Blending, Blending...

Last Lord's Day, the 8th of December, we had our first combined Lord's Table meeting of the churches in NCR. In fact, this was also the first big meeting after the prosecution of the churches in North India took place in Mathura and affected the churches in North India very much. Till date, some saints are still in an anxious and depressed mode, especially the family members of the brothers in confinement. Despite all the circumstances sovereignly allowed by the lord, the Lord also led us deeper and higher to walk with Him carrying our cross and following Him faithfully denying our self. 

The burden for such a meeting is for blending, blended with shepherding, for our growth in life for the building up of the Body of Christ. The Lord also released His heart's desire for all of us, giving us the way to grow in life in the midst of persecution, suffering, and afflictions. On top of all these, enjoying the Triune God to the fullest extent possible is the main goal of God. 

The recent up-to-date speaking of the Lord also matched the burden we bear today. The epistles of Peter speak about judging, trials, and grace under the government of God. But the focus is not on judgment, trials, or grace per se, but the enjoyment of the Tirune God in the midst of all sufferings and persecution for the growth in life that issues in the building up of the Body of Christ and will ultimately consummate the New Jeruslaem.

For what glory is it if, while sinning and being buffeted, you endure? But if, while doing good and suffering, you endure, this is grace with God. (1 Peter 2:20, RecVer)

Some crucial Bible verses of fellowship in the meeting were on endurance. We all can endure whatever the Lord allows us to go through. For, the source of real endurance is not from ourselves but from the Lord.

Endurance In Jesus: I John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. (Revelation of John 1:9, RecVer)

Endurance  In the Word: Because you have kept the word of My endurance, I also will keep you out of the hour of trial, which is about to come on the whole inhabited earth, to try them who dwell on the earth. (Revelation of John 3:10, RecVer)

Endurance In the Love of Christ: And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the endurance of Christ. (2 Thessalonians 3:5, RecVer)

Endurance In the Body of Christ: Rejoice in hope; endure in tribulation; persevere in prayer. (Romans 12:12, RecVer)

As Christians, we have been called to suffer.  For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered on your behalf, leaving you a model so that you may follow in His steps; (1 Peter 2:21, RecVer). But, we are also being shepherded by our Shepherd. For you were like sheep being led astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (1 Peter 2:25, RecVer). Therefore, we endure our sufferings and are shepherded by the Lord causing us to grow in life to full maturity!

By the way, this day, the 8th of December, also is our youngest daughter's eleventh birthday. After the blending meeting, we had a family time together at our children's favorite restaurant. This was a good way of shepherding our children once in a while. While we had the churches blending, we also enjoyed our own family blending. 

Blending, blending, is the way to shepherd one another.

Living a Hidden Life

The Lord Jesus lived a hidden life. He was a wonderful pattern of the one who lived a hidden life of prayer. He used to go up to the mountain to pray alone with the Father (Mattew 14:23). This kind of hidden life is the principle of the kingdom life. Therefore, He taught us to do all our righteous deeds in secret, made known only to the Father who sees in secret. Even in doing these righteous deeds, one has to do so with a poor spirit and pure in heart (Matthew 5:3,8).

These days, I have personally been enjoying the ministry of the word. The Lord specifically has been speaking to me to live a hidden life. By nature, I love to be manifested especially while doing good and righteous deeds. The Lord in His mercy had to rebuke me and perfect me to learn this lesson of living a hidden life. He did so by using my fellow brothers with whom I have been coordinating the Lord's work in this country. I have been especially graced to be surrounded by brothers who can correct me and perfect me when the need arises. I have even been more graced to be able to receive the fellowship of the brothers. This requires much grace to put myself to death and gradually learn the lesson of bearing the cross. Thank the Lord for His mercy in perfecting me to live a hidden life.

The Lord has also been revealing to me the benefits of living a hidden life. Some crucial points that help me much are below:

Living a hidden life is a good way of dealing with myself and my natural man. The egoist self often tries to lift up his ugly head when doing good deeds. Learning to live a hidden life is a big blow to the self. In fact, a good way to crucify the flesh and its natural "good" showing off desire. This also is walking the pathway of the cross. This is the deduction of the self for the progress in life.

