

Acts 12:24 says that the word of God not only grew but also multiplied. The word does not grow and multiply in itself. Rather, the word grows with the believers and multiplies with the church. When the believers grow, the word within them grows. When the churches multiply, the word multiplies within the churches. The fact that the word of God grew and multiplied indicates that in ancient times the believers and the churches were filled with the word and were one with the word. This is a strong sign of the Lord’s victory in His battle against the evil one.

God, My Only Source of Service

As I pursued the Lord by pursuing the word of God, I was so supplied by the ministry of word concerning the pattern in the mountain. I saw an unrefutable spiritual principle that all Christians must follow. That is,  to follow the pattern in the mountain. That is, to do exactly what God had commanded, not less, not more, but exactly according to God’s words. To do anything lesser or beyond would be an act of disobedience, and to not do at all would be an act of rebellion. O how careful and serious we must be in serving the Lord. The excerpts from below helped to see this truth clearly and change the way I take God’s word and serve God. 

Therefore, I concluded that to serve God one must first of all be crystal clear about God’s clarion call. And then consecrate oneself fully to serve God according to His calling. God only must be the source of our service to Him. Any other way, at best is just voluntary and at worst, lawlessness.

Lord, preserve me in my service to serve You exactly according to Your calling. For You are My only source of life, life supply,  and service. Save me from anything other than You, O Lord!

In spiritual work, the most important thing is to know the “ pattern...in the mountain” (Heb. 8:5). There are many things that are important in spiritual work; the lack of any one of them causes our work to lose its spiritual usefulness and brings about God’s displeasure. But among these many things, the most important one is the “pattern...in the mountain.” The pattern in the mountain is simply God’s plan. If there is no comprehension of God’s plan, there is no possibility for God’s work.

“Whatever He says to you, do” (John 2:5b). 

In the Body of Christ, we are just members; we have to be absolutely under the control of the Head.

“Holding the Head” (Col. 2:19).

Psalm 19:13 says, “Keep Your servant from presumptuous sins; Do not let them have dominion over me; Then I will be blameless and cleared of great transgression.” 

God knows what He wants. All the things that He wants from us are revealed either through the Bible or through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, whatever He has not said is simply work He does not want. In spiritual work it is not a matter of quantity, but a matter of measuring up to the standard of being useful to God and matching His desire.The most important task for a worker of Christ is to know exactly what God wants him to do and the time and method that he should use to carry it out.

The most glorious thing in a man’s life is that he would do the things that God wants him to do on the very ground that God has set for him. For every believer, there is a pathway predetermined by God for him to walk on.

God only uses men chosen by Him to do His work. He does not want those who enlist and volunteer to do His work. Those who are chosen by God have absolutely no freedom. If they try to be free and go their own way, they will only stumble and suffer more.

Today we bear a heavy responsibility; we must be crystal clear about God’s instructions before we start working. Before we receive God’s command, we must do absolutely nothing. God’s command is an expression of God’s desire. If we want to be a useful vessel in His hands, we must secure God’s command before acting. If we do anything which God has not commanded, we cannot please Him.

May God bring us to a stage where there is no self, so that we will have no thought of our own, but will only have God’s will. Every time we work, we must first know if it is God’s will or not. If we know for certain that this is God’s will, then we should be encouraged to proceed according to the pattern He has shown us.

Excerpt from The Pattern in the Mountain, ch.8, The Present Testimony (2) CWWN, vol.9

Training in Chandigarh

In 2014, in coordination with the FTTA (full-time trainees in Anaheim, USA), we propagated in the city of Chandigarh for a month. From day one till the end, we witnessed the work of the Holy Spirit in manifold ways, especially in gospel preaching and bringing sinners to salvation and water baptism every day. Then, at the end of the one-month propagation, the church in Chandigarh was raised up! Last weekend, from 8 to 10 November, we had a serving ones training in  Chandigarh. Paradoxically, it was after a decade for me to meet with the church again despite being involved in the raising up of the church a decade ago. Well, the reason being, I took my hands off, if I was not assigned by the Lord through the fellowship in the Body to continue to come for the shepherding. Though many other saints have been frequenting this city for shepherding, for me it was a visit after a decade. Thank God that the church belongs to Him and He has been faithfully shepherding the saints in this city, I was especially glad to see the leading brothers and some of the key saints who have been serving faithfully for the Lord's testimony to date. Praise the Lord for the church in Chandigarh!

During this three-day training, the Lord's hand has been working on me deeply. It was a real training in deed, not merely in words. Though there were eight messages, a respeaking of the recent Oct ITERO 2024 messages on living in the reality of the Kingdom of God, to me it was an "operational message." The messages I have heard are now operating in my being to deal with myself, flesh, and natural man. At this age and in this stage of my Christian life, this is what I need. The Lord's hand is dealing with me to fulfill the purpose of the training. This is a sign that the Lord is the living God and He has been operating in me through His word!

