Engagement Testimony

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

God is sovereignly working inwardly and moving outwardly in the lives of the saints. I am pleased to witness God’s working in one of our young brothers who has been brought up in the church life. His life is in the Lord’s hand and God has bestowed upon him much grace. I do believe, this is also the Lord’s answer to the prayers of his parents who consecrated their lives and their children to the Lord. This is indeed a testimony to the young people, especially to those who have a bright future in the world. This young brother got engaged to a sister who also consecrated her life to serve the Lord. 

Yesterday, the 13th of April, we had an afternoon time of fellowship with the brothers in the churches in Hyderabad, Delhi, and Gurugram along with the families of the future bride and groom. The fellowship was to mainly consider the way forward in the wedding testimony meeting and the meetings for the families thereafter. In fellowship, the Lord made in clear the dates for holding all these events and the appropriate venues. Nobody knew what will transpire after this fellowship. No preconception about anything as such was there as far as I am concerned and tiehr brothers testified of the same. But the matter was brought in prayer and in fellowship. Therefore, the matter was truly out from the Lord, and through the Lord, and definitely will be unto the glory of God.

Following this fellowship, we had a time of an hour long meeting to pray for the couple. Two brothers ministered the word on the principle concerning marriage in the Bible. Five brothers prayed for the couple while on their knees, consecrating them to the Lord and eventually blessing them. Then, the declaration of the upcoming events concerning the couple's marriage and following meetings. Finally, a lovefeast for all the attendees of this meeting, the families and the brothers from the churches.

The mystery here is visible in the way God initiated this engagement and how He miraculously worked out the events, day by day, point by point, and bringing it into fruition. Therefore, this was out from Him, and through Him. And, we are and will be taking utmost care, that everything is unto Him.

A few months ago when the proposal was mentioned to me by the brother's father, I immediately confirmed that I had the same feeling for the young brother and sister to be brought together. In fact, one time I was in a car with a couple of saints, one of which was the sister who was engaged with the brother now. I fellowshipped with her as we drove on a busy road of Hyderabad that she should take care of the perfect will of the Lord in her life concerning her future plan for education and marriage. As I fellowshiped, I sensed that she would be a wonderful match to a brother who is now engaged to her. At that time, I had no clue that she ultimately will be engaged to the very brother I was considering her for. But I would not take the first step to initiate anything. I left the matter to the Lord and the brothers whom the Lord would use to initiate the marriage proposal. And, it has been confirmed and engagement done. Praise the Lord!

May the sovereign God continue to work in the lives of all the saints, especially to the young ones concerning their education, marriage, and service that they all be a testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Continuing the Ministry

But brothers, look for seven well-attested men from among you, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint over this need. But we will continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the word. (Acts 6:3-4, RecVer)

And when they had so besought, the place in which they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:31, RecVer)

Today, I was invited to minister the word among seeking believers in Madhya Pradesh. It has been months that I kind-of kept away from this online meeting. But I keep myself open to the Lord’s leading in me. So, with a brother as a Hindi translator, I ministered on the fresh bread I enjoyed in the recent training. For continuing the move of the Lord for the spreading of Christ and the building up of the Body, three vital substances are required, Prayer, Spirit, and the Word.

As one who would also be minsiterd to, I ministered the word from the book of Acts, tracing the history of the Lord’s move in His heavenly ministry through the disciples on the earth. Since the day of Pentecost, the Lord’s move has been unhindered with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the faithful believers who were men of prayers and ministered the word with power and authority. The secret to the Lord move has always been these three substances, the three in one move: Prayer, Spirit, and the Word. Despite the many persecution, amidst the sufferings, the word of God grew and multiplied, and the number of disciples multiplied.

And the word of God grew, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly; and a large number of the priests obeyed the faith. (Acts 6:7, RecVer)

In the midst of turmoil outside and troubles within, the men chosen to solve the problems among the believers, and the disciples' main work has always been, prayer, Spirit, and the Word. The Lord’s move began this way, and goes on and continues in this way. Prayer, Spirit, and the Word is the one unique way of the gospel move. I believe, this is the only authentic way.

Since eternity past, God has been moving to accomplish this eternal purpose. In time, He was incarnated as a man in Jesus to carry out His earlty ministry and lived a perfect human life, He was crucified to accomplish redemption, He was resurrected as the life-giving Spirit, and He has ascended to carry out His heavenly ministry. Today, the Lord Jesus Christ in His heavenly ministry is continuing His work on earth by gaining a group of people who live in the divine history within the human history. This group of people is continuing the ministry by being one with the Triune God and living out God in fulfilling God’s eternal purpose. This group of people can be described by the following characteretics. 

