Ministry of the Word

The ministering of the word, especially all the riches of the Lord's recovery is for all the children of God. I am so blessed to be graced to partake of the ministry of the age. Not a boast but a fact, I am eating the grain that I am treading in my official service in the literature service. Besides, as I study the Bible, Recovery Version, with the notes and the Life-study of the Bible regularly, now and then, the Lord would burden me to minister my enjoyment of the ministry of the word with the saints and fellows believers. Often I would mail them or text them using all the latest technology. 

I was filled with the Lord's presence as I enjoyed the ministry of the word, and share with fellow believers. I feel this is a good way to be in fellowship with many other believers. The words speaks by itself, especially when the sender really enjoys it first. Whenever I post my fresh enjoyment of the word, not any randomly or considerately picked ministry portion, immediately I sense the Lord's speaking to all those who read the post too. This way of ministering is very enjoyable and effective and a good way for the propagation of the truth. Perhaps, this is how I should function more. Only the word can sanctify and reconstitute the children of God.

Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. John 17:17

Two recent posts I did were very well received:

God's Presence:The secret of Israel’s defeat at Ai was that they had lost God’s presence and were no longer one with God. After this defeat Joshua learned the lesson of staying with the Lord before the Ark (v. 6a). Eventually, the Lord came in to speak to him and to tell him what to do (vv. 10-15). The spiritual lesson to be learned from this account is that we, the people of God, should always be one with our God, who is not only among us but also in us, making us men with God—God-men. As God-men, we should practice being one with the Lord, walking with Him, living with Him, and having our entire being with Him (Rom. 8:4; 2 Cor. 2:10; Gal. 5:16, 25). This is the way to walk as a Christian, to fight as a child of God, and to build up the Body of Christ. If we have the Lord’s presence, we have wisdom, insight, foresight, and the inner knowledge concerning things. The Lord’s presence is everything to us. Joshua 7:4 Footnote 1, Recovery Version

        Christian: http://online.recoveryversion.org/FootNotes.asp?FNtsID=7899

         1 Peter 4:16But if as a ^1aChristian, let him not be ^bashamed, but let him ^2cglorify God in this name.

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16¹ Gk. Christianos, a word formed from Latin. The ending ianos, denoting an adherent of someone, was applied to slaves belonging to the great families in the Roman Empire. One who worshipped the emperor, the Caesar, or Kaisar, was called Kaisarianos, which meansan adherent of Kaisar, a person who belongs to Kaisar. When people believed in Christ and became His followers, some in the Empire came to consider Christ a rival of their Kaisar. Then, at Antioch (Acts 11:26) they began to call the followers of Christ Christianoi (Christians), adherents of Christ, as a nickname, a term of reproach. Hence, this verse says, "As a Christian, let him not be ashamed"; that is, if any believer suffers at the hands of the persecutors who contemptuously call him a Christian, he should not feel ashamed but should glorify God in this name.

Today the term Christian should bear a positive meaning, that is, a man of Christ, one who is one with Christ, not only belonging to Him but also having His life and nature in an organic union with Him, and who is living by Him, even living Him, in his daily life. If we suffer for being such a person, we should not feel ashamed but should be bold to magnify Christ in our confession by our holy and excellent manner of life to glorify (express) God in this name.

Genuine Burden : Crowd of Cares

Apart from the things which have not been mentioned, there is this: the crowd of cares pressing upon me daily, the anxious concern for all the churches. 2 Corinthians 11:28 

Prayer and Fellowship, Blending and Building

Two years have elapsed since the first time we meet and fellowshiped with the saints in Shillong. Since then, occasional visit and frequent fellowship followed suit. Yet all this while, the Lord has been working on the saints, especially among all the leading brothers.

