Dwelling in God

       Psalms 
        84:1   How lovely are Your tabernacles, O Jehovah of hosts!

84:2   My soul longs, indeed even faints, For the courts of Jehovah; My heart and my flesh cry out To the living God.

84:3   At Your two altars even the sparrow has found a home; And the swallow, a nest for herself, Where she may lay her young, O Jehovah of hosts, my King and my God.

84:4   Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will yet be praising You. Selah

92:13  Planted in the house of Jehovah, They will flourish in the courts of our God.

92:14  They will still bring forth fruit in old age; They will be full of sap and green;

Ecclesiastes

12:1   Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, I have no pleasure in them;

12:8   Vanity of vanity, says the Preacher; all is vanity.

At least in three meetings this month, the Lord has reminded me again and again of the significance and blessings of dwelling in the house of Jehovah. 

First time I was not much impressed about the "two altars" which are in the tabernacle. Later, as I pray-read the verses in Psalms 84:3-4 over and over again, the Lord shone on me the importance of dwelling at the two altars, in the tabernacle, which is, dwelling in the house of God. The first altar which is the Bronze Altar of Burnt Offering at the outer court, typifying Christ's complete and full judicial redemption accomplished at the cross, ushers the redeemed believers into the Golden Incense Altar at Holy Place which is spiritually in the Holy of Holies, signifying the resurrection of Christ in His interceding life from which God executes His heavenly administration. So having experienced the frist altar, one must go on to experience the second too, this not for himself for an experience sake, but for God to accomplish His eternal economy on the earth. These are the genuine experiences of dwelling in the two altars. I would pay any price for such precious experiences.

Last Friday night as I ministered on these verses in a home meeting, the Lord supplied us richly again ushering us to the experiences of the two altars, this I contrasted with the religious and ritualistic celebration of the outward forms. It was a blessing to see these matters spiritually and experience them as well.

In another meeting too, a brother pointed out the same verses for pray-reading and the issue of dwelling in the house of Jehovah. "Planted in the house of Jehovah, They will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bring forth fruit in old age; They will be full of sap and green;" Psalms 92:13-14.  

I was so encouraged to see the blessings of dwelling in God; to bring forth fruit in old age. My hair may not be grey as yet, but if the Lord gives me long life and He tarries His return, and I become physically old too one day, by ever dwelling in the house of God, I desire to bring forth much fruit-abundant and remaining fruits. Yes, even more, be full of sap and green, to supply Christ as life to others, especially to the younger generation. How I pray and hope that not only me but all the elder saints bear such a testimony. In fact, for this blessing I have been praying for my dad and mom and in-laws, and all the other older saints. 

What a testimony this would be! Even in old age, not a burdensome nor a botheration, but blessings and blossoming, bringing forth fruits and full of sap and green.

On the flip side, I was also warned of the result of not dwelling in the house of Jehovah. Ecclesiastes 12 2- 8 describes such a pathetic living, finally ending in "vanity of vanities". The very thought of this, dreaded me, yet positively encouraging me to live a life in the house of God, in the normal church-life, in the Body of Christ.

Lord, preserve me in Your tabernacle, all the days of my life. And even when I am physically old, I may be full of sap and green, and bring forth fruits in abundance. 

Jehovah's Promise

Deuteronomy 26:18 And it is Jehovah who has today declared you to be a people for His personal treasure, even as He promised you; and that you will keep all His commandments; 19  And that He will set you high above all the nations which He has made, for praise and for a name and for honor; and that you will be a holy people to Jehovah your God, as He has spoken.

Zephaniah 3:20 At that time I will bring you in, And at that time I will gather you; For I will cause you to be a name and a praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I turn again your captivity before your eyes, Says Jehovah.

