Jehovah is My Shepherd!

PSALMS 23
1 Jehovah is my Shepherd; I will lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside waters of rest.
3 He restores my soul; He guides me on the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.
4 Even though I walk Through the valley of the shadow of death, I do not fear evil, For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, They comfort me.
5 You spread a table before me In the presence of my adversaries; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me All the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of Jehovah For the length of my days.

Pray-reading this whole Psalms was a very wondering experience of the Lord's shepherding in five stages. Besides, the experiential shepherding in real life, the enjoyment of the word on shepherding by the Lord's word was amazing as we prayed over the word and digested as our spiritual food. 

Later, as we pursued the life-study on Psalms, the revelation and understanding of the Lord's word was even more nourishing. Praise the Lord for the minster of the word who opened up the word of God, especially to me!

This psalm also tells us that Christ's shepherding of us is in five stages. The first stage is of the pastures and the waters of rest (v. 2). Pasture and waters are for our nourishment, including cherishing and enjoyment. The second stage is the stage of the paths of righteousness (v. 3). The paths of righteousness indicate our walk. After we enjoy Christ, are filled up with Christ, and are nourished by Christ, we walk on the paths of righteousness. The third stage is the valley of the shadow of death (v. 4). The valley, the shadow, and death are not pleasant. Christ's shepherding leads us through the valley of the shadow of death. The fourth stage is the battlefield (v. 5), where we are fighting against the adversaries. At the battlefield a table, a feast, is spread for us. Finally, the last stage is to dwell in the house of God all the days of our life (v. 6). Life-study of Psalms, Message 11 

The very speaking of the Lord in the word and in the life-study message was so rich and subjectively, to the extend that I experienced and enjoyed it right away. On the one hand I was shepherded; it became a "fresh bread" to me, and on the other hand, I shared with a couple of believers, and became their "fresh bread" too.  

When two sisters came for fellowship, we dwelt on these words and enjoyed the Lord together in His speaking. Again, a brother called me and my shepherding to him was on the same fresh bread I have been enjoying. And most significantly, the Lord burdened me to share the same enjoyment of the Lord's shepherding to a sister who went through a very very tough time in her life, and even tempted by the enemy to the extent of becoming bitter to certain ones. The negative feeling affected so much that she dwindled in her spiritual enjoyment and almost cut herself off from the fellowship of the Body. But the timely shepherding of the Lord, even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, is strong and victorious enough to lead us through to the joy and enjoyment of Christ as grace and life supply. Such was the effectiveness of the Lord's shepherding. 

The timing and experiences were all sovereignly arranged by the Lord and it just happened last week. The issue of the shepherding was, the brother and sisters in fellowship were recovered to a proper and normal enjoyment of Christ personally and corporately in the church-life; for they started coming again for the Lord's table meeting and opened their homes for fellowship, prayer and shepherding.

Along with the Psalms 23, I, with the saints, also enjoyed the corresponding hymns together with the saints.  Hymn 1170 (https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/1170)

1	The Lord is my Shepherd forever,   He maketh me down to lie, He leads me beside the still waters   O how He does satisfy!
	Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days, all the days of my life; Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days, all the days of my life. And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever, And I shall feast at the table spread for me; Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days, all the days of my life.
2	My Shepherd Himself is my pasture,   My Shepherd, the waters of rest; I eat of His riches in spirit,   I drink, and O how I am blest!
3	My Shepherd my soul is restoring,   My will, and emotion, and mind; And though through the valley I’m walking,   O what a Companion I find!
4	A table prepared by my Shepherd   I feast on and Satan destroy; My head is anointed with oil,   My cup runneth over with joy!
5	And now in His house I am dwelling   Enjoying the goodness of God; My pleasure is far beyond telling,   My pleasure is Jesus my Lord!

Kiss the Son

Kiss the Son

Lest He be angry and you perish from the way; For His anger may suddenly be kindled.Blessed are all those who take refuge in Him. Psa. 2:12

The Holy Bible, Recovery Version footnote

Kiss the Son: Kiss  S.S. 1:2;  8:1;  cf. 1 Sam. 10:1;  1 Kings 19:18

To take refuge in the Son is to believe into the Son, Christ (John 3:16, 36), taking Him as our refuge, protection, and hiding place. To kiss the Son is to love the Son and thereby to enjoy Him (John 14:21, 23). To believe in the Lord is to receive Him (John 1:12); to love the Lord is to enjoy the Lord whom we have received. These are the two requirements for us to participate in the Lord.

Let us be those who "kiss the Son(Jesus Christ)" by loving Him.

Lord Jesus, I love You!