They are the "acting God". Having been born of God’s divine life and divine nature, they have become God in life, in nature, in expression, and in function (but not in the Godhead) for the spreading and building up of the church.

They call on the Lord’s name as their spiritual breathing as the fulfilment of Joel's prophesy on the outpoured Spirit to be breathed in by the believers for their daily living. They are willingly to suffer on behalf of the Lord's name whenever the need arises and faithfully speak in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

They act as one Body, doing everything in the Body, through the Body, and for the Body. They reject themselves and live by Christ's life.They continue steadfastly in the ministry of the word. They continue to enjoy, live, and proclaim the resurrected Christ. And they live a life of an upper-room consecration. 

This group of people continues the Lord’s move on earth today. I have been graced to know this and I exercise myself to be a part of this group of people for the continuation of the Lord’s move. 

May the Lord preserve me and the saints in the church life here in India to continue in the ministry to the end.

Study of the Word: One Accord

Today, as we participated in the training for the elders and responsible ones, we were blessed with the Lord’s up-to-date speaking on the one accord. This matter is so deep and profound. Though we may not claim that we have been perfected into oneness, by the Lord’s mercy, we have been graced  and blessed in the church life to see this vision of one accord and practice it. By and large, we have been practicing this one accord and are being perfected in this matter gradually. The Lord’s speak was so rich and for the sake of remembrance and reminder, the crucial points have been recorded here. These are what we are learning and the vitally needed for the church life to accomplish God’s eternal purpose.

These all continued steadfastly with one accord in prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. (Acts 1:14, RecVer)

And day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they partook of their food with exultation and simplicity of heart, (Acts 2:46, RecVer)

And when they heard this, they lifted up their voice with one accord to God and said, Sovereign Master, You are the One who has made heaven and earth and the sea and all things in them, (Acts 4:24, RecVer)

And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders took place among the people; and they were all with one accord in the portico of Solomon. (Acts 5:12, RecVer)

Negative Satanic One Accord 

But they cried out with a loud voice and covered their ears and rushed upon him with one accord. (Acts 7:57, RecVer)

But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews rose up against Paul with one accord and brought him to the judgment seat, (Acts 18:12, RecVer)

And the city was filled with confusion; and they rushed with one accord into the theater, seizing Gaius and Aristarchus of Macedonia, Paul’s traveling companions. (Acts 19:29, RecVer)

If we practice the principle of the Body, we will have the one accord, for the one accord is the Body. The practice of the genuine one accord is the application of the oneness. The practice of the church life must be in one accord. The blessing of God can come only upon a situation of one accord, the practice of the one accord. Blessing and one accord are interchanged, meaning, in one accord we are blessed and if we are blessed we will be in one accord. 

These all continued steadfastly with one accord in prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. (Acts 1:14, RecVer)

One accord refers to the harmony in our inner being. The Greek word homothumadon, homo (same) and thumos (mind, will, purpose), denotes a harmony of inward feeling in one's entire being. This is a crucial and deep experience.

And I say to you that every idle word which men shall speak, they will render an account concerning it in the day of judgment. (Matthew 12:36, RecVer)

May the Lord deal with every idle word now than before the judgment seat. Our words have been recorded. 

Again, truly I say to you that if two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter for which they ask, it will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens. (Matthew 18:19, RecVer)

When we have the one accord, we become a pleasing melody to God. Peace, blessing, and pleasing melody to God are the results of being in one accord. God enjoys this melody. 

And they continued steadfastly in the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles, in the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Acts 2:42, RecVer)

And day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they partook of their food with exultation and simplicity of heart, (Acts 2:46, RecVer)

The practice of the oneness is according to the apostles' teaching. The apostles' taught the same thing in all the places and continuing in this one teaching will keep the saints in one accord. 

In the practice of the one accord, the following crucial points must be prayed for and practiced.

One Spirit With One Soul

Only, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, that whether coming and seeing you or being absent, I may hear of the things concerning you, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving together along with the faith of the gospel, (Philippians 1:27, RecVer)

Make my joy full, that you think the same thing, having the same love, joined in soul, thinking the one thing, (Philippians 2:2, RecVer)

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, (Philippians 2:5, RecVer)

I exhort Euodias, and I exhort Syntyche, to think the same thing in the Lord. (Philippians 4:2, RecVer)

We should think with the mind of Christ and speak with the mouth of Christ, the Head. In this way, we will think the same thing and speak the same thing. The only way to do this is by allowing Christ to make His home in our hearts. For this, we need to have a personal relationship with the Lord. Our heart has a lot of things in it. It must be dealt with and allow Christ to make His home. Christ must have an acces to our heart.