It was on the 18th March 2016, when I had my personal time with the Lord in Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, while in the ministry literature journey that the Lord promised me Zephaniah 3:20. Initially I reckoned it as too much for me. But the Lord's speaking was so intense and clear that I was forced to mark the date on the side of the verse in my Bible. I simply thanked the Lord that it has been by His grace alone that I am what I am; and that I don't deserve further "name and praise" for myself. Sufficient is that the Lord's Name be glorified whether through me or any one else He pleases to choose. If I be that whom He choose, let His will alone be done. Name and praise be to Jesus alone!

Today in my Bible reading time, the Lord reconfirmed the same speaking through Deuteronomy 26:18 and 19, that I and the saints are His personal treasure, "And that He will set you high above all the nations which He has made, for praise and for a name and for honor; and that you will be a holy people to Jehovah your God, as He has spoken". This should be to the Body, as we the saints are His personal treasure, for His name and for His praise.

Whatever the Lord intent to mean by these verses, I thanked the Lord for His speaking, much more His promises. To all His words and His promises, I say amen. Many of His promises I am yet to understand, and I simple and humbly amen His promises, whatever they are meant to be, to me or to anyone else. Amen to the word of God! Praise the Lord!

Only time will tell what the Lord means by all His promises. I simple take Him at His word, and thank Him for finding me worthy to be spoken to "a saved sinner like me". Jehovah's promises in the past have been fulfilled mostly, and some being fulfilled. He does not waste words, His promises have only one echo, "amen", both in the heavens and on the earth. 

Lord, thank you for Your promises! Let Your Name be praised and glorified all over the earth. "

Our Father who is in the heavens, Your name be sanctified;" Mathew 6:9  

Expecting the Lord's Words

His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful over few things; I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your master. -Matt. 25:21,23 

These are the words of the Lord to the faithful slaves. And this will be an incentive for us who are still alive on the earth expecting the Lord's return or to meet Him. 

I have never seriously thought about the significance of these words. Often I took these words as mere parables and the Lord's appraisals for faithfulness. But the depth of it, I begin to understand of late, and its spiritual significance thereof.

Recently, brothers fellowshipped that it is my turn to attend a training in the west with two weeks of further training on proofreading work. For this, all legal formalities have to be done and I have many official schedule lining up. So I decided to complete all national formalities well before I begin my further trips. As all formalities were carried out and I need to attend an interview, and there were possibilities of objections too, I experienced a deep longing for a word that approved my application, as all will naturally do. I did give the interview and the word of approval was in indirect speech, not grammatically but logically, thereby putting me in tip toe until the confirmation on my passport. Today, as I received my passport with the approval sticker on it, the experience was quite remarkable. I use this as an example to drive home the point of the Lord's approval.

The experience above, though menial, opened my eyes to the truth of the Lord's word. Should the Lord say, "Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful over few things; I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your master." or "Evil and slothful slave or useless slave" as in vv 26, 30.

What a relief when I got my approval for such a trivial thing as compared to the Lord's reward for eternity! No comparison on the duo. 

This boils down to my Christian life on earth and touches the very core of my living and being; expecting the Lord's words of approval is the reward I can die for. With this realization, my whole Christian outlook took a paradigm shift. In all my words, deeds and even creeds, I must be in line with the Lord's word and live in His presence that I may find grace and be appraised in time. O, to hear that words from the Lord when my time on earth is done will indeed be the greatest joy, "Well done, good and faithful slave. Enter into the joy of your master". This is worth everything.

Well, this being said, I must look to the Lord for His continual grace that I am be found faithful and prudent to all that the Lord has sovereignly apportioned to me; not once nor now and then, but all the days of my sojourn on this earthly ball. And to meet the Lord on that day and hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful over a few things; I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your master". This is my earnest expectation and longing.

Lord, grace me so, to be spoken to, as such, "Well done, good and faithful slave. Enter into the joy of your master."