This is in response to the message in WhatsApp about the Paris Attack at a concert singing "Kiss the Devil". My innate response in reading that message was "Kiss the Son," and posted the above message to that extent. Fellow brothers and sisters responded by declaring, "'Lord Jesus I love You!" If the "dead" kissed the devil, we, the saints of God, who are living must kiss the Son, in oneness with the Lord Jesus, who is on a spiritual battle with the devil. Our sincere participation in this spiritual warfare is by simple loving the Lord Jesus, by "kissing the Son."

The devil may have so much influence among ungodly generation today and even gains worship from fallen mankind, still there are the remnants of the Lord Jesus Christ who renders genuine worship to Whom worship is due, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The devil may gain lovers to the extend of popularising it via his rock bands, still the Lord has His redeemed people who loves Him and would serve Him at all cost, counting all as lost, even dung, because they love Him.

We love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19); we serve God because we love Him (2 Cor. 5:14). It is the greatest honor to love Him and the greatest privilege to serve Him.

Matthew 26:7-8

A woman came to Him, having an alabaster flask of ointment of great value, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at table. But when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, Why this ¹waste?

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8¹ The disciples considered Mary's love offering to the Lord a waste. Throughout the past twenty centuries thousands of precious lives, heart treasures, high positions, and golden futures have been "wasted" upon the Lord Jesus. To those who love Him in such a way He is altogether lovely and worthy of their offering. What they have poured upon Him is not a waste but a fragrant testimony of His sweetness. 

Paris, a city of love, must know what true love is. May this city be a city of God's love flowing among her citizens teeming with love, not merely in a romantic sense devoid of God's love, but genuinely loving God, who is Love. This must indeed be a city of love where "lovers kisses the Son" by loving the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paris, a city of God's love; kiss the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ! 
Seigneur Jésus Je t'aime!    
Lord Jesus, I love You!

Paris Concert Crowd Was Singing ‘Kiss The Devil’ The Moment Terror Attacks Beganby Geoffrey Grider(Source: http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/paris-concert-crowd-was-singing-kiss-the-devil-the-moment-terror-attacks-began/)

Mere moments away from slaughter, Paris fans at Eagles Of Death Metal concert sang song glorifying the Devil"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" 1 Peter 5:8 (KJV)With their hands raised high in the air, Paris fans at the Eagles Of Death Metal concert made the Satanic "devil horns" salute without seemingly a care in the world. Amazingly, the song that was playing the moment the shooting started was called 'Kiss The Devil', and here are some of the lyrics from that tune:"Kiss The Devil" - by Eagles Of Death MetalWho'll love the Devil?Who'll song his song?Who will love the Devil and his song?I'll love the DevilI'll sing his songI will love the Devil and his songWho'll love the Devil?Who'll kiss his tongue?Who will kiss the Devil on his tongue?I'll love the DevilI'll kiss his tongueI will kiss the Devil on his tongue

As the French death metal fans were singing along with those lyrics, offering their love to Satan, the Devil responded as the Devil always does. With death and destruction. Now, you go ahead and spin that any way you like, any way that makes you feel comfortable. But as a Bible believer, I know exactly what happened Friday night at 9:40PM GMT in Paris, France. People asked for a manifestation of the Satan, and guess what? They got one.

It is safe to say that there were just about no Christians at the concert that night, that the vast majority of those people were lost, unsaved people. I wonder how many of them were offered the life-saving gospel of Jesus Christ and turned their nose up at it? Probably more than a few of them. We see it all the time as we street preach in St. Augustine. To most lost people, the Devil is a joke and Hell will be a beer and sex infused party. Nothing could be further from the truth.

"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;" Hebrews 2:14 (KJV)

As those people bled and died on the dance floor of the Death Metal concert, they went from singing about the Devil to meeting the Devil face to face. Hell is no joke, it is absolutely not a party, and you do not have to end up there. Click here to read all about a place called Hell that you can avoid by trusting in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Friday night they "kissed the Devil", and the Devil kissed them right back. Don't let it happen to you."And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Acts 16:30.31 (KJV)

Worship and Serve God

Matt. 4:9 - And he said to Him,  All these will I give You if You will fall down and worship me.Matt. 4:10 - Then Jesus said to him, Go away,  Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve".

This morning a sister messaged for a shoring on worship and serving God based on Deuteronomy 12:29-31. In consideration and prayer over this matter of worship, I was led to respond. The Lord's word is rich and enjoyable.

Lord, grace me to serve You and worship You. 

Worship and Serve God

Worshiping God and serving God are two sides of the same coin. In worship, we serve, and in service, we worship. To worship God is to serve God. Without serving God we cannot render real worship to God.

