Gospel Amidst Storm

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. For there is one God and one Mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to be borne in its own times. For which I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I speak the truth; I do not lie), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 1 Timothy 2:3-7

Gospel preaching has always been a spiritual battle as this is a battle to save sinners for whom Christ died. Jesus Christ the Savior of the world died for all men yet there is a need to herald this good news to all men so that all men may hear the gospel and believe into Him. Without the heralding of the glad tiding, how can all men possibly know who and what the Lord Jesus had done? Therefore, the church and the saints' unique responsibility is to preach the gospel; this is also the great commission Jesus Christ commissioned before His ascension.

Mt 28:19Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Last Saturday, as usual, a brother and I paired up to preach the gospel in the shopping area in our neighborhood. In coordination, we followed the Lord's leading in each one and as we walked around we preached the gospel to whoever comes our way. At one point my brother suggested that we take a round of the shopping complex and meet people along the way. As we did so, the Lord had placed the right people at the right time for us to preach the gospel. There were three open contacts out of the many we have met. 

A food delivery boy was waiting for his order to be confirmed. He was browsing through things on his phone. As we approached and preached the gospel to him, he showed signs of interest. We further preached the gospel in detail and also led him to pray the sinner's prayer to receive the Lord.  Based on eye contact, his response, and the Spirit's witnessing within our spirit, we could sense that he was a son of peace. We got his contact number and gifted him a New Testament in Hindi.

As we walk by the road, we saw a man waiting for someone with his two-wheeler nearby. As we preached the gospel he immediately echoed from within his being that he believed into the Lord Jesus Christ. I was rather surprised and asked him further when he first believed, he said about 5 years ago. He was so excited that we could meet him and shared the word of God with him. He even promised to come to visit us on the following Lord's day, which he did with his wife, son, and brother-in-law.

When he visited, I felt the burden for him was to minister the truth concerning baptism. As he and his wife confessed that they both believed into Jesus inwardly already, we still preach the gospel to confirm his understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, we all read together a lesson on "The Mystery of Human Life" in Hindi. And further led them to call upon the Lord's name and pray the sinner's prayer. Since they were very firm in their faith, we also helped them to know the meaning and need for baptism. Therefore, we ministered to them the eight significances of baptism. We, therefore, prayed for them and encouraged them to pray and consider their baptisms. We also set up a home meeting on Saturdays to start the coming week.

Another secret seeker and lover of the Lord Jesus Christ were also met after meeting the one described above. This one also has a strong faith in the Lord and has been a regular audience of a Christian preacher online. For a few years now, he has been in touch with the Christians and has inwardly developed his faith by daily reading the Bible. After we met this one, we invited him to the meeting as there were also storms of dust disturbing us standing on the roadside. A few minutes later, two of his colleagues also came and joined us after their work. To the three of them, we ministered the truth concerning baptism as they already believed and are yet to be baptized. 

These were the Lord's blessings in the gospel preaching. It was such an encouragement and an incentive to me especially. In fact, for the past month, we have been preaching the gospel and though we got some contacts who listened to us, we have not been able to make the second contact. The feeling was like sowing seeds in the air with no definite result that the seed would take deep root in the soil and grow. Looking at the result I was inwardly very discouraged though I did not express it to anyone else. As the church, we go out regularly no matter what. Therefore, when the Lord gave some seekers it was really a reward and an incentive to go on preaching the gospel. Only the Lord knows if these ones will be baptized and be shepherded into the church life, but one thing is for sure, the word of God we preached to them will not go in vain. 

This is an experience of gospel preaching amidst an inward spiritual storm trying to discourage us and the outward dusty storm trying to stop us from preaching the gospel; gospel amidst storms.

May the Lord continue to work in them and bring them to full salvation. That they all may be baptized and shepherded into the church to become remain fruits for the Lord's testimony.

Holy Warnings From Godly Men

Eli, the priest of Jehovah in Shiloh, under whose priesthood the Aaronic priesthood had become stale and waning is a holy reminder not to be old but be ver fresh and new in the continual exercise of our spirit. To be stale means to lose freshness and do things just in form without the exercise of the spirit. The word of God was rare when the priest who had received the word of God could have the Lord's speaking if the priest was normal. What a warning!

