Life Lesson: Gospel Meeting

Today, being a holiday, as the church, we planned a gospel meeting. This gospel meeting was very unique, in that, my core heart's desire was carried out. Yes, it was a gospel meeting where we should focus on the gospel friends. Yes, I did invite my gospel friends too. However, my main burden was on the function and perfecting of the saints

In fellowship and in prayer, we planned for the schedule of the gospel meeting. It was perceived in my spirit that such and such ones would share the gospel message, and such and such ones would testify for the Lord. Brothers too amened the proposal right away. We were blessed with a sweet and strong coordination in the preparation for the gospel meeting.

Today, in the gospel meeting, we had four saints testify. My heart was filled with joy in witnessing the testimonies of the saints, especially the brothers whom I have so much burden to perfect. To me, witnessing the testimonies of the ones the Lord burdened me to perfect brought much joy to me. Much more than I expected, I witnessed the Lord’s hand upon all these ones.

Though most of the gospel friends invited did not turn up, still, the functioning of the newly perfected Hindi-speaking brothers brought much joy to me. Christ has been glowing in their lives. What a sight to behold! What a blessing!

Even after the meeting, the time spent with the saints and the brothers in fellowship taught me more life lessons. A new group meeting was planned. Two brothers' functions were recovered. And when a new one turned up late, and I was busy, other saints were able to shepherd the new ones in mutuality. Besides, the sisters all coordinated to prepare lunch for everyone. This was a beautiful picture of coordination in the Body.

In fact, I did not function openly, but was behind the scene. I prayed and prepared the saints to function. This is the way to perfect the saints. And this was my new role in my functioning in the church. What a blessing! What a privilege!

Gospel means good news. And the good news of perfecting the saints was carried out. May the Lord perfect all the saints for His building work in His Body. Hallelujah!

Experiencing Jehovah-jireh

And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh, as it is said to this day, On the mount of Jehovah it will be provided. (Genesis 22:14, RecVer)

But godliness with contentment is great gain; For we have brought nothing into the world, because neither can we carry anything out. But having food and covering, with these we will be content. But those who intend to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge men into destruction and ruin. For the love of money is a root of all evils, because of which some, aspiring after money, have been led away from the faith and pierced themselves through with many pains. (1 Timothy 6:6-10, RecVer)

Since our old car's validity expired on 22nd Dec, we have been planning for a new one. After much consideration and prayers, we have come to settle on a particular car which was much beyond our initial plan and budget. However, our considerations were for the usefulness in the Body, for the church, and also for the family. And we have peace in these considerations, and this is the final confirmation: the peace within, from God, among ourselves in the family, and also in the fellowship of the Body. Our decision was based on the peace from God, primarily along with the need, no matter the price. The Lord is the One who provides, Jehovah-jireh. 

The Lord, as the source of every supply, supplied the need this time, as usual, with His sovereign arrangement. Nine years ago, I was convinced by a sales representative of ICICI Prudential to buy a term insurance plan for 5 5-year payment plan and another five-year investment. To my surprise, when the need for this new car arose, I discovered that this investment plan had earned more than 100%. Therefore, I surrendered this plan despite it gaining much profit by the day these days. I was even tempted to keep the plan longer to earn more profit; however, I was reminded by the Lord not to love money. This has to be used in times of need, not caring for savings or profit. I must simply trust in the Lord who meets all our needs. It is He who provides, Jehovah-jireh. 

When the liquidated investment was deposited in my account today morning, my first reaction was to praise and thank the Lord for His provision. Nine years ago, he led me to make this investment because He knew that nine years after, this year, this amount would be useful to meet the need for transportation. God truly is Jehovah-jireh. 

As always, my first reaction to such provision from the Lord is to honor the source, the One who provides. My wife and I, along with our three children, prayed together and thanked the Lord in our family prayers tonight for His timely provision. In oneness, we used at least 10% of the received amount for offering right away before we touched the money for any other purpose. Therefore, we transferred the offering amount as another additional offering to the present burden for the Chennai Blending Centre construction project. First to God; first things first, always. After all, it is all from God. He is Jehovah-jireh. 