One Heart and One Way

And I will give them one heart and one way, to fear Me all the days, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. (Jeremiah 32:39, RecVer)

One heart to love God, to seek God, to live God, and to be constituted with God for one expression, and one way, the inner law of life, are required for the one accord.

One Scale in the Church Life 

You shall not have in your bag differing weights, one heavy and one light. You shall not have in your house differing measures, one large and one small. A full and righteous weight you shall have, and a full and righteous measure you shall have, in order that your days may be extended upon the land which Jehovah your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 25:13-15, RecVer)

There should just be one scale to measure myself and others. What I condemn in me must also be condemned in others, maintaining the one scale. Better not to have any scale, neither for myself nor for others. Only God can judge righteously. Leave every measurement to God. 

One All-inclusive Vision

Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint; / But happy is he who keeps the law. (Proverbs 29:18, RecVer)

Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, (Acts 26:19, RecVer)

We all must be governed by the same one vision thoroughly, the vision of the age. Even a different vision in minor point can destroy the one accord. 

Therefore, we should all voice the same thing, trumpet the same thing, teach the same thing, and be in the same practice.

O what a speaking of the Lord! How blessed we are even to have heard such a speaking. Based on this, the Lord will also grace us to practice the one accord. 

Lord, preserve us in the one accord.

Family Gospel Trip

Since persecution against the gospel of Jesus Christ has become rampant in North India where anti-conversion bill has been passed and misused by some fringe groups, we have been cautious in the way we carry out the great commission. Despite this restriction, we have been praying fervently and continue the sheperding of the warm doors who have known us and whom we have been shepherding. Alongside, we still carry on the gospel responsibility in areas we deem safe. Despite the quieting of the outward gospel move in my locality for the time being, I still have the burden to preach the gospel wherever the Lord opens the door. Thanks to the five weeks of gospel move in six select cities in India, one of which is my neighbor, Delhi.

Last Saturday, my whole family along with a teenage brother, we went to Dwarka More to participate in the gospel move. Initially, it was a challenge to bring my whole family for the whole day as my children have school homeworks to complete. Yet I told them, the priority for the day is the gospel and school works can be done later. Finally, they all agreed. And we spent the whole day with the trainees and the saints in West Delhi, pursuing, praying, fellowshipping, going out for the gospel, and my wife and daughters helping in cooking for the saints. And in the evening we had a gospel meeting where we all participated with the trainees and new ones. 

I personally enjoyed going out with the trainees as we met a married couple from Nigeria who came to serve the Lord in India. Through the fellowship, some key points of truth were brought out. The brother we met, though he claimed himself to be an "apostle", I addressed him as a "brother" and later clarified to him that we are all brothers in Christ, and that there is no ranking among believers. In our meeting he brought out three points which gave me the ground to minister the truth. 

First, God’s desire to save men, and I added on the need for growth, to bring the saved believers to the full knowledge of the truth and explained in detail what spiritual growth is in realtion to the full knowledgeof the truth..

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)

Second, the kingdom of God based on righteousness and holiness. Here, I used the verses in Genesis when God began to exercise His righteousness in driving the fallen man out of the garden of Eden and guarded the way to the tree of life with God's righteousness, holiness, and glory. And expounded in detail God’s righteousness, holiness, and glory being Jesus Christ Himself and only in Him we can be righteous, holy, and be in glory.

Then Jehovah God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to work the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out, and at the east of the garden of Eden He placed the cherubim and a flaming sword which turned in every direction to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:23-24, RecVer)

Third, the brother we met, according to his religious concept spoke about "heaven at last" as his theme for his Christian service. Without contradicting him, yet wisely using the topic to minister the truth, I ministerd on our need to be brought into the experience and enjoyment of heaven by being brought into the reality of the kingdom in Christ in our spirit day by day, today, and in the coming millennium kingdom, and then in the New Jerusalem. 

We began our fellowship in prayer and ended also in prayer. It was a wonderful time of fellowship on the truth for the couple from Nigeria and also for the three sisters and one brother who are under training. It was altogether a new experience of propagating the truth especially among Christian leaders and workers.

After the entire day schedule, a brother invited us to pay a visit to their home nearby and then we came back home after 10 PM. We left our home after 10 AM and came back after 10 PM, a twelve hour, one whole day well spent as a family for the gospel in Delhi.

O what a blessing to be able to participate in the Lord’s move! I have attended many such, but as a family this was one wonderful memorable experience! 

Lord, bless Your move in India, especially, North India, and strengthen Your testimony!