1S 14:3Including Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of Jehovah in Shiloh, wearing an ephod; and the people did not know that Jonathan went.
1S 23:16Then Jonathan the son of Saul rose up and went to David at Horesh, and he strengthened his hand in God.
1S 23:17And he said to him, Do not be afraid, for the hand of Saul my father will not find you; and you will become king over Israel, and I will be second to you; and even Saul my father knows that.
1S 23:18And the two of them made a covenant before Jehovah. And David remained in Horesh, and Jonathan went to his house.
But Saul disobeyed and rebelled against God's word and lost his kingship and his kingdom. This is a holy warning in our relationship with God and His heart's desire today. To not obey God's word absolutely will result in spiritual death and loss of spiritual inheritance; in fact, physical death even along with those who joined in rebellion.

Normally, in the priesthood, the first thing that a priest should do is to speak for God (Exo. 28:30); a priest must be a person who is intimate with God, who is one with God, who knows the heart of God, and who speaks forth the unique and healthy teaching of God’s eternal economy (1 Tim. 1:3-4; 6:3). But this was not the case with Eli and his sons. Besides, he did not discipline his sons as he could, thereby his sons had completely degraded in their services as "priests". As priests in the New Testament today, we must come to the Lord to hear His speaking day by day, even moment by moment.

Is 50:4The Lord Jehovah has given me the tongue of the instructed, that I should know how to sustain the weary with a word. He awakens me morning by morning; He awakens my ear to hear as an instructed one.

Is 50:5The Lord Jehovah has opened my ear; And I was not rebellious, nor did I turn back.

This is a holy warning from the life of Eli, while still serving as a priest but could have been rejected by God. Today, we need to learn from Eli to have high regard for what God has given us; not to regard anyone or anything higher than God.

 1S 2:12Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know Jehovah,

1S 2:17And the sin of the young men was very great before Jehovah, for the men despised the offering of Jehovah.

1S 2:22Now Eli was very old, and he heard of all that his sons did to all Israel and how they lay with the women who were engaged in service at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

1S 2:23And he said to them, Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all this people.

1S 2:24No, my sons; for it is not a good report that I hear Jehovah’s people spreading.

1S 2:25If one man sins against another man, God will arbitrate for him; but if a man sins against Jehovah, who will arbitrate for him? But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for Jehovah was pleased to kill them.

1S 2:27And a man of God came to Eli and said to him, Thus says Jehovah, I revealed Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt as slaves to Pharaoh’s house.

1S 2:28And I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to go up to My altar, to burn incense, and to wear the ephod before Me. And I gave the house of your father all the offerings by fire of the children of Israel.

1S 2:29Why then do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering, which I have commanded in My habitation, and honor your sons more than Me by making yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?

1S 2:30Therefore Jehovah the God of Israel declares, I surely said that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever; but now Jehovah declares, Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who spurn Me will be lightly esteemed.

Samuel, was a priest, a judge, a prophet, a judge, and a man of prayer. He too had his failure as he appointed his two sons as judges among the children of Israel. The warning here is to not let our natural relationship come in between God and our service.

1S 2:35And I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in My heart and in My mind; and I will build him a sure house, and he will go before My anointed continually.

1S 12:23Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I would sin against Jehovah by ceasing to pray for you, but I will instruct you in the good and right way.

1S 8:1Now when Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel.

1S 8:2And the name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah; they were judges in Beer-sheba.

1S 8:3But his sons did not follow in his ways, but turned aside after unjust gain and took bribes and perverted justice.

Jonathan, the son of Saul, knew that one day David would be the king of Israel. He was also aware that the leading of God was with David. In fact, in his time, God's anointing was upon David; the minister of the age at that time was David, and Jonathan knew it.

But Jonathan did not follow David due to his natural relationship with his father Saul whom God rejected. Therefore, he lost the proper and adequate enjoyment of his portion in the good land promised by God; he stayed with his father, and as a tragic result, he suffered the same fate as his father and died with him in battle.

1S 31:2And the Philistines chased Saul and his sons; and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, Saul’s sons.

1S 31:6So Saul and his three sons and his armor bearer, as well as all his men, died that day together.

The holy warning here is, as God’s mercy has brought us to come into contact with the ministry of the age who ministers the present truth, we must also take up the courage to forsake past ministries and enter into God’s present ministry.

Saul was chosen and anointed by God.