The heathens, unbelievers, have their ways of worshiping "gods". Even today, in ignorance, many believers try to "worship" God in the heathen way. Satan subtly tries his best to infiltrate into the believers' worship of God by any entertaining or amusing, if not fleshy or freshly, ways. And alas, many have been ensnared and are deluded to reckon as worship but when in reality is worshiping something else, veiling Christ, the real object of worship.

And in such, a service ensued, which is someone or something other than Christ; an unconscious adherence to what has been worshiped.

What God had warned our forefathers of the old has now become a reality in today's Christendom.Therefore, we must not worship the Lord our God in their way.

Reality Check 

A genuine worship:

• Is in the spirit. John 4:24
• Offers Christ to God for God's  enjoyment and satisfaction typified by the burnt offering. Exo. 20:24
• Offers Christ to God for our enjoyment and satisfaction mutually with God typified by the peace offering. Exo. 20:24
• Exalts Christ and Christ alone, no other name, person, matter or thing.
• Through the altar, the cross, and by sacrifice, Christ. Exo. 20:24a. Meaning, we are redeemed, dealt with and are experiencing and enjoying Christ for God's purpose.
• Is beholding God and feasting on Christ, eating and drinking Him in the word and in spirit. Exo. 24:11, John 4: 10, 14, 23, 24.
• Invites God's blessings. Exo. 20: 24d
• Is in the Body of Christ, the church, corporately. Heb. 2:12
• Is our Christian life of living Christ. Phil. 1:21
• Is our church life, feasting on Christ typified in Exo. 23:14-16 according to God ordained way to fulfill His divine and eternal economy. Lev. 23:34; Deut. 16:13-15, Rev. 21:2-3.

Babes and Sucklings

Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings / You have established strength / Because of Your adversaries, / To stop the enemy and the avenger. Psalms 8:2  

Babes and sucklings are the simple and pure ones. They are not the weaker ones as in the physical sense of infants. Though weak in themselves but trusting in the Lord; their strength is their weakness in themselves, but strong in the Lord. They have no confidence in themselves but have full confidence in the Lord. They seem ignorant and foolish to the world but their wisdom is the Lord's. Such are the babes and sucklings that impressed me.

As I was studying on babes and sucklings, the Lord renewed my understanding of the word of who the babes and sucklings really are. 

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

Notes from the Recovery Version reads, "To be poor in spirit is not only to be humble but also to be emptied in our spirit, in the depth of our being, not holding on to the old things of the old dispensation but unloaded to receive the new things, the things of the kingdom of the heavens". 

To me, babes and suckling are such ones who are humble, emptied in spirit always longing for the Lord's feeding and filling. Not presumptuous nor preoccupied, but seeking, loving and longing for the Lord. Not even counting what have already been gained, but looking forward to the things before. And ever pursuing the Lord even until the end.

Out of such babes and sucklings' mouths, the Lord established strength. True indeed today, in my little experiences of life, I can testify to the same. And the Lord will stop enemy and the avenger through such babe and sucklings!

What a prophesy! What wisdom!

My sincere fellowship to certain brothers who seems to know many divine things, at least in doctrine, is to be humble, simple and pure and come to the Lord, especially to the word, to eat and drink the Lord. Not to question and debate on the word with fellow believers, but to receive life supply from the word. For the Bible is the Book of Life. We must come to the Bible as babes and sucklings.

My heart's yearning is the same as well; to be simple and pure as babe and suckling to receive life supply, yes, even more life supply, from the word of God. Even to this extent, I have fellowshipped with some Christian "leaders and pastors" the importance of being poor in spirit, pure in heart and be as babes and sucklings, always eating and drinking the Lord, learning and loving the Lord, and growing to maturity unto His full stature. 

Lord, make me Your babe and suckling.   

Ministry of the Word

A fellowship from a member of the Body a week ago was indeed impregnated with the word of God as he fellowshipped to us, brothers in NCR, concerning the urgent need to be impregnated with the word of God. 

For his words are: Rule upon rule, rule upon rule; Line upon line, line upon line; Here a little, there a little. Isaiah 28:10 

Day by day, we need to come to the word to receive fresh message from God, digest them, live them out, experience them and minister as a fresh message to others, saints, seekers and sinners. Without the word we cannot be a messenger, for a messenger minsters the word. 

The Lord is faithful to us, and minsters to us the timely word. Besides, He grants us the necessary experiences of life by the Spirit through the word. This, He does in course of time as "rule upon rule, rule upon rule".  Even as the experiences deepens, the Lord dispenses Himself into us, working Himself into us, growing from withing our being and gradually forms "line upon line, line upon line". Ultimately what He does will produce a message to be readable to others and becomes the ministry of the word.

In fact, this experience is subjectively John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only Begotten from the Father), full of grace and reality". The word of God is dispensed and impregnated into us, taking the form of a "flesh", in the sense of constitution, and dwelling in us as the fulfillment of Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God".  