Couple Fellowship on Love

On the 1st of April, a few days ago, two young married couples were invited for a time of fellowship over lunch lovefeast. In fact, the plan was originally for a couple who just got married last Saturday. However, a brother texted us of accommodating another couple who visited India from South Korea for a day of fellowship. The Lord sovereignly arranged the day for a particular time of fellowship.

The couple from Korea came in the morning and joined the daily morning pursuing. Though I had official works to attend to, I realised that I need to spend time with them. I believe it was the Lord who brought them for a special fellowship, all the way from South Korea to India, at the ministry literature office in Gurugram.

As I fellowshiped with them, they opened their personal and marital issues one by one. The Lord gave me the discernment to understand what they have been going through. They have been married for two years but have experienced an extreme hardship in their marriage life and in their business to the point that they even contemplated divorce and suicide. Yet, the Lord preserved them and brought them to India, perhaps for fellowship, to recover their marruage life for the church life. 

The anointing of the Spirit was so rich that as we fellowshipped, rivers of living water flowed forth among us all. The Lord supplied them with the timely word for them to have a new beginning in their Christian life and marriage life for the church life. Some practical points for fellowship were, spending time together as husband and wife in prayer everyday in addition to their personal prayer time, reading the word of God daily to be renewed in their mind and ward off the attacks of the enemy with evil thoughts, pursuing the ministry even with the Holy Word for Morning Revival, and to be in fellowship with the church wherever they are. These basic daily practices fellowshipped to them gave them the way to go on.

Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. (John 17:17, RecVer)

Besides, as usual, I shared how the Lord also blessed my marriage life by taking care of these basic Christian daily practices. I also addressed their business crisis by letting them know that all things worked together for good for their transformation and conformation to the image of the Son of God.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers; (Romans 8:28-29, RecVer)

As they also opened up about their marital issues, my fellowship was to help them know they human love is weak, the only love that is genuine is God’s divine and eternal love. I fellowshipped with them to love the Lord Jesus first and that the divine love would fill them to enable them to love one another with the divine love. There is no real love without the divine love. The world is full of broken and bitter love that ended up in divorce and separation among married couples, despite being outwardly rich, famous, and beautiful. 

This fellowship opened their eyes to see things in a new perspective. They were so filled with joy and happiness. They even confessed that though they did not plan to meet me, nor did they plan to come to India, the Lord brought them for this fellowship. Then, we all offered thanksgiving and prayed together.

This couple, having enjoyed the fellowship so much, even requested if they could stay overnight. In fellowship with the brothersin Delhi, we welcomed them to stay overnight. I also led them to join the church group meeting, Life-study pursuing, and the saints in Gurugram prayed for them. Later, as I dropped them to the guest room, I prayed together with them showing the way they need to practice praying together daily.

During lunch time they also joined the fellowship with another newly married couple when the Lord led me to fellowship on loving the Lord after we sang hymn 171, Lord Jesus Christ our hearts feel sweet, based on Psalms.

Whom do I have in heaven but You? / And besides You there is nothing I desire on earth. (Psalms 73:25, RecVer)

When the world is fooling around with April Fool, we who love the Lord fellowship around with the Lord and His love as the center of our fellowship. 

Lord, bless these two couples and all the married ones in the church for Your testimony!

Hebrew Learning: Midway

This month was very productive as far as my Hebrew learning was concerned. In the past months, I was so busy with official work, family life and church life. I was so concerned that I lagged behind too much in my Hebrew learning as I was not able to cope with the tight schedule I was limited to. At one point, I even thought of quitting altogether. The learning seemed so tough, with much study and concentration required. Besides, I am not a translator anyway. I even used to wonder why on earth did I ever enroll in this Hebrew course. In fact, I even though of writing a letter to my instructors to forgive me for my slow progress and request them to give me more time to cope up with it. Thank God I did not do that. But anyhow, I am already a student, and I cannot quit now. I must keep sailing on.

This month, I had no travel plans. I only took care of the important official work by being stationed at the Gurugram office. In this way, I could focus more on my Hebrew learning. Despite the discouragement within for my inability to give sufficient time for learning, I looked to the Lord for grace and scheduled my time in such a way that I could complete at least one lesson a week. The Lord indeed graced me, and I was able to complete the learning of six Hebrew classes with revision, memorization, and quizzes in a month! What a miracle! The Lord truly grace me well. Except for one quiz, I did fairly well.