1S 9:17And when Samuel saw Saul, Jehovah declared to him, Here is the man of whom I spoke to you. This man shall rule over My people.

1S 10:1Then Samuel took the vial of oil and poured it upon his head, and he kissed him and said, Jehovah anoints you ruler over His inheritance.

1S 10:24And Samuel said to all the people, See him whom Jehovah has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people. And all the people shouted and said, Long live the king!

But Saul disobeyed God and God reckoned it as a sin of rebellion and divination. He was not absolute in obeying God's word. besides, he tried to set up his monarchy within the kingdom of God; a work with the Work of God despite being an anointed of God. Selfish ambition and rebellion are strictly to be avoided in our service to God. 

1S 13:13Then Samuel said to Saul, You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of Jehovah your God, which He commanded you. For now Jehovah would have established your kingdom over Israel forever;

1S 13:14But now your kingdom will not continue. Jehovah has sought a man according to His heart for Himself, and Jehovah has appointed him ruler over His people; for you have not kept that which Jehovah commanded you.

1S 15:19Why then did you not obey the voice of Jehovah, but flew upon the spoil and did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah?

1S 15:23For rebellion is like the sin of divination, / And insubordination is like idolatry and teraphim. / Because you have rejected the word of Jehovah, / He has also rejected you from being king.

1S 28:17And Jehovah has done for Himself just as He spoke through me, for Jehovah has torn the kingdom out from your hand and given it to an associate of yours, to David.

1S 28:18Because you did not listen to the voice of Jehovah and did not execute His burning anger upon the Amalekites, therefore Jehovah has done this thing to you this day.

David was chosen and anointed by God. He had many positive points concerning him; a man after God's own heart, who respected God's anointing upon Saul who tried to kill him, and he also enjoyed God's presence and blessing.

1S 16:1And Jehovah said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, though I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite; for I have selected for Myself a king among his sons.

1S 16:12So he sent for him and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And Jehovah said, Arise; anoint him, for this is he.

1S 16:13And Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and the Spirit of Jehovah rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

However, David failed in the matter of indulgence of the lust of his flesh.

2S 11:2And late one afternoon David rose from his bed and went for a walk on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to look at.

2S 11:3And David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, This is none other than Bath-sheba the daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite.

2S 11:4And David sent messengers and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had just purified herself from her uncleanness.) And she returned to her house.

2S 11:14Then in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

2S 11:15And he wrote in the letter, saying, Put Uriah in the forefront of the hardest battle, and withdraw from him that he may be struck down and die.

2S 11:27And when the mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to his house; and she became his wife and bore a son to him. But the thing that David did displeased Jehovah.

Regardless of our attainment in our spiritual life, we are still men in the flesh; the flesh is the flesh as long as blood runs in our veins. Anyone is vulnerable to falling. No one is an exception, however spiritual and aged he may be. Beware! 

The failure of David must warn us of the indulgence of the flesh in a serious way. In fact, he was tempted simply by a mere idle look when he should have been fighting on the war field. This covetous look led him to commit adultery followed by murder. This should be a stern spiritual warning to all of us.

Lord, preserve us by Your mercy and grace. We cannot but You can.

Life Lesson: Altars

An altar is for worshipping God by offering all that we are and have to God for His purpose.

The first altar recorded in the Bible is that erected by Noah (Genesis 8:20). Altars were erected by Abraham (Genesis 12:7; 13:4; 13:18;22:9), Isaac (Genesis 26:25), Jacob (33:20; 35:1–3), Moses (Exodus 17:15), and Saul (1 Samuel 14:35).

Noah's altar at Ararat 

This is the first altar recorded and built in the Bible, built after the judgment by the deluge. The passing through the flood is a type of passing through death into life when we first believed into the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, as a believer, the first experience of Christ should be consecrating our lives and offering ourselves up to the Lord to worship and serve Him.

Gn 8:4And the ark came to rest in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

Gn 8:20And Noah built an altar to Jehovah and took of every clean beast and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

Abraham's Altar

Scechem, by the oak of Moreh: This altar was built by Abraham as he was motivated by God’s reappearing, an anti-testimony to the building of the tower of Babel. In our Christian walk, we live a testimony against the tide of the world. This is the result of our walk with God and fellowshipping with Him. The world and all its allies began to separate from us gradually to the point that we become a light of the world and a salt of the earth as the testimony of Jesus!