Living a hidden life nurtures the seed of the divine life and prepares the environment for the growth in life. This is a healthy way of growing in life. Just as a seed can grow in good soil freed from hidden stones and manifested thorns, a hidden life strengthens the growth in life of the believers. This also enables one to harbor secret experiences and enjoyments of Christ, thereby accumulating the riches of Christ for growth unto full maturity.

Living a hidden life also strengthens our fellowship with the Father, though our relationship with Him has also been firm. The more hidden the life within, the more the deeper the experience of the Father's divine life will be. This will cause the root of our spiritual life to grow deep. All deep and strong roots are hidden. Just as the strength of a tree is in the depth of its root, so the strength of our spiritual life is in the depth of our hidden life with the Father. Then, with these deep experiences of the divine life, we can render help to anyone genuinely and deeply. Deep calls unto deep (Ps. 42:7).

Living a hidden life will produce a pure and beautiful spiritual life that can recover, revive, and make other buds and be renowned. 

I will be like the dew to Israel; He will bud like the lily and will send forth his roots like the trees of Lebanon. His shoots will go forth; And his splendor will be like that of the olive tree, and his fragrance, like that of the trees of Lebanon. Those who sit under his shade will return; They will revive like grain and will bud like the vine; His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon. (Hosea 14:5-7, RecVer)

With this hidden life, we must also remember to fellowship with the needy saints when the Lord so allows. Yes, our experiences of the Lord must be kept secret, but when the need arises, we must be able to minister our enjoyment and experiences of Chstia as life to the members of the Body in need. In the Body of Christ, we are all members. We must care for one another and fellowship with one another. Just like Paul did in 2 Cor. 12:1-4 when he eventually shared his experience of the third heaven fourteen years after the incident. That too, when the believers needed to hear such word of living testimony for the sake of the truth and for the shepherding of the members of the Body of Christ.

Lord, grace me day by day, to live a hidden life and grow in life unto full maturity.

Contrary to the Wind

Due to the ongoing case against our brothers for the sake of the gospel, things have become more and more complicated for the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. However, the Lord is the Lord and He knows how to be the Lord in times like this. Since the intensification of the persecution in North India due to the recently amended bill in one of the states, we have faced two arrests already. These also indicate what the Lord intends to do in our midst at this time. We need to adapt to the outward changes and exercise ourselves to follow the Lord as He leads the way.  Therefore, changes began to happen in the Lord's move. One significant change is concerning the risk involved in the publication work in India with two of our brothers being on board for the publication entity. A few weeks ago a brother asked this question. My innate feeling at that time was that there would always be a risk and that we should be bold enough to face the risks for the sake of the Lord. However, I prayed that the Lord's will be done. If the Lord's will is to face the risk, let's face it. And if the Lord's will is to make adjustments, let us adjust. Sometimes, He leads through the environment. Therefore, I replied to the brother that I would fellowship with the brothers serving in the work in India and get back. After fellowshipping with the brothers serving in the work, the fellowship was to let our brothers abroad know that there indeed is a risk and that they could take the final call. Today morning, I received a reply from one of the brothers coordinating with us from abroad a co-director of the entity, about his intent to resign because of the risk due to the present political and religious environmental situation in India. I was deeply disappointed and distressed initially. I did not know how to even reply to the message. But I looked to the Lord and prayed that His will may be done. Everything is in the Lord's hand, and I fully submit to His sovereign arrangement. 

As usual, as we pursued the ministry portion which was ministered by Br. Watchman Nee about a hundred years ago, I was so much supplied and strengthened. The excerpts from the ministry portion are below, it speaks for itself, and I highlighted those sentences that mean so much to me. O what a timely speaking of the Lord even at this crucial juncture! The Lord is the living Lord.

The most important task for each of us is to put ourselves into God’s hand in a quiet, patient, prayerful, consecrated, and obedient way and wholeheartedly seek after His leading. We should be willing to obey Him and act only in accordance with His will. We should pray that He reveal to us the journey He has designated for us. After this, we should pay any price to wholeheartedly walk on it.