Every time I studied and wrote the exams, I prayed to the Lord that His perfect will be done in my Heberw learning. I truly believe He has a perfect plan for me in learning Hebrew, which will be revealed in time. Therefore, I put on my student mode and learned like a student. I did my best and took the exam when I was fully confident that I had learned it thoroughly well. I am not sure what the Lord has reserved for me. But I do believe that through this learning process, I have experienced the Lord a lot. Despite me becoming a father of three children already and running in my mid-forties, still the Lord gave me the grace, wisdom and knowledge to learn a completely different subject, Hebrew, nothing related to any subjects that I learned in the past. Now that I have come to the middle of the entire Hebrew course, I must look to the Lord for another half and sail on until completion. 

Life is a process of learning, growing, and gaining God through whatever circumstances the Lord has placed me in. It is great to take up challenges and face the reality of life. This is the lesson Hebrew learning has taught me.

Lord, grace me on and on that I may be able to read and understand Your word in the way it was written originally in Hebrew.

Services of Serving Ones

The Lord Jesus is the Master, and I have been graced and blessed to be one of the serving ones of the Lord Jesus Christ. Since I got saved in 1997, I have been bearing the burden to serve the Lord in the way I can. In time, the Lord Himself made the way I could serve Him clear to me. In 2003, I received a direct call from the Lord through the word of God to serve Him. 

And now, O Israel, what does Jehovah your God ask of you except that you fear Jehovah your God so that you would walk in all His ways and love Him and serve Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 10:12

Since then, I have been graced and blessed by the Lord to go through the full-time training. And He has been training and perfecting me to serve. Twenty years have elapsed since I finished my training and started serving the Lord in different areas and in different capacities. The Lord has been faithful in leading me through and through all these years. To me, it is the sure mercy of the Lord that he has qualified and graced me to serve. In my self, I cannot. It has always been His life in me that enables and empowers me to serve. I have nothing to claim for myself. Nothing to boast, no glory, nothing for myself. It is Him who serves in and through me, fia ny glory, it is god's glory and glory to Him only. 

With these lessons, I also have been trying to help the saints who have the burden to serve. To me, it is impossible for any human to serve the living God without the life of the living God in the lives of the serving ones. This month I had been through a series of fellowship with four brothers. They all have the burden to serve, but they also need help. Serving the Lord is not according to natural ability and strength. It is purely His mercy that one can serve Him. The person of the serving one and the service of the serving ones are one. Without the person being proper, there cannot be the service proper. 

Therefore, in all the fellowship with these four brothers, it was mostly to do with their person and character rather than their services itself. The conditions and regulations given to them in a way of brotherly fellowship were to help them turn to the Lord and depend on the Lord fully so that they can be useful vessels to the Lord. To some, a strict instruction and a tight schedule were given; to others the need for diligence and faithfulness was emphasised. Yet to some, the need for coordination and submission was made known, and to one in particular, the need to exercise his spirit more to deal with his temper was given in writing.  

Before all these fellowships, I spent a considerable amount of time in prayer, bringing these matters to the Lord to get the Lord's feeling so that I may not misrepresent God in any way. Though I may be placed in a position to "decide" things officially concerning the serving ones, as this is one of my official responsibilities, I fear God. I dare not misrepresent God by giving my thoughts and feelings to anyone. I commit all the matters to God in fear and trembling that the Lord's perfect will be done in all these brothers' lives and services. I, too, am just a serving one, just like all the others. It has also been a time of training and learning to deal with people, especially saints, as all these are also brothers in the church life. One particular lesson that all serving ones need to learn is submission.

We need to learn the lesson of submission. Not only do the sent ones need to learn submission, the sending ones also need to learn submission. Only in the spirit of submission will a person hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. We cannot consider that a consensus is the standard for any work; rather, submission must be the standard. We should not send out a brother because we agree with him. Many times, even though we do not agree with the proposal of a certain brother, we still have to give him the liberty to do it. The matter is not about agreeing or not agreeing but about submitting or not submitting. The Holy Spirit can have a way only among the submissive ones. Excerpt from The Present Testimony (4): The Third Overcomer Conference CWWN, vol.11

In this regard, I had a fellowship with a brother whom I felt needed help. In considering his continuation in the service, I prayed over and sent an email to him concerning his coordination and submission and the need to exercise his spirit to deal with his temper as conditions for him to continue. A week later, he accepted the conditions and confirmed that he would continue.

I was particularly thankful to the Lord that He led me through in all these fellowships. I pray that the Lord will preserve them and me, too, that we can faithfully serve Him in fruitful ways all the days of our lives on this earth. This has always been my prayer, too, for myself and for all the serving ones: to be faithful and fruitful and serve in the newness of spirit.

But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held, so that we serve in newness of spirit and not in oldness of letter. Romans 7:6