Gn 12:7And Jehovah appeared to Abram and said, To your seed I will give this land. And there he built an altar to Jehovah who had appeared to him.

East of Bethel: As we progressed in our walk with the Lord, we also encounter ups and downs, between Ai and Bethel. Some kind of spiritual fluctuation seems to go on for a while. Nonetheless, as a believer, we have learned to call upon the Lord for salvation in time of need. But these are all individual experiences of Christ.

Gn 12:8And he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to Jehovah and called upon the name of Jehovah.

Gn 13:4To the place of the altar, which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on the name of Jehovah.

Hebron, by the oaks of Mamre: By and by, the Lord has been leading us forward where He not only meets our needs but we also begin to meet His need. The mutual fellowship with us and the Lord has gradually been strengthened. Mamre means strength. We have been much strengthened as we began to dwell and fellowship together with God.

Gn 13:18And Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to Jehovah

Moriah, the vision of Jah, later became Mount Zion: The enjoyment and fellowship with the Lord cause us to live a life of obedience and faith, wherein we are willing to give up the very best we have, in fact, even the very best we received from God. We are able to offer up our "Isaac" at Jehovah's command, giving up everything the Lord demands. This is because we love the Lord and are one with the Lord. Therefore, we are willing to do what He says and go where He sends. This is the experience at Moriah. Everything is consecrated to the Lord by faith!

Gn 22:9And they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.

Isaac's Altar at Beer-sheba

This is the unique place of God’s appearing where Isaac also called upon the name of Jehovah. As blessed children of God inheriting everything God the Father has ordained for us, we are blessed with His appearing again and again which is indeed a great blessing. Through such an enjoyment of the Lord's appearing, we also called upon Him to enjoy His working in us in this unique place Beer-sheba, where we receive the rich supply of life from God, as Beer-sheba is a place with the well of life supply and the tamarisk tree as the expression of the rich flow of life (21:25, 33)

Gn 26:23And he went up from there to Beer-sheba.

Gn 26:24And Jehovah appeared to him the same night and said, I am the God of Abraham your father. Do not be afraid, for I am with you, and I will bless you and multiply your seed for My servant Abraham’s sake.

Gn 26:25And he built an altar there and called upon the name of Jehovah and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

Jacob

Shechem: In Shechem, Jacob built an altar where his grandfather Abraham had also built an altar. He called the altar, El-Elohe-Israel. This is an individual Christian life that we have been experiencing which others who have gone before us have also experienced. We can assuredly testify that God is our God, the God of Israel. But surely, we need to move one from here too.

Gn 33:18And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram; and he camped before the city.
Gn 33:19And he bought the piece of land, where he had pitched his tent, from the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money.
Gn 33:20And there he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.

Bethel: In Bethel, Jacob built another altar. Here he called the place El-bethel, meaning God of the house of God, signifying his spiritual progression from being an individualistic person to a corporate one, caring for God's dwelling place among men on earth. This must also be our spiritual experience today in the corporate church life where we are no long individualistic but our Christian life now is for the church and for the fulfillment of God's purpose.

Gn 35:1And God said to Jacob, Rise up, go up to Bethel, and dwell there; and make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.

Gn 35:7And he built an altar there and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed Himself to him when he fled from his brother.

Moses' altar at Rephidim: This altar is named Jehovah-nissi, Jehovah is my banner, signifying the victory over the Amalekite, our flesh, as we progress in our Christian life. Through the experience of the cross crucifying our flesh, such an experience even becomes a memorial for our victory. This should always be our testimony.

Ex 17:15And Moses built an altar and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi;

Saul's altar at Gibeah, Ephraim:  Saul built his first altar tool late, and when he did so, it had no meaning at all.  God did not speak to him nor approved of what he did as he had already rebelled against God, disobeyed Him, and God had rejected him. This should be a stern warning to us believers not to take God's anointing for granted. We must pay absolute heed to the inner anointing and seek for the Lord's presence, which is Himself as the Blessing, in humility and obedience. Brothers beware!

1S 14:35And Saul built an altar to Jehovah; it was the first altar that he built to Jehovah.
1S 14:36And Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night and take spoil among them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man among them. And they said, Do all that is good in your sight. But the priest said, Let us draw near to God here.
1S 14:37And Saul inquired of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel? But He did not answer him that day.