Personally, I was so burdened by the Lord to be in fellowship with one of the brothers; not my choice, but the Lord's implantation of His burden into me. Often, I would pray and intercede for the full recovery of the saints and the church into the sweet and one fellowship of the Body of Christ. At times, the situations was encouraging, and yet other times, I was driven to intercede before the Lord with much desperateness. Sometimes hope and other times dismay. These experiences were also blogged in Crowd of Cares, twice in 2013 :

http://palmeichung.blogspot.in/2013/10/crowd-of-cares.html

http://palmeichung.blogspot.in/2013/07/crowd-of-cares.html

This year 2015, I began to pray with the brother again with much burden and fellowshipped few important things now and then. I was so burdened to invite them for the National Blending Conference in Delhi, but however, it did not work out. I just left the matter to the Lord; for only the Lord is the Lord of the recovery. Only He can recover His own to Himself and His Body. In fact, my burden was to bring the brothers from Shillong into the fellowship of the Body, especially with the brothers who serve in the work in India. To this extent I have written a special mail of fellowship, but still, it just did not work out. Thank the Lord for such an experience. That was a real lesson on shepherding.

But one morning when I was down on my bed with body weakness I received a surprise call from the brother that he would like to attend a training in Aizawl. This call rejuvenated my spirit; literally I was up on my knees, and we prayed together over the phone for the recovery of the fellowship of the oneness and reality of the Body of Christ. That was the beginning of a recovery into the fellowship of the Body. Immediately I fellowshipped with the brothers there and the brother who were visiting, for more fellowship.

Few days later, I received another surprise and impromptu visit call from the brother that he would be visiting us.  Inwardly, I was concerned as I would not be able to meet the need of hospitality due. As this is our family's weak area with three kids. But I left the matter to the Lord.

Praise the Lord we had a wonderful time of blending. All the while they were with us here the Lord also blessed the church in Gurgaon very much. All the meetings were full of spirit. Some fellowship on this visit were:

Morning Revival : He experienced and enjoyed the corporate morning revival with us and was so impressed by the practice of being revived in the morning and also a solid spiritual food for growth, nourishment and enjoyment of the word. He felt so convinced by the Lord that all the saints in the church in Shillong and all over Meghalaya, for those who can manage English, to enter into the HWMR starting from the current one, Exodus Vol. 1.

He ordered 100 copies each. However, due to the shortage of print, as we have not included the churches in Meghalaya yet, we could offer only 45 copies this time. From the coming issues, 100 more copies will be added in the English print.

  

Group Meeting : He also attend one of the group meetings in the church in Gurgaon where everything was done in mutuality with the exercise of the spirit; in reading the Bible, pray-reading verses, studying the footnotes, sharing, testifying and prophesying, he was so much impressed.  He longs to have this kind of group meeting there too.

Prayer Meeting : He and his wife also attended the prayer meeting of the church in Gurgaon and was so touched by the way the prayer burdens were released. Each saints releasing the burden with a strong spirit in few sentences without any gap but following the flow of the Holy Spirit. He and his wife commented that that was the first time in their Christian life they ever experienced such a prayer meeting with such a strong spirit. They expressed their desire that the prayer meeting in their locality can also be such.

Translation : Officially we have briefed him about the literature service and the principles of translation. He is so burdened to start the Khasi translation right away. A room in his house would be used for literature office, and two sisters (who are also his daughters) will be serving on a regular basis with two more sisters, part time, and a brother with him will be starting on Tracts, Rhema Books and so on. Similarly, for the distribution, he will fellowship with some saints to spread the ministry books.

Trainings : He also visited the Training Center and we briefed him about the various kind of training. He will fellowship with the saints and consider to start sending saints for the full time (qualified ones) and some for part-time. 

Ministry Books : He has purchased 14 Kgs of Print on Demand books for his pursuing and also for the saints in Shillong. Among this, he will enter into 96 lessons  and share with the saints, and also got Hymnals and Hymns CDs for them to listen and be familiar with the tune. He also felt the need to start using the hymns of the Lord's recovery in their meeting.