God provides, and we must wisely use God's provision for the intended purposes. Whatever the genuine need is, irrespective of the cost, the provision must be used rightly at the right time. Honoring God's provision in such a way deals with our heart; to be pure in money matters and not loving money in any way, even with the view of saving more or gaining more profit. The real gain and profit are in the Lord’s blessing. 

This is a good lesson in learning to be content with whatever God provides and not be greedy for gain. 

Praise God, Jehovah-jireh!

Marriage Group Meeting

One of our new ones' son's got married on the 12th December this year. However, I was not available in town, and I had to excuse myself from attending the wedding meeting. Besides, this being a wedding conducted by the families according to the custom of the nation, the brother also felt that he would not be able to entertain us, as he would be busy with many other relatives and guests. Therefore, it worked out good for us and for them that, as the church, we visited them only after all the family functions were over and they were available for a time of prayer and fellowship, in peace. In fact, the Lord sovereignly worked out everything good for all of us. 

After all the ceremonies were done and after most of the guests had left, the brother invited us as the church for prayer and a time of group meeting at his house. As we fellowshipped with the church saints for our visitation, we also felt good to gift them gifts, including the Holy Bible, the best marriage gift that can ever be given to anyone, along with a set of Crockery and Mixer set chosen by the sisters. Even in this, we had a wonderful coordination.

On the 19th December, Friday night, we, as the church, visited the family and had a time of prayer, fellowship on the importance of marriage in the eyes of God, and enjoyed a dinner feast prepared by the family. This was the perfect time and arrangement.

We have been praying for this family, especially for their salvation. The family has been enjoying home meetings week by week for over a year now. They all believed into the Lord Jesus Christ, called upon the Lord's name every time we met, and also prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ. The father of the family, our brother, has been graciously saved by the Lord from many sinful things. Since his salvation, the Lord has been working on him and also in his business. He has been testifying that it was the Lord Jesus who blessed him in his business. Since he believed into the Lord Jesus, the Lord delivered him from many bad habits, and his family members also could sense the change. 

Acts 16:30 And leading them outside, he said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.

Acts 16:32 And they spoke the word of God to him together with all those in his house.

Acts 16:33 And he took them with him in that very hour of the night and washed their wounds. And he was baptized immediately, he and all his household.

Acts 16:34 And he brought them up into his house and set a table before them; and he exulted because he had believed in God with all his household.

May the Lord grant them the household salvation as promised in the Bible. 

May the Lord gain this family to be His pillars for His testimony among the local people.

Life Lesson: Prayer

Prayer is critical to the kingdom living. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the man of prayer; always one with God, lives in God’s presence, trusts in God, and Satan has nothing to do with Him. In Matthew 6, He has taught us and shown the pattern of prayer. So that the kingdom of God may come on earth and the will of the Father may be done on earth. This is the will of the Father, and for this to accomplish, He taught us how to pray. In fact, the only way to fulfill God's eternal plan is by being like the Lord Jesus Christ, the man of prayer, being able to express and represent God on the earth today.

These days, I also have been very burdened by the Lord to pray for the burdens He blessed me with. By His mercy, I have been graced to be able to pray the Lord’s bestowed prayers upon me. Such being the case, I have been praying myself, and helping others to be a man of prayer too, as the Lord Jesus is. Time and again, whenever I got the opportunity, my burden released to my fellow believers has constantly been on prayer life and the burden for prayer.

Yesterday, as I was ministering the word on the Lord’s Day's prophesying meeting, I released my burden on prayer, the prayer that is critical for the kingdom life. As I prayed over the day before, the Lord gave me the following points, His message concerning prayer.

Set Time to Pray: First and foremost, one must set time to pray. Without time for prayer, it was even pointless to talk about prayer. Therefore, I encouraged all the saints to sanctify their times daily in a way of setting a specific time for prayer. Perhaps, five, ten, or fifteen minutes; even better is, one or two hours a day. This is the base upon which one can build his prayer life.

Learn How To Pray: Second, one must learn how to pray genuine prayers. One must strictly avoid religious prayers or babbling prayers that may not be prayer at all. For this, there is a need to learn to pra,y expressing the Father's will. But this requires knowing the Father’s will as revealed in the word and through the ministry of the word.