Hebrews 4:12For the word of God is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

When the Lord's hand operates in me, I simply and fully surrender myself to the Lord, giving Him the full ground to touch every part of my inward being. He knows me best. He is my best Physician. I simply submit myself to His operating hand as a patient patiently. This is the price I am paying. I worship and thank the Lord for his sovereignty in loving me and dealing with me. I pray that He will continue to work on me and accomplish the work that He has started. I want to be His overcomer so that He may deal with everything that needs to be dealt with now. O Lord Jesus!

Outwardly, I simply followed all the brothers' arrangements and enjoyed their service. Whereas ten years ago, I was laboring very much for almost all practical arrangements for the one-month propagation. From planning to execution, I was involved in almost every minute detail. But this time, I enjoyed the arrangement of the brothers in the church in New Delhi and Chandigarh. I receive the perfecting work of the Lord in me inwardly instead. According to the need of the time, the Lord does His work in me. I believe the purpose of the training for me was accomplished. Praise the Lord!

If Only God

These days I have been brought into the experience of knowing God in a deeper and personal way. Though I have been burdened for the Lord's move in India, especially North India, and particularly my locality, Gurugram, things are not in my hands. I have accepted the fact that unless God does His work, all my zeal for God's works means nothing. Yes, my burden may be good and genuine, but if the Lord does not do His work, all my so-called zeal and burden will amount to nothing. I can say this now because I have tried many methods and ways to execute my burden and serve according to my zeal. All that I could possibly do, I think, I have tried and done them mostly. Some resulted in something and many did not meet the result I expected at all. Nonetheless, I cannot do beyond what God does.

Ps 127:1Unless Jehovah builds the house, Those who build it labor in vain. Unless Jehovah keeps the city, The guard watches in vain.

Ps 127:2It is vain for you to rise up early, To stay up late, To eat the bread of toil; All the same, He gives to His beloved while they sleep.

The gospel preaching, the shepherding, the home meetings, and group meetings, all have been going on regularly and I have discharged my responsibilities faithfully to the best of my ability. Beyond what I can do, I leave the rest to God. I have no regrets. Though there may not be concrete results to see the fruit of my labor now, I trust the Lord that in His own time, He will manifest what His heart wants to accomplish. I am not disappointed or discouraged. I continue to do what I need to do by simply trusting in the Lord for His hands to move and expecting Him to bless the works that He commissioned me to do. Beyond this, I can do nothing more and hope for nothing better. May His perfect will be done.

In His own time, He will accomplish all that He wants to accomplish. Until then, I simply wait and trust in Him. I move only if God moves, I work only if God works, and I simply will follow His leading. Therefore, as far as my church service is concerned, I trust the Lord to be faithful and leave the result to God.

If Only God does His work, His work will be done.  

Lord, do your work in me and in us and in the church in Gurugram!

First Visit to the Saints in Sitapuri

About ten years ago the saints in Sitapuri were recovered and shepherded into the church life in New Delhi. Since then, I have been hearing about these saints who speak mostly Matu but have never even once visited them despite being invited a couple of times. I guess the time was not ripe then. However, last Monday, the 11th of Nov 2024, I received a surprise and emergency call from one of the responsible brothers in the church in New Delhi to attend a Memorial Day meeting of one of the sisters who went to be with the Lord while we all were in Chandigarh for the Serving One's Training. Since many brothers were also out of station, it was fellowshipped that I could join the brothers and stand with the family during this time of grief. I did not have much time to think and consider as the matter was urgent. Though I had other work to attend to, I believe that was what I should prioritize. Therefore, I amened the fellowship. 

In fact, my Bible reading portion that morning was exactly on the death and burial of Sarah from Genesis 23. When I received the call, I also knew that the Lord had already given me the message for the meeting. The message was to preach the gospel of the God of resurrection! As most of the attendees would be saints from different Christian groups in addition to the saints in the church life. Then, I prepared and prayed for the message and it became perfectly clear what I needed to minister. Thus, I attended the meeting with two other brothers from Gurugeram and ministered on the God of resurrection. 

The footnotes of the Holy Bible Recovery Version helped me in finetuning my understanding of the entire episode on why Abraham was so particular about the burial of Sarah. All the deeds Abraham did in purchasing the burial ground and burying his beloved wife Sarah and later, he himself along with Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Leah were buried there too. The spiritual significance of these burials with its geographical location pointed to the future hope of the New Jerusalem. Quote from the Recover Version:

That he would give me the cave of Machpelah, which is his and which is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your midst for the possession of a burial place.  Gen. 23:9 

Machpelah Gen. 23:17; 25:9; 49:29-32; 50:13

Meaning double, doubling. Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah, three couples, were all buried in the cave of Machpelah (v. 19; 25:9; 49:29-32; 50:13). The names Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are the components of the divine title of God, who is the God of resurrection (Exo. 3:15; Matt. 22:32 and note).

Gen. 23:17 So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah and which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it and all the trees that were in the field, which were in all its territory, were assured

Gen. 23:18 To Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, in the presence of all who went in at the gate of his city.