Principles of the Lord's Leading

In the principle of incarnation, God carries His works through man; in a sense, God needs man to co-work with Him and man needs God to co-work with him too. So God speaks and burdens man to carry out His heart's desire, but the carrying out of the work is by man. Man only has to realise and join himself to be one with God in His move, and God will grace him to accomplish the calling and the burdens. This is how God works today in the principle of incarnation.

The other side of the coin is the principle of the Body. Yes, man might have definitely received a call and a burden from the Lord, but still it is best to always fellowship with the fellow members in the Body. The Head and the Body are one, and anything genuinely from the Head will always be in oneness with the Body. This is a safety check in serving the Lord and carrying out the Lord's call and burden. For what guarantee is there that the Lord, the Head of the Body, indeed called and burdened a member of the Body without the fellows members' confirmation? Not that God's leading need confirmation, but that man has fallen and there are rooms to be misled and misinterpret spiritual matters. Therefore, the fellowship in the Body is a secure safety measure. Most assuredly, the Head will never say or do a thing without the same Body amening it. Thus, the fellowship in and with the Body in the principle of the Body is a great blessing.

Such has been my experience these days for anything I am doing. I find joy and peace in the Body's fellowship when I brought any matter the Lord has burdened me for fellowship with the Body; be it personal, official or church related matters. My "safe heaven" is in the Body. The Lord anoints the Body and in the Body is the Lord's blessing and presence.

A particular matter related to my personal life, yet official too, in the matter of qualification upgradation in my academic life has been brought into fellowship with some concerned brothers. It was by the same principle of the Body that I did so. The result of the fellowship from the brothers are, "as the Lord leads you". I honor the brothers' word, and they have replied to my fellowship again in the principle of the Body. As the Head leads, the Body follows and echoes the same burden. What a beauty! What a oneness!

It is the mercy of the Lord that I can learn and am learning this precious lesson. Even if I am 100% sure of the Head speaking to me directly, I must be graced to humble myself and fellowship with the Body. What is genuinely of the Head, the Body amens. Even if I am 100% sure, still I am just a member of the Body, much more, still in flesh and blood, I can go wrong, or perhaps, I could misunderstand or misinterpret the Lord's speaking or it could even be that the timing is not yet ripe though the burden from the Lord is clear. So, always be in fellowship with the Body for any matter. I dread those "spiritual giants" who are 100% for Christ and also 100% individualistic in the name of Christ. There is more hope for a "spiritual dwarf" who hide in the Body than self-proclaimed spiritual perfectionist. Thank God, the Lord has delivered me from that path of self. 

May He grace me further never to return to that spiritually individualistic path.

The Lord's leading is always confirmed in the fellowship of the Body. May the Lord, the Head preserve me in His Body.

Truth Matters

When rumors and lies are spreading among the believers concerning the beliefs and practices of certain Christian groups, one response is to be silent and leave the judgment to the Lord, yet another response is to not let the lies to be believed as truth and refute it as the Lord leads, with the truth, for truth matters.

The latter has been my experiences of late, as misunderstanding and misinformation based on no facts have been evilly communicated, even by so called apologetic and preachers. To such Christian leaders I do not shy away and will not, for they cannot be ignorantly harbingers of false accusations, for their sake and ours too, who are misunderstood.

The Lord has sovereignty led me to some of them, surprisingly, the main ones. In face to face fellowship, I have used the Bible to refute the false accusations and questioned them back the basis of their false accusations. Surprisingly, they had none and were mum when asked to furnish proofs. Not a vindication nor self-justification, after every face to face dialogue-fellowship, the air of misunderstanding was cleared. And they mostly confirmed our orthodoxy and ended up appreciating the truth we uphold, which is the word of God. Seldom do I debate on the truth and I am not for it as it is mostly futile, but I do refute and stand for the truth, for truth matters.

To this day, at least seven well known Christian apologetic and leaders have I fellowshipped with in India, not counting those who simple pass on hearsay as evil reporters and of no repute to any by their character. And the result, our brotherly understanding was restored and we can fellowship and visit one another or exchange mails or phone calls. I do hope and believe, such face to face fellowships were the end of their being "accusers of the brethren".