And in praying do not babble empty words as the Gentiles do; for they suppose that in their multiplicity of words they will be heard. (Matthew 6:7, RecVer)

The Lord Jesus Himself, as the man of prayer, is the pattern one can follow. Daniel is another pattern who prays three times a day, kneeling with his window open towards Jerusalem. This indicates that Daniel knew the word of God and the will of God and prays accordingly. So, we must learn from the patterns set in the Holy Scriptures; know the will of God and pray the will of God.

Now when Daniel came to know that the writing had been signed, he went to his house (in his upper room he had windows open toward Jerusalem) and three times daily he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave thanks before his God, because he had always done so previously. (Daniel 6:10, RecVer)

As one prays, genuine prayer will usher the praying one into the presence of God and will pray towards God’s interest as Daniel does; towards Christ as the good land typified by the holy land, the church as the kingdom of God typified by the holy city, and the church as the house of God typified by the holy temple. So, whatever or whoever one prays for, it must all be directed towards Christ and the church as God’s house and God's kingdom.

Result of Prayer: Genuine prayers will always result in being filled with the all-inclusive riches of Christ, typified by the loaves, fish, and egg; the riches of the land, water, and air. These riches are in the Holy Spirit that supplies the praying one richly and fills him to the extent that there will be no room for Satan, demons, evil spirits, and darkness but be filled with life and light to supply and enlighten others.

But what father among you whose son shall ask for a fish will instead of a fish hand him a snake? Or if he shall also ask for an egg will hand him a scorpion? If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father who is from heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! (Luke 11:11-13, RecVer)

In this way of genuine prayer, God will have a way to fulfill His will on the earth, establish His kingdom on the earth as He taught us to pray. 

You then pray in this way: Our Father who is in the heavens, Your name be sanctified; Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth. (Matthew 6:9-10, RecVer)

Lord, grace us to set time to pray every day. Lord, teach us to pray Your prayer every day. Amen.

God of Small Thing

Fifteen years ago, we purchased a car as an answer to our prayers for our family's need for transportation. In fact, when our second child was born, we realised the need for a car, as we used to use only two-wheelers. The Lord, then, provided the money to buy a new car, though I initially intended for an old one due to a shortage in budget. However, the Lord knew our need better than we knew ourselves. He just provided the money to buy a brand new car! Even then, I contemplated buying a cheaper one, but my wife was wise enough to suggest a better one for the long run. And true she was indeed, the car became very useful for the past fifteen years, the same age as our son. 

Today, our car has expired according to the government's vehicle rule. So, we had to scrap it and book a new one. Therefore, as a family, we took our family photos with the car and bid her goodbye. And then, I did my last drive to submit it to a car dealer and planned for a new one, a much bigger car and a better one too, as the Lord has faithfully provided for a new car. And finally, posted in our family group, the photos we took of our old car, with a caption:

Today, our car turned 15 and had to be scrapped according to the law of the land. 

Faithful indeed, all her life long...

Yes, faithful indeed she was, all her life long.

This is a testimony of trusting in the Lord, the Lord’s provision of our needs, and the Lord’s faithful supply. Of course, this is just a small material matter, but it was through such a small thing that God became subjective and real. He indeed is also the God of small things.

Fellowships in Goa

The visit to Goa this time was very unique. Though it was for the ministry literature distribution, it was also truly for the shepherding of the saints. Some saints were in need of fellowship and shepherding as they had been through difficult situations, mostly in their family lives, and some in their marriage lives. Though we had no intention for this kind of shepherding fellowship, the Lord arranged the situation in such a way that we spent every night visiting a family with special fellowship according to their needs.

In the first two nights and the last night of the distribution week, we fellowshipped with two families on the need to enjoy the Lord daily through prayer and the word for the Lord’s strong testimony and intensified move in the local church. I also shared my testimony of how the Lord led me in many practical aspects of my life and service. I believe the saints were supplied through the fellowship as they responded to the fellowship in a very positive way. One key point was, we also prayed together strongly for His move in Goa.

On the third night, we met a brother and his family who had lost his wife a few years ago. As there was a situation in the church involving this brother which was made known to me, I fellowshipped with his family on oneness and the prerequisite to maintain the oneness in the church using Ephesians 4:1-3 and the need to exercise our spirit to come to the Lord in prayer and in the word, and also to be in the fellowship of the saints as practical as possible. The family, especially his son, received the fellowship very well. I believe the Lord will fully restore this brother's soul and recover his full function for His testimony.