And when evening fell, the boat was in the midst of the sea and He was alone on the land. And seeing them distressed as they rowed, for the wind was contrary to them, He came toward them about the fourth watch of the night, walking on the sea, and He intended to pass by them. (Mark 6:47-48, RecVer)

If the journey which many Christians take is not contrary to the wind, I doubt whether such a journey is ordained by the Lord. We should take the journey that the Lord has ordained. The Lord has already ordained our place on the earth. He said, “The world hates you.” Our journey is one that is contrary to the wind. If we have never been opposed, ridiculed, or persecuted by the world, our position must not have come from the Lord. We should encounter adverse wind; we should not run with the wind. If we walk according to what the Lord has ordained, from the northeast to the southwest, there certainly will be adverse wind. Otherwise, I have doubts about our journey.

“And seeing them distressed as they rowed, for the wind was contrary to them”! Faithful believers experience being distressed as they row, for the wind is contrary to them! In the past few years, temptations have become more numerous and severe than before. Those who belong to the Lord seem to encounter much trouble. Their bodies are often weak and ill. There are often discord and difficulty in their families. Their jobs and living are not as easy as before. Their community and country have increasingly persecuted and attacked them. Even more, Satan and the evil spirits have done their best to stir up trouble with the intention of consuming and afflicting the believers. Oh, these are all adverse winds! If we stand firmly on the course which the Lord has ordained, we will realize that the wind is contrary and indeed distressing!

Yet we would rather be distressed than drifting. We would rather toil in rowing than wander in drifting. We would rather take the difficult journey than take the easy path and drift.

If a person has never experienced adverse winds, he is most pitiful! If a person has never reckoned that the world is bitter, corrupt, and can persecute people, this person has never started his journey! You will encounter hardship and realize that the wind is contrary only when you are faithful in your walking. Only then will you hear a voice telling you, “It is too hard. Why not loosen up a little and rest a moment?” 

He knows how great our temptations are and how difficult our circumstances are. He will not let us endure beyond the fourth watch. When the night is far advanced, He comes to us. He has died for us and ascended to the heavens to pray for us. At the same time, He sees our hardship. When the night is far advanced, He will come. Excerpt from The Present Testimony (3) CWWN, vol.10, THE LAST PART OF THE JOURNEY Issue No. 24

What a timely speaking of the Lord! As I shared this message, I also mentioned how much I was supplied by His timely speaking. 

This morning, I was very much shepherded by the ministry portion that we pursued. Even after 100 years, the ministry still speaks and supplies, that too, in a very timely manner.

Praise the Lord the ministry of the word!

Our lives on earth as we follow the Lord according to His leading is indeed contrary to the wind. But He will lead us to the end and He will come again very soon. Come, Lord Jesus!

Shepherding Our Next Generation

And you shall love Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words, which I command you today, shall be upon your heart; And you shall repeat them to your children, and speak about them when you sit in your house and when you journey on the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up; (Deuteronomy 6:5-7, RecVer)

The command of Jehovah God is to love Him with all our being. The command of Jehovah further is to repeat the command of God to our children. Yes, we must love the Lord. Much more, we must be a pattern to our children that they can love God even as we do, even more than we do. The responsibility of raising the children is not in the hands of the church in general, but each parent must bear this burden. Timothy is a pattern of one who grew up in his home filled with the word of God.

And that from a babe you have known the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through the faith which is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:15, RecVer)

A good and healthy practice in a family is to repeat the word of God to all our children by having a daily family meeting where the word of God is read and prayers offered together. Daily family prayer life is one key factor in shaping our children's future. This meeting should be interesting to the children. The focus of this meeting is on the children. Everything should be done with love and the meeting should lovingly attract the children. Nothing should be forced on them to join the meeting. It should be done with love and the children should be happy and joyful to join the meeting willingly. Otherwise, it will create a negative impact on the children and they may veer away from the truth later in life. On the one hand, a family meeting is necessary. On the other hand, the children should not be forced to attend the meeting. But the parent must take care of the meeting in such a way that it becomes so interesting for the children. And that they all can function in this meeting. 

In our family life, the Lord has been gracing us to enjoy our daily family prayer time since ehte very beginning of my family life. Now, we have clubbed our family meeting with the Life-study meeting and the church's short corporate prayer at the end. This has been one of the blessings added to our church life and family life this year!