Gen. 23:19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

Gen. 23:20 And the field and the cave that is in it were assured to Abraham for the possession of a burial place from the children of Heth.

Note on field

Although Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac were living at Beer-sheba (21:33), Sarah died and was buried in Hebron, the place of fellowship with God. Hebron is between Beer-sheba on the south and Jerusalem on the north. Thus, Hebron was not only a place of fellowship but also a way that led to Jerusalem. In spiritual significance, the cave of Machpelah in Hebron (v. 19), in which Sarah was buried, is the gateway to the New Jerusalem.

The cave of Machpelah was at the end of a field, in which were many trees (v. 17). A field is a place where life grows; thus, it implies resurrection. Abraham did not bury Sarah in a place of death but in a place of life, a place full of resurrection (1 Cor. 15:36 and note). This indicates that Abraham believed in the God of resurrection (Rom. 4:17) and was filled with the expectation that his wife would be resurrected and would be in the city which has the foundations, the New Jerusalem. According to Abraham’s realization, Sarah’s death was not a termination but an entering into the gate of resurrection, the gateway into the expected city and the better country (Heb. 11:10, 16).

1 Thes. 4:13 But we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who are sleeping, that you would not grieve even as also the rest who have no hope.

1 Thes. 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and arose, so also those who have fallen asleep through Jesus, God will bring with Him.

1 Thes. 4:15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are living, who are left remaining unto the coming of the Lord, shall by no means precede those who have fallen asleep;

1 Thes. 4:16 Because the Lord Himself, with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

1 Thes. 4:17 Then we who are living, who are left remaining, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we will be always with the Lord.

1 Thes. 5:9 For God did not appoint us to wrath but to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

1 Thes. 5:10 Who died for us in order that whether we watch or sleep, we may live together with Him.

1 Thes. 5:11 Therefore comfort one another, and build up each one the other, even as you also do.

On my first visit to the saints in Sitapuri on the Memorial Day Meeting of a sister I never knew in the flesh, the Lord ministered His word on living out Christ as the God of resurrection who is in our spirit today with the reality of becoming the New Jerusalem. This incident also reminded me of the verse which states:

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, Because that is the end of every man,  And the living takes it to heart. Ec. 7:2

By the way, we also visited the family members of the bereaved saints and an elderly brother. A very timely visit beyond my imagination.

 

Here is a lesson that I have been learning. Always wait for the Lord's perfect timing for everything. Never act on your own nor on other's insistence. God knows best. And let God be your God for all things at all times.

Bible Reading: Forty Sixth Time

Today, the 7th of November 2024, the Lord enabled me to complete reading the Holy Bible for the 46th time! Then, I prepared myself to start the next round for the 47th time. This has been my burden to read and read the Bible; the best and the only Book that is worth reading, over and over again.

By God's grace, I pray and hope that this grace of reading the Bible be my lifestyle. And that this habit may continue as long as the Lord graces me with the time and the strength to do so.  Though the will is present with me, the working out of the will is all up to the Lord. Therefore, I look to Him for His mercy day by day.

For over a month, five of our brothers have been imprisoned. At times, when I imagine to have been in their stead, the thing I would miss the most would be my Bible reading. I wish and pray that there be never a time when I will be kept away from my Bible. It will be very hard for me to live without my Bible. Since I have been reading my Bible every day for about an hour, not a day I can pass now without reading my Bible. I have been addicted to reading he Bible already. It will be a torture to me not to read my Bible as usual, daily. Prayer can be done without any Bible, as it is a matter of the spirit. But Bible reading has to be objective; reading the physical Bible and seeing the Lord in every line. The is the best way to see visions from God. This reminds me of my childhood hymn, More About Jesus Would I Know (Hymn: More about Jesus would I know)

1 More about Jesus would I know,

More of His grace to others show;

More of His saving fulness see,

More of His love who died for me.

More, more about Jesus,

More, more about Jesus;

More of His saving fulness see,

More of His love who died for me.

2 More about Jesus let me learn,

More of His holy will discern;

Spirit of God my teacher be,

Showing the things of Christ to me.

3 More about Jesus; in His Word,

Holding communion with my Lord;

Hearing His voice in every line,

Making each faithful saying mine.

4 More about Jesus; on His throne,

Riches in glory all His own;

More of His kingdom’s sure increase;

More of His coming, Prince of Peace.

As I stated in my forty-fifth reading of the Bible, I still state the same now. My desire is much more than reading the Bible 46 times. Now, I pray that I can read the Bible a hundred times in my lifetime. I don't know how many more years the Lord will give me in this earthly tabernacle. If His will be so, I pray for His grace that within the many years still remaining or until He returns, I may be especially graced to hit the century of reading the Holy Bible a hundred times.  I can only trust the Lord and do my best to faithfully read and read His word day by day. It's up to the Lord to fulfill this dream of reading the Bible a hundred times. 

Praise the Lord for this grace of reading His word! Praise the Lord that I can still read and read the word of God!