Shillong Beckons

Over the past few weeks, I have been receiving text messages about initiating an online meeting for the saints in Shillong. Besides, I had a good number of fellowship over the phone with some brothers and sisters in Shillong concerning what the Lord is doing among the saints and also concerning the situation of the brothers and sisters there. Since one of the leading brothers went to be with the Lord last year, some of the younger brothers were in dire straight; with no proper leading among the saints, some have assumed and presumed to take the leadership albeit in an improper way. There seems to be a lack of clarity in seeing the vision of God's economy concerning the church among the believers. Therefore, a few burdened and capable brothers have informally started their own fellowships.

Last year when we visited the church, we had a combined Lord's Table meeting and a time of fellowship with the brothers. Now, things have become more clear and the Lord has manifested who is who and who is for what. While I present the matter to the brothers serving the work in India, they felt the need to visit the church and have a real-time fellowship with the saints face to face and clear things up. They have discerned it rightly that there is a need for the saints to see the proper vision of the church and the oneness of the Body of Christ. Therefore, a plan has been made to visit Shillong this month-end.

Meanwhile, the request for an online fellowship was considered and we had our first meeting last Saturday. The same has been proposed twice a month, every second and fourth Saturday of the month. In our online fellowship last week, we presented our present enjoyment and enlightenment gained in the recent training concerning the faith; God's economy in faith. 

In a very precise way, we presented what faith is not and what faith is according to the Bible with illustrations and some personal enjoyment concerning the experience of the Lord's speaking, and how we need to treasure the Lord's speaking in our Christian lives. The saints were so supplied by the ministry of the word that after the meeting they were wonderfully echoing what we ministered.

While I personally considered the situation I am a bit disappointed. I have been in contact with the saints in Shillong since 2012. Now ten years have elapsed, and yet the situation is not the way I expected. Of course, some of the saints have definitely seen the vision of God's economy while some still willingly and inwardly rebelled against the ministry even with some brothers trying to discredit the ministry and unknowingly bringing in the division. It was very painful to me. I even questioned the Lord if this is the result of all the prayers and hope, care, and concern for the church there? Perhaps, I am being emotional. Or because I cared for the Lord's testimony there too much? The Lord knows what is best. 

To me, this upcoming visit will be like a spiritual litmus test; this will determine who will remain faithful. I only pray that all the saints may be fully recovered into the oneness of the Body of Christ. I trust the Lord will do it though I have already been informed that two leading brothers have already formed their own groups in a way of a denomination. But in the midst of such chaos, the Lord also reminded me of the two dry sticks in Ezekiel representing the two nations of Israel and Judah; dead, dry, and divided. Yet Jehovah God prophesied of their recovery by life! Similarly, the only way to recover them back is by the divine life; when life lives, oneness is the result. Still, there is hope. The Lord's recovery is by life and in life. And for this, I believe, Shillong beckons...

Lord, supply Your life to all the saints and recover Your church for Your testimony in oneness! Lord, You prophesied to build Your church, so do build Your church! Amen.

Life Lesson: Jonathan

Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a wonderful relationship with David to the point that his soul knit with him and even made a covenant with him because they loved one another. 

1S 18:1Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan became knit with the soul of David; and Jonathan loved him like his own soul.
1S 18:2And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house.
1S 18:3Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him like his own soul.
1S 18:4And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and he gave it to David, as well as his armor and even his sword and his bow and his belt.
1S 20:16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, And Jehovah will require it at the hand of David’s enemies.
1S 20:17And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

This is a wonderful picture of a brotherly love that should be among the believers today. The Lord desires us to love one another and to even be willing to lay down our lives for our brothers.

Jn 13:34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Jn 13:35By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
Jn 15:12This is My commandment, that you love one another even as I have loved you.
Jn 15:17These things I command you that you may love one another.
Rm 12:10Love one another warmly in brotherly love; take the lead in showing honor one to another.
Rm 13:8Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves the other has fulfilled the law.
Rm 13:9For, “You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Rm 13:10Love does not work evil to his neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Jonathan loved David and stood for David when he discovered that his father Saul was envious of David and wanted to kill him. Jonathan stood between Saul and David and saved David's life when he was in a position to do so.