For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of Jehovah by doing righteousness and justice, that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken concerning him. (Genesis 18:19, RecVer)

We and our children, and our Children's children should continue to love the Lord and serve the Lord. 

And Israel served Jehovah throughout all the days of Joshua and throughout all the days of the elders whose days extended after Joshua’s and who knew all the work of Jehovah that He had done for Israel. (Joshua 24:31, RecVer)

But there is also a negative situation that we should be warned of, as revealed in this verse.

And all that generation as well were gathered to their fathers; and another generation, who did not know Jehovah or the work that He had done for Israel, rose up after them. (Judges 2:10, RecVer)

There may be the possibility of losing our next generation to the world. The decline of this age may affect our young ones, especially with the new technologies, selfie for example is a distraction to love and promote the self.  These are the things we have to be careful with our children. As an anti-testimony, we have to show them by example, loving the Lord and not the world.

Now, that the Lord is coming soon, we have to help our children be prepared to meet the Lord. One way is to help them develop a personal relationship with the Lord. We must help them to have a deep and strong spiritual root so that they would not be shallow in their understanding of the truth or in their experiences of life. One thing the Lord has been burdening me with is to shepherd the young ones in my locality to love the Lord more and more, to love the word of God more and more, and to spend time with the Lord more and more, even in fasting and prayer. I have done my best to my family members, and my children to inculcate this habit of daily Bible reading and prayer life. By the Lord's mercy, my children have gradually picked up this burden and habit. The same I have done to the college students. Gradually, I could see a lot of improvement in their personal relationship with the Lord. Time and again, I would repeat this burden to all the young ones. I would follow them up, and encourage them to go on in the Lord. I know, by repeatedly encouraging and showing them with a living pattern, the Lord will impress them and burden them. And one day, they will be established in their spiritual life and be a pattern to others. 

In love, we must also care for their future, academic as well as spiritual future. We must love our children and spend time with them, listen to them, understand their situation, and speak forth Christ with experiences, nurture them, discipline, and admonish them with the goal of letting them know that God blesses us with all things and let learn how to thank the Lord for everything. We should spend time with them to help them have a proper conscience too. Help them learn to confess their sins whenever they commit sins, and repent for their sinful deeds. In this way, they will be preserved by the Lord.

Tonight, in the parent and serving ones meeting of the churches in India for the teenagers and young ones, we have learned and fellowshipped on the above practical points.  May the Lord bless all the serving ones and parents to be a pattern to all the young ones. May the Lord preserve all the young ones to be a generation who love and serve the Lord, even to meet the Lord if the Lord comes back in their generation.

Entering into the Kingdom!

The Lord has already spoken concerning persecution when we follow Him. The same has been experienced by the saints in the churches in North India these days. There have been persecutions all around. In the midst of all these persecutions, the Lord also speaks and intensifies His move. The last week's Life-study portions were mostly on persecution and how to fact it boldly in the Lord, not denying the Lord.

Mt 10:32Everyone therefore who will confess in Me before men, I also will confess in him before My Father who is in the heavens;

Mt 10:33But whoever will deny Me before men, I also will deny him before My Father who is in the heavens.

The Lord knows best why His believers have to face persecution. He uses it for His testimony and for the spreading and preaching of the gospel of the kingdom of God. He even foretold that in the face of persecution, one should not be anxious for the Spirit in the believers will do the necessary speaking.

Mt 10:16Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be therefore prudent as serpents and guileless as doves.

Mt 10:17And beware of men, for they will deliver you up to sanhedrins, and in their synagogues they will scourge you.

Mt 10:18And you will also be brought before governors and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.

Mt 10:19But when they deliver you up, do not be anxious about how or what you should speak, for it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak;

Mt 10:20For you are not the ones speaking, but the Spirit of your Father is the One speaking in you.

As we were reading the Life-studies, I also could sense that at least three sisters with their relatives being from the gentile family background have been going through persecution. The Lord burdened me over and over again to strengthen the points on the need to be absolute for the Lord no matter what or how strong persecutions or oppositions may be from the enemy.

Mt 10:36And a man’s enemies will be those of his household.