On the fourth night, the Lord led us to another couple whom I had met some fifteen years ago. They used to be regular for the church meetings; however, due to distance and health reasons, they have not been meeting with the saints for some time now. Besides, they also went through a strained relationship. To them, as the Lord led, I fellowshipped in love as their brother in the Lord, the need to recover and revive their personal and corporate time with the Lord. As they are elderly saints now, I encouraged them to pick up the ministry of prayer, which is their reasonable service at their age. In that way, the Lord can preserve their usefulness in the Body. Then, we all prayed together. 

On the third and sixth nights, we had a time of fellowship with our host's family. This brother used to serve full-time, and now,  in a way of taking up a job, he and his wife still serve. To me, it was a period of going through a long-dark tunnel to learn to live by faith. As I fellowshiped with the couple, I encouraged them to take care of their daily enjoyment of the Lord personally in prayer and in the word, and also as husband and wife. Though they shared about the difficulties they have been passing through, I encouraged them to reckon it as a "life training" the Lord graced them as a preparation for their future service and usefulness to the Lord and His Body. Of course, I also testified of how the Lord trained my wife and me in many practical aspects of our married life; living by faith, trusting in Him for all practical matters, especially the divine love, oneness, and fellowship we exercised. Then, we all prayed together. 

Every night, the Lord led me to fellowship with different families according to their needs. This was one reason why the Lord led me to Goa this time. Daytime for ministry literature distribution and nighttime for family fellowships. 

May the Lord bless all the families He led me to fellowship and all the Christian leaders we met for the ministry literature introduction and distribution. 

Ministry of the Word in Goa: Loutolim, Margao, Vasco, Panaji

During the few days of the ministry distribution in Goa, as the Lord led, we met the key Christian brothers in the following localities. 

Loutolim

The Lord led us to a brother who was also pastoring a church and whose wife joined us later, along with another brother. Starting with the Holy Bible Recovery Version, I introduced the ministry literature book by book. The flow of life was so rich and sweet as I introduced the ministry books in a way of ministering the word. The Lord blessed us with His rich presence, and the brother purchased the entire set of the ministry books in Hindi and in English. He and his wife also shared their testimonies of how the Lord called them to serve in the locality they were in, yet serving the people from the North of India, mostly from a gentile background. May the Lord recover and bless His testimony in Luotolim.

Margao 

Though not planned, we were introduced to one of the key brothers in Margao. With him, we spent a good amount of time introducing the ministry books, which impressed him very much. Meanwhile, as an answer to his query on how I came into contact with the ministry, I also shared my testimony briefly. Then, with prayers, we left for the next appointment. May the word of God take deep root in many of His children in Margao.

Vasco Da Gama

The Lord in His sovereignty led us to a young Pastor to whom we introduced the ministry literature. Then, together with his senior Pastor, we had a time of fellowship while introducing the ministry books on selected titles. In this way, we had a wonderful time of brotherly fellowship. This senior brother is also the key Christian leader among the Christian groups in Vasco. May the Lord one day recover His remnants and His testimony in Vasco.

Panaji 

In this capital city, we met some Christian leaders who were available to meet for the introduction of the ministry literature. To whomsoever the Lord led us, we exercised our spirit and introduced the ministry. To us, it was the ministry seed sown into their being. Now, they have come to know more and also received the ministry books. May the Lord, in His time, bring forth the harvest of all that we have shown into the being of those we met in Panaji. 

Locality by locality, as the Lord led us, we went to visit all the key Christian leaders in their offices and homes. Whatever the Lord allowed us to do, wherever He opened the door for His move, we faithfully followed Him, step by step. Now, we leave the rest to the Lord, and we trust the Lord that in His own good time, He will raise up what He desires to raise up in Goa.

In all these, our meetings with our fellowship Christian brethren were in the principle of following the living star. One contact after another, though not knowing anything beforehand, we enjoyed the flow of life in all the fellowships through the ministry books introduction. 

Goa for Christ and for the church!