Since May 2013 when we first met with the saints in Shillong, the faithful Lord has been working on them and the prayers of the Body have been answered one by one. Many things have changed for the better. Though we never touch anything outward, but ministered life with the ministry of the word whenever we visited, the Lord's shining transformed even many outward matters. Outward matters like, chair arrangement, offering collection, prophesying and recently regular and weekly Lord's Table meetings were all recovered.

To this I can only say, "Praise the Lord!" The Lord knows best, and His timing and ways are perfect. We only need to wait upon Him in prayer and uphold the burden the Lord has imparted, faithfully.

Lord, be my faithfulness in bearing the burden You have blessed me with. Any genuine burden from the Lord will be fulfilled in the Lord's perfect time.

DLF

Divine Life Flowing....

Tonight as we fasted and prayed for the Lord's move in Gurgaon, especially for the community the Lord has blessed us with, DLF-1, we enjoyed the flow of the divine life so much. As we sang and pray-read and prayed, the Lord filled us inwardly and gave us a clear sky.

Isaiah 44:3For I will pour water upon the thirsty land, And streams upon the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit upon your seed, And My blessing upon your offspring. 

The city of Gurgaon is a very thirsty land; many crowd flogged into this city for jobs, yet the city is dry spiritually. Everywhere you sense the spiritual thirst and drought.  But the promise of the Lord is, "He will pour water!" Not just pour but there will be streams springing forth with living water upon this dry ground. Besides, He will pour out His Spirit and His blessing upon this city!

As we pray-read and prayed, the Lord gave us a clear sky about this area. He will flow Himself out as the divine life. Then, it became very clear to us the promise of the Lord for DLF. It is the "Divine Life Flowing...!" By the divine life flowing, every family will receive the Lord's blessing; and no force on earth can stop nor hinder the Lord's divine life flowing.

This divine(D) life(L) flowing(F) will quench and swallow up all the deadness(D), lukewarmness(L) and failures(F) choking the testimony of the Lord in Gurgaon for so long. This is the promise of the Lord! When He promises His Spirit and His blessing it will water this thirsty land and stream will be upon this dry ground. Hallelujah!   

Even as we continued to enjoy the Lord's flowing and filling we became very clear what the Lord wants to gain in DLF, to gain twenty five(25) families for His strong and shining testimony as the church in Gurgaon. Now our goal for the propagation in this city this year is very clear. Praise the Lord!

We were reminded time and again; we are not doing any outward work, but enjoying the divine life flowing into us that the same divine life my flow out through us by the preaching of the gospel. By the time we finish our "fasting prayer" we felt we were all "feasting on the Lord". In fact, there was no felling of fasting at all, it was all feasting on the Lord!

All these are bringing in the Lord's shower of blessings (Hymn 260) and with joy we will draw water or of the well of salvation (Hymn 1340)! These are the very hymns we enjoyed as well!

Not by Might, But by My Spirit

This is the word of Jehovah to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says Jehovah of hosts. Zechariah 4:6

These days the gospel preaching in Gurgaon has been a real battle we are fighting in the Lord. The local people are very precious in the eyes of the Lord. With all their wealth, positions and possessions, they are like the Anakim, "nations greater and mightier than you, cities that are big and fortified up to heaven and a people great and tall". But we do not lose heart. For the Lord has defeated His enemy at the cross of Calvary. We are just proclaiming the accomplished fact of the Lord.

There has been quite a struggle inwardly and outwardly here in this city as far as the preaching of the gospel is concerned. There is a cloud of thick spiritual darkness covering this city. No matter, what one has attempted spiritually in this city, the land is just barren and dry. Only the Lord can water and turn this dry land into pasture beside stream of living water. 

Even in my own personal spiritual experience, I sensed such a strong spiritual resistance in this city. In terms of time spent on prayers, it is almost daily praying for this city for the past decade. Yet so far not a fruitful result. But I am not discouraged nor will I ever give up. In fact, I have told the Lord again and again, that I am willing to die in this land for His testimony. Only the mercy of the Lord can grant me this. Gurgaon for Jesus! This city should have the strongest testimony of the Lord as a pattern to many other localities. As much as the city is fast developing, the spiritual development should even be much faster. 