Mt 10:37He who loves father or mother above Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter above Me is not worthy of Me;

Mt 10:38And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

Mt 10:39He who finds his soul-life shall lose it, and he who loses his soul-life for My sake shall find it.

In the midst of all these, the Lord also is working on a sister to gain her. She was first introduced to me by a brother and then by another sister. The first time I met her, the only thing I could speak to her was, to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and help her to know the Lord Jesus Christ and believe into the Lord Jesus Christ. As a matter of faithfulness to the truth of the Bible, I also shared the truth concerning baptism right away as mentioned in Mark 16:16. But I left the choice to her; for her to pray, consider, and take her own decision at her own time. But I encouraged her to pray and read the Bible daily, and also join the fellowship and meeting of the saints. She has been regularly joining the daily Life-study pursuit since then, and also the Lord's Day meeting. 

Last week too, as we enjoyed studying the message on the kingdom of God, one point was very clear to her; the unique way to enter into the kingdom of God is through regeneration, to be born of the Spirit, and also of water (baptism).

Jn 3:3Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Jn 3:5Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

I do believe, the Lord spoke to her strongly because I could sense that she was really touched as I led the saints in pursuing the truth last Lord's Day. Deep within me, I realized that the Lord would lead her to make her own decision to be baptized. For, she has already believed into the Lord Jesus Christ. A few days later, I received a message saying that she wanted to be baptized. I praise the Lord for leading her to make this decision on her own. At the same time, I look to the Lord for wisdom so that we may know how to help her fulfill God's word concerning baptism in the midst of persecution going on in the region where we are residing. I prayed and brought the matter to the brothers in Gurugram and also in New Delhi. After confirmation from the brothers, I have an inward peace from the Lord to go ahead and baptize her. Meanwhile, personally, and in the church, strong prayers have been offered. The whole church prayed for her baptism in the prayer meeting, in our family prayer, and in my personal prayer. Today, as she came prepared for baptism, the church prayed for her again. After lunch, we had a session on looking into the Scriptures concerning believing and baptism with all the relevant Bible verses. And with strong prayers, the sister was baptized! Hallelujah!

May the Lord continue to work in our sister so that she may grow in the divine life day by day unto full maturity. May she even become a beacon of life and a channel of blessing to all her family members who are yet to be saved!  Praise the Lord for the Lord's move in North India.

Living in the Reality of the Kingdom of God

The kingdom of God is the realm of divine life and divine species. It is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself sown as a Seed into the believers, growing and developing into a realm over which God can rule. The kingdom of God is where God has His rule and reign, where God is expressed, and where God is represented. In fact, the kingdom of God is the church life where the believers live in the reality of the kingdom of God. 

Jn 1:12But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name,

Jn 1:13Who were begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Jn 3:3Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Jn 3:5Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Praise the Lord that the believers today have entered into the kingdom of God by being born of God (John 1:12,13), and by being born anew (John 3:3,5). As such, today as believers in the church life, we are in the kingdom of God! 

Rm 8:2For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death.

Rm 8:6For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.

But the burden these days has been, are we living in the reality of the kingdom of God? Having entered into the kingdom of God, do we live in the reality of the kingdom of God? For this reality, the believers have to live by the divine life and follow the sense of life within by setting the mind on the spirit (Romans 8:2, 6). But for some, the sense of life could be just dead. The reason being, the spirit has not been exercised and therefore becomes very weak resulting in no feeling for anything. If such be the case, there is an urgent need for revival. Prayer is one of the ways to exercise the human spirit and revive the sense of life within. Only by such a sense, can one live in the reality of the kingdom of God. Following the sense of life is following the Lord's leading and allowing God to rule and reign over us. When such is the case, one is living in the reality of the kingdom of God.

Co 3:4When Christ our life is manifested, then you also will be manifested with Him in glory.

Co 2:19And not holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and sinews, grows with the growth of God.

Mt 5:3Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.