This exercises and experiences strengthens my faith in the Lord and establishes me in the word. It helps me to dive into the Word of God deeper and deeper and experience Christ richer and richer. All things indeed works together for good, even the false accusations and the refutations thereof. Thank God, the Lord has been gracing me to experience this even as He placed me in the literature service. I love it and I enjoy it. Amen to the Lord's sovereign arrangement in all things.

Truth triumphs and I uphold it, and ever will, for truth matters.

Marital Matters

Though I am no counselor to any, and neither do I consider myself qualified to fellowship on marital matters, because of the urgent need, the Lord graces me to do so and I am learning from it myself. 

A brother has time and again brought up the matter, mostly in desperation. Such was the opportunity for me to learn from one another. I myself have still many more lessons to learn, and am looking to the Lord for all of it. In fellowship with my brother I myself too learn in the process.

The key, to my understanding, for a blessed marriage life is, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He must be the center and circumference of all marital affairs. Apart from Him, marriage is an empty shell which none can fully and truly satisfy. Christ must be the love that romances the couple, Christ must be the life that enlivens the couple, Christ must be the Shepherd that cherishes in humanity and nourishes in divinity, and the enjoying, experiencing and gaining of Christ must be the goal of the marriage life, and thereby becoming the testimony of Jesus as a God-man family life for the church life, and for the building up of the Body of Christ. Christian marriage should really be a picture and foretaste of Christ and the church.

Within these are all the spiritual and physical aspects in marital matters; mutual love, care, trust and oneness in Christ in every matter sweetens and tightens the marital cord of love. I do believe in prayer and the Lord's blessing so much, and practices my regular prayer with my wife, with my children and also with all who lives with me, as a household. And I also practice to be one spirit and also in one soul, in every matter big or small, with my better-half. I am just half, 50%, and need my wife as my help-meet, another half, 50%, to make us complete, 100%. Only then there will be a normal, proper and healthy marriage life.

Hopefully, my fellowship will be helpful to my brother as much as it is to me. Only the Lord can grace a blessed marriage life for His testimony.

Lord, be the centre and reality of my marriage life, and to my brother's too and all the saints'.

Chennai Revisited

Following the burden the Lord blessed me with, whenever I pass through Chennai I would visit certain families, for brotherly fellowship in Christ. Though all of these may not hold the same view concerning the church life, still I reckon them as my dear fellow members in the Body and visit them for fellowship and ministering Christ. The revisitation three weeks ago was noteworthy. 

I never had any preconceived agenda, but as I visited them the Lord's instant speaking was so dear, apt and timely. It just matched their situation and we harmoniously fellowship and blend together. 

To one family the Lord's speaking was on the general teaching and revelation of the Lord's recovery and the church life, to another about the importance of the Lord's presence in everything we do and the subjective experiences and enjoyment thereof, and yet to another the need to be under God's shining light and set things right with God and man to discern the genuine leading of the Lord. In all these fellowships the Lord's presence was very dear and sweet.

Another surprise visit was w to an IT engineer who was two years my senior when I studied my Master's degree. It was a friend and a brother who proposed to visit him. We did visit him and the time spent together was very sweet as I testified of the living testimonies of my experience of Christian life and how Christ has been so real and experience-able, subjective day by day. Besides, my words of encouragement was that he must "try Jesus" as well, and directed him to the ministry books website where he can read good spiritual books and be blessed. I recommended him to read The Economy of God by brother Witness Lee.

Only the Lord knows what the real result of these visits would turn out to be. Though these visited ones are on my prayer list and wish that they may be even as I am, enjoying the church life, I neither impose nor even vaguely indicated that they should be so, I only pray and visited them whenever possible.

God knows best and I did my part and leave to Him the rest. These visitations will continue as long as the Lord allows.

May the Lord bless them all.