I know in His time the Lord will answer all the prayers offered to Him. And I feel that the time is coming.... All the baptisms, all the home meetings, and group meeting hardly survives long here. This experience of "bareness and defeat" will no longer be so... For the Lord is moving behind all the scenes. His Spirit is carrying out His divine works. Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says Jehovah of hosts. Zechariah 4:6

And the time has come. 

Lord, bless the people of Gurgaon with Yourself and the divine, heavenly and spiritual blessing!

Propagation in Gurgaon

Year by year, saints who are undergoing the full time training have been coming to propagate the gospel of Jesus Christ in Gurgaon. Every terms have experienced the Lord in different degrees. Some fruitful, in the sense of really gaining new ones for the Lord into the church life. Whereas, mostly is the gaining of the experiences of Christ through the preaching of the gospel. Everytime, we did set a goal but mostly in prayer and in paper. This time, we have learned to look to the Lord more for everything we plan.

When the information of propagation was fellowshipped to us, we were clueless to what goal and where we should preach the gospel. But as we came togheter for prayer and fellowship, the Lord gave us a clear cut direction.

Our goal is to spend more time with the Lord; even to the extend of formulating "rules":

1. The presence of the Lord
2. The exercise of the spirit

Instead of laboring outwardly, not that we should not, but we plan to spend more time in prayer and enjoy the presence of the Lord. The presence of the Lord is everything to us; our strength, our wisdom, our insight, our foresight, our way and our goal. And thereby exercise our spirit, to live and walk in the spirit, exercising to live in one spirit with the Lord. Everything we do in the spirit is OK. These are our "two commandments".

Our theme hymn is 643, "Take time to behold Him".  

1	Take time to behold Him,   Speak oft with Thy Lord, Abide in Him always,   And feed on His Word. Wait thou in His presence,   Submissive and meek, Forgetting in nothing   His blessing to seek.
2	Take time to behold Him,   The world rushes on; Spend much time in secret   With Jesus alone. By looking to Jesus   Like Him thou shalt be; Thy friends, in thy conduct,   His likeness shall see.
3	Take time to behold Him,   Let Him be thy guide; And run not before Him   Whatever betide; In joy or in sorrow   Still follow thy Lord, And, looking to Jesus,   Still trust in His Word.
4	Take time to behold Him,   Be calm in thy soul, Each thought and each temper   Beneath His control. Thus led by His Spirit   To fountains of love, Thou then shalt be fitted   His mercy to prove.

Our theme note is Joshua 7:4 Note 1 : 

The spiritual lesson to be learned from this account is that we, the people of God, should always be one with our God, who is not only among us but also in us, making us men with with God- God-men.As God-men, we should practice being one with the Lord, walking with Him, living with Him, and having our entire being with Him (Rom. 8:4; 2 Cor. 2:10; Gal. 5:16, 25). This is the way to walk as a Christian, to fight as a child of God, and to build up the Body of Christ. If we have the Lord's presence, we have wisdom, insight, foresight, and the inner knowledge concerning things. The Lord's presence is everything to us.

Our Scripture Readings:

Deuteronomy 9:
1 Hear, O Israel! You are about to cross over the Jordan this day in order to enter in and dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, cities that are big and fortified up to heaven,
2 A people great and tall, the children of the Anakim, whom you know about and of whom you have heard it said, Who can stand before the children of Anak?
3 Know therefore today that Jehovah your God is the One crossing over before you as a consuming fire; it is He who will destroy them, and it is He who will subdue them before you, so that you may dispossess them and destroy them quickly, as Jehovah has said to you.