Mt 5:8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

However, for one to be able to sense the life within his spirit, there is a need for growth in life. Christ is our life (Col. 3:4), and we must hold to Christ as the Head too (Col. 2:29), out from which one can draw life supply and grow up in the divine life. This is the biblical truth. To realize this truth subjectively, one must be poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3) and pure in heart (Matthew 5:8). To be poor in spirit is not to be satisfied with what one already has, but to hunger and thirst for more of God. If one is poor in spirit, he will thirst and hunger for the word of God, the fellowship in the Body, for prayer, for meeting with the saints, and for the practical church life. And in the process, he will grow and gain God. One also needs to be pure in heart, having a single goal of gaining God and God alone, seeking nothing else but God. With purity of heart, one will not seek for prosperity, healing, or even spiritual growth. Though all these may be granted by the Lord's mercy, he will seek only God and for God alone. With these two conditions of being pure in heart and poor in spirit, one will exercise very much in his spirit and strengthen his spirit. Thereby, growing in the sense of life, leading further to the growth in life and enabling God to rule over him. Then, there will be the reality of living in the kingdom of God. This will definitely result in God being expressed and represented. This is also God's goal in His creation of man in Genesis 1:26. 

Gn 1:26And 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.

This was the living message the Lord gave to the church today. I was so personally supplied even as the Lord pleased to minister the word through me. And all the saints were richly supplied too.

Lord, preserve all the saints to be so exercised in their spirits so that they may grow daily. Lord, grant us the attitude and motive of being poor in spirit and pure in heart to grow in life and follow the sense of life and be led by the spirit and be governed by the Lord unto the living out of God in the reality of the kingdom of God in our church life today.

Second Visit to Prison

Remember those who are imprisoned as bound with them, those who are ill-treated as being yourselves also likewise treated in body. (Hebrews 13:3, RecVer)

On 1st Oct 2024, we visit our brothers in the prison in Mathura. My Goodland: A Visit to Prison

On the 29th of Nov, after about two months, we visited them again as the brothers from the church in Gurugram. During the last two months, we had been praying and waiting for them to be bailed out. But the matter got delayed over and over again. In fact, I was personally waiting for the time that they would be released so that my next visit would be to pick them up from the prison. But the Lord knows best and I accept all His arrangements, though a little disappointed for them nor being granted bail when they should legally have been granted. I learned to restrain my feelings and accept the sovereign arrangement of the Lord.

Through this incident, the Lord has been working intrinsically into our being and made clear what new steps He wanted to take in this country, especially in North India. The Lord allowed this so that we can make a review of the way we have been living our Christian life and practicing the church life. Through this, some dormant saints were revived, and the prayer of the church in Gurugram was very much strengthened in both personal and corporate prayer life. In fact, I could testify that our prayer life had been revolutionized! Since the incident, the whole church could come together to pray together online every night after our Life-study pursuit. And with this as the background, we also strengthened the burden of fasting and prayer, open to all the saints in the church life. This burden also personally affects my prayer life. Praise the Lord!

As brothers in the church, we coordinated to meet our brothers in the prison. We were mutually encouraged by this visit. I had some personal fellowship for certain official matters with a brother and passed on some offerings. Likewise, five of us met five of them and spent about half an hour for fellowship. Beyond that, the prison rule did not allow further meetings. 

Due to the prolonged stay in the prison, the brothers too have been through some concerns related to the case filed against them. The brothers who are responsible for the legal matters have been doing their best in coordination with the lawyers. Despite all their labors and efforts, the opposite party put up a delaying tactic under the ambit of the controversial bill passed in that state. All legal options have been utilized. Now, we leave the matter to the Lord how He will lead us through. We are a little disheartened but did not lose hope in the Lord. God is still on the throne and He knows what is best for us all. Let His will be done in His own time. 

With this ongoing case, the enemy has also been very fierce in attacking the saints and the churches in North India. It has become more and more obvious in the way he manipulated the ill-intent of the opposition party and the system. He attacked first from the outside of the church, and now he also attacks the church by causing doubt, fear, anxiety, and a blame game among some weaker saints. But the Lord is the Lord and He will not allow the gates of Hades to prevail against the church. We stand on guard and stay alert against the enemy's attack. The Lord has also been speaking to us daily on the line of persecution that the Lord Jesus Himself faced while in His earthly ministry. No matter what, we are victorious in the victory of our Lord Jesus the Victor!

Lord, bless Your move in North India.