Jonathan also knew that one day David would be the king of Israel. He was also aware that the leading of God was with David. In fact, in his time, God's anointing was upon David; the minister of the age at that time was David, and Jonathan knew it.

1S 23:16Then Jonathan the son of Saul rose up and went to David at Horesh, and he strengthened his hand in God.
1S 23:17And he said to him, Do not be afraid, for the hand of Saul my father will not find you; and you will become king over Israel, and I will be second to you; and even Saul my father knows that.
1S 23:18And the two of them made a covenant before Jehovah. And David remained in Horesh, and Jonathan went to his house.

But Jonathan did not forsake his father Saul to follow David. Well, it was natural and logical for a son to follow in the footsteps of his father. But when one sees a vision of God's work and recognizes the minister of the age, one has to forsake the natural ties and relationship to be joined with the ones God has chosen to carry out His work at a particular time. Only in that way, blessed shall they be who follows the Lord's move in and through man. Later, Jonathan died with his father Saul in a battle against the Philistines and he had a tragic end. 

1S 31:2And the Philistines chased Saul and his sons; and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, Saul’s sons.

Here is an important spiritual lesson to learn. First, we must love one another with divine love. But our love for one another should not be according to the natural relationship. If our natural inclination and relationship stand between us and God or in following what God is doing, we must learn to reject our natural relationship, forsake it all together and join ourselves to whom God has anointed. In other words, we must follow the minister of the age God has chosen and be one with such a one to be in God's move. Otherwise like Jonathan, we would miss being in the Lord's move while maintaining our natural relationship.

Mt 10:36And a man’s enemies will be those of his household.
Mt 10:37He who loves father or mother above Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter above Me is not worthy of Me;
Mt 10:38And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
Mt 10:39He who finds his soul-life shall lose it, and he who loses his soul-life for My sake shall find it.
Mt 10:40He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who has sent Me.

Oftentimes, the natural relationships can blind our spiritual sight to following the Lord or serving the Lord. We must pay heed to God's work in the present age and be one with whom the Lord has been carrying out His work in the present age. This requires one to see the vision of God's work in the present age and take up his cross to deal with natural relationships and hindrances to be absolute in following what the Lord has made known to us concerning His move.

Next Generation: Imitate the Faith

 “Remember the ones leading you, who have spoken to you the word of God; and considering the issue of their manner of life, imitate their faith.” (Hebrews 13:7, RecVer)

Footnotes from the Holy Bible, Recovery Version:

This is essential in the church life. The ministers of the word of God should have a manner of life that issues in an example of faith for the church members, the receivers of the word of God, to imitate. Then the church members not only will receive the word that the ministers minister but also will imitate the ministers’ faith, which is expressed in their manner of life. Verse 7 is a continuation of vv. 5-6. Manner of life must refer to the living and behavior pursued by those ministers of the word of God, in which they had no love of money and were satisfied with what they had (v. 5a). Their faith must refer to the fact that they trusted in the Lord, their Helper, for their living (vv. 5b-6). The word that they ministered and the life that they lived must have been entirely Christ, and their faith must have been the faith in Christ, of which Christ is both the Author and the Perfecter (12:2). Such a manner of life and such a faith were surely worthy to be imitated by the believers, who received the word of God that the ministers ministered and who considered the issue of their manner of life.

As the Lord has shown us the vision of God's economy, we must also lead our next generation to see the same vision. Better would be that they see and also live, walk, and work according to the vision. Two examples in the Bible are worth considering. Eli failed to discipline his children and loosely handled his priestly service which resulted in his degradation and his sons not seeing the vision he had seen. Samuel too, in spite of being a Nazarite, priest, prophet, judge, and a man of prayer had failed in appointing his two sons as judges. Here is a holy warning to take care of our lives that our next generation can see, appreciate, and follow. 

The great question now is: Can our next generation imitate us positively? This is an examination of our spiritual lives and services today. If our lives are normal, we will take care of our children, it does not need any reminder. Similarly, if our spiritual lives are normal we will take care of our spiritual offspring. Life is taken care of by God for the next generation, physically and spiritually. If we serve the Lord and do not raise up spiritual offspring, it is a matter of great concern in our service.