By this way, we, the ones impregnated with the word of God "rule upon rule and line upon line" becomes the "word becoming flesh and tabernacling among men" are the messengers of God (Rev 2:1) filled with messages from God to the churches. This function and service of ministering the word is the ministry of the word.

Praise the Lord for the ministry of the word through  a brother who is a minister of the word. 

Lord, make me such a minister as well.

The Lord's Promise

Light dispels darkness,Life overcomes death,Love covers all things.

1 Corinthians 13:77 It ^1acovers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

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7¹ The same Greek word as for bear in 9:12 (see note there). This word means not only (1) to contain, to hold (as a vessel ), and (2) to cover (as a roof ) others' mistakes, but also (3) to shelter and protect by covering (as a roof ).

These are the tag lines that burdened me to fellowship with fellow Christians who accuses and opposes us, not knowing who we are and what we are doing.

As I prepared myself to venture on a journey of fellowship, the Lord's speaking and promises to me were from the book of Jeremiah 1:

5c: I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

7 c,d: For everywhere I send you, you shall go; / And everything I command you, you shall speak.

8: Do not be afraid of their faces, / For I am with you to deliver you, declares Jehovah.

9: Then Jehovah stretched out His hand and touched my mouth; and Jehovah said to me, Now I have put My words in your mouth.

10: See, I have appointed you this day / Over the nations and over the kingdoms / To pluck up and to break down, / To destroy and to tear down, /To build up and to plant.

18: And I am now making you today into a fortified city and into an iron pillar and into bronze walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land. 

The Lord has particular words of promise for everyone according to the need of the hour. I just took the Lord at His word. I was so strengthened in my spirit and the presence of the Lord was richly felt in every meeting with different kind of people at different cities. In fact, in principle, all the words quoted above were fulfilled. Amazing! The Lord's promises are so true and so experiencable.

As the fellowship went on with different people, the light of the Lord shone to dispel misconceptions and misunderstandings. After every fellowship was our brotherly love renewed and strengthened.

In all the fellowship too I looked to the Lord for His life supply, for only in the dispensing of the divine life, death will be swallowed up and overcomed. It is death doing the round among un-exercised spirit of the believers that spread rumors and criticisms. When in fellowship in life, all things were made clear, as death was defeated by life.

Finally, love, a brotherly love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us; with this same divine love, we fellowshipped, not in a way of debating on right or wrong but by love, forgiving any offense, and covering one another, all the works of the enemy were simply subdued.

In life, by life, with love, strengthened by the Lord's word of promise, the journey of brotherly fellowship was very enjoyable and fruitful. And as the Lord leads, I look forward to visit many more fellow Christians for brotherly fellowship.

The promises of the Lord is timely and the Lord has stored up such promises for each one. May we look to the Lord for many more promises.

Lord, 

"Your word is a lamp to my feet 

And a light to my path." 

          Psalms 119:105  

Blending

Blending is not a common word nor a reality among many Christians today. Even to me, though its meaning and significance I know objectively, I have never really experienced and enjoyed it as richly as I did in the recent training held at Lonavla, Maharastra. There, the Lord's presence was richly felt. I believe it is an answer to the prayer of the Body for this particular training.

Everyday and night during the training, I received a rich spiritual supply through the Lord's speaking through the brothers who ministered the word, and during every break time or meal time, through the fellowship with the saints; there all were so rich. My spirit was all the while bubbling with joy when in fellowship; I received life supply from every member I fellowshipped with, whatever the topic of fellowship was. It was all under the Spirit's move. This is not only my experience, but a brother's too, as he told me the same thing about his experience, and they matched mine. He even added that he would never miss such a gathering together at any cost.  And other brothers too were very joyful, echoing the same note. It was not just a mere meeting or training per se, but a time of blending in the spirit for the Body. Praise the Lord for the blending in the Body!

Now, my understanding about blending has been enriched, and my appreciation and longing for more blending to come is sweeter. What a grace that the Lord has ordained such blending time; to be blended and builded up in the Body of Christ.

The ministry of the word, the divine life supply, the  coordination in practical things, the living together, the brotherly adjustment in fellowship, the breaking of the cross of all thing not of Christ and not Christ, and the building up of one another in love are all part of the blending. What a blessing to experience such a blending life! 

Praise the Lord for His work of blending His Body together! 

1 Corinthians 12:2424 But our comely members have no need. But God has ¹blended the body together, giving more abundant honor to the member that lacked,

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24¹ Implying to be mutually adjusted. God has blended all the different members of Christ together into one Body. For this we need much transformation (Rom. 12:2); that is, we need to be transformed from the natural life to the spiritual by the same Spirit for the practical Body life.