Deuteronomy 8:
6 Therefore keep the commandments of Jehovah your God, walking in His ways and fearing Him.
7 For Jehovah your God is bringing you to a good land, a land of water brooks, of springs and of fountains, flowing forth in valleys and in mountains;
8 A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees and pomegranates; a land of olive trees with oil and of honey;
9 A land in which you will eat bread without scarcity; you will not lack anything in it; a land whose stones are iron, and from whose mountains you can mine copper.
10 And you shall eat and be satisfied, and you shall bless Jehovah your God for the good land which He has given you. 

Whenever we come together, our hymn, our pray, our practice are all on these themes. The way to preach the gospel has now taken a new turn. A turn to the spirit for the Lord to carry out His work in us and through us.

The World

As I observed in metro city like Gurgaon, the greatest hindrance to the Lord's move is "the world". The stupefying effect of the world is so much that it even affects the saints. The same warning has been experienced time and gain as mentioned in previous blog, "Love Not the Word"- http://palmeichung.blogspot.in/2013/07/love-not-word.html

These days the speaking of the Lord is also on this line of not loving the world. Sovereignly, my readintg of the Bible and pursuing of the Life-study messages are also on the same topic, "the world". Even last night, our group meeting was on bother Watchman Nee's "Separation From the World". What a timely message for all the saints and especially myself! 

Truths that impress me a lot are:

Once we are saved, we must leave the world. The blood of Christ has bought us and we belong to Jesus; we cannot remain in the world any longer. Our salvation is an exodus from Egypt, a leaving of the world.

The leaving of the world must first transpire within our being. There must first be a deliverance in our person, in our heart and in our spirit inwardly. Otherwise, the outward separation will result only in hypocrisy without any real deliverance.

The world is anything that quenches our spiritual thirst. Anything that quenches our prayer life, our Bible reading, our love for the saints, our attending the church meetings, our fellowship with the saints, our gospel preaching, our testifying , our prophesying and anything that needs confession are the world. This definition is astounding. It was my first time to see the world in such a clarity.

The world is also what the world itself condemns, what the unbelievers will not approve of, and what even a weaker believers will stumble upon. These things could be good things, but they are the world.

The world is anything that does not conform to Christ. Even religious and spiritual things, much less, philosophical and superstitious things are also the world.  

The world is also anything that does not glorify God. Many good things may be glorified by men, but there may not be an iota of glory to God. However much appraise it may be, talked up or acclaimed news headlines as good deeds, if no glory is to God, these are the world. The more the good they are, the more subtle they become.

To be separated from the world, the real solution is in the "growth in life" by eating, drinking and breathing the Lord, day by day. As the Lord grows from within our being, by the divine life growth, we will be delivered inwardly first from the love of the world and be ultimately separated and sanctified fully from the world. 

Lord,  grant us all the grace we need, to be fully released from the bondage of the world fully, and be  sanctified and separated thoroughly.

Hospitality

Two years ago, as a young couple with kids, my wife and I, was really struggling in the matter of hospitality. Facility wise and in man power, we were not just ready to give any hospitality to any saints. Apart from this, all the other activities like gospel preaching, shepherding, group meeting and church meetings were all attended well. Often, I used to wonder when we can grow up in this matter of hospitality. One of the characteristic of a serving ones is being hospitable. In 2013 December 31st night, I even shared about the weakness in giving hospitality, and the need to improve.

In 2014 December, the Lord enlarged our capacity so much. He graced us to be able to give hospitality to our parents, both my parent and my wife's parent, each for one month. And later, Saints from Shillong came and stayed with us for few days, and occasional love feasts for different saints. Physically it was busy-schedule, but we received a lot of help and blessings in giving hospitality. The Lord has answered our prayer and enlarged our capacity in this area.

Throughout the years the Lord has been leading us and blessing us, stage by stage. Still looking to the Lord for more grace to grow in every aspect of our Christian life and the church life. Even now with three kids, we are learning not just to manage our family affair, but much more to take care of the saints, the church and the new ones, besides my official responsibilities in the literature service. All these are carried out by the Lord's grace, wisdom and blessings. 

O for more grace, to me more enlarged in our capacities and functions!