We ourselves should be a pattern to our next generation both physically and spiritually.  "Remember the ones leading you," can our spiritual offspring seriously consider this verse regarding us? Can this verse "considering the issue of their manner of life, imitate their faith" be applied to us? So the onus is on us today. What we are will be what our offspring will become. This brings us to the need for a proper God-man living. 

“And when Abram heard that his brother had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred eighteen of them, and pursued as far as Dan.” (Genesis 14:14, RecVer)

Where are my 318 men born in my house? There must be many spiritual children begotten and raised up in the church life who could fight the spiritual battle, perhaps one against thousands. This is a matter of raising up the next generation who can imitate our faith.

For our next generation to be able to imitate our faith and manner of life, we also have to imitate the faith and manner of life of the generation who is before us. Thank the Lord for the many God-men who have set up a pattern in the church life. I must be faithful to imitate their faith and learn from the manner of their living. Blessed shall we be if we learn to follow the footstep of our spiritual fathers. Therefore, this verse on imitating the faith could be applied to us and the generation to follow us.

Ministry of the Word: Bharatpur and Gatholi

Bharatpur is a town in Rajasthan bordering Uttar Pradesh. The brothers in Mathura and these brothers in Bharatpur were once together in the same Christian group. But due to some reasons, they all broke away from the "parent" group and formed their own independent groups. This group was run by a group of four brothers who claimed to have about 35,000 believers with them as they conduct public meetings in different parts of North India. To this group, the Lord has led us.

In fact, the way we came to this place was quite unexpected. As it was about 35 kilometers away from Mathura and none of the brothers in Mathura nor the brothers with me knew driving four-wheelers, I had no option but to drive. I generally do not drive others' vehicles other than my own except for emergencies or is really needed to drive. Therefore, it was a new experience for me to drive to a new place, that too, to visit a group of believers in Bharatpur.

Initially, we shared testimonies and ministered on some basic exercises of the spirit by calling upon the Lord's name. When it was my turn to speak, the Lord gave me the burden to expound on the church and the building up of the church as found in the Bible, starting from Matthew 16:18, 18:17, the to Acts 1, 2, 4, 10, 11, and some epistles. I did not prepare to speak this way, but it was the timely word the Lord gave to these brothers who needed to hear the truth concerning what the church truly is according to the Bible, what the locality of the church should be, and the need for oneness for the building up of the Body of Christ.

Then, I introduced the ministry literature as a means to help one understand the word of God with proper interpretation. They all received the free Rhema books, and the key brothers also decided to purchase the entire set of Hindi books. Therefore, all the books I took were delivered to them. I believe the Lord has spoken His heart's desire to this group of brothers who are also serving the Lord. May the Lord work in them through His words spoken and through the printed ministry books to open their eyes and see God's heart's desire concerning the church. I do believe, one day, the Lord will recover His testimony in Bharatpur.

Later, we drove to Gatholi, on the side of Uttar Pradesh, to meet with a group of believers whose leading brothers are also enjoying the ministry of the word now through the brothers in Mathura. There too, we ministered the word on basic spiritual exercises in addition to the testimonies of two brothers. When my turn came to speak, the Lord burdened me to speak on baptism. I didn't know why I had to minister on baptism. I generally never did a ministry on baptism in a public gathering except in a gospel meeting or home meeting or to new ones when we were burdened to baptize new believers. But the Lord knew why. I faithfully ministered on the seven significances of baptism, with Bible verses, point by point, explaining to all the saints and seekers.

The following day in Mathura, when the meeting was full of spirit and new believers decided to take baptism, the leading brothers who listened to the ministry on baptism the other day knew exactly what to do. It turned out that the burden for baptism was for the brothers who took the lead in the two localities, Mathura and Gatholi. Since they are the local brothers preaching the gospel to many new ones, they need to be equipped with the truths. It was for them, the word on baptism ministered. Along with this, I also expounded on the timeline between believing and baptism as seen in the Bible. We read about baptism in Acts 2, 8, and 16, with the emphasis on the word "immediately." This has been enlightening to the brothers as there has been a concept among many Christian leaders that they need to wait to observe the new believers if there were qualified to be baptized. Actually, according to Mark 16:16, the first verse I read in the meeting, followed by the baptism of Jesus and others in Acts, baptisms recorded in the Bible are all immediate. Any believer, a genuine believer, is qualified to be baptized.

May the Lord recover His lampstand in Gatholi soon!