Gospel Preaching in DLF 3

Last weekend, as the church, we have been blessed with the trainees coming over to the meeting hall, staying there, and then coordinating with the saints to preach the gospel. This was a sudden arrangement and we did not really have enough time to consider it thoroughly. Yet, the Lord used this opportunity to revive us in the matter of gospel preaching again. This time, brothers in the church felt it best to preach the gospel in DLF 3 where many young working saints are residing as it is adjacent to the city's Cyber Hub. 

As usual and as always, I simply followed the leading of the Lord through the brothers in all practical detail. It is a blessing indeed to simply follow the Lord through the Body without any opinion. Though I had my opinion, I simply denied them and amen the brother's leading.

With a brand new brother and a sister as my teammates, I led them as I felt led by the Lord, where to preach and whom to preach to. Our first gospel candidate was a person who never heard of the name Jesus Christ. When we reached the gospel to him in Hindi, he readily agreed and received whatever we preached. He even prayed the sinner's prayer and called upon the Lord's name. As we were preaching to him, another man was watching us from a nearby building. After we were done preaching with this one, as we moved forward, this new person was smiling. I approached him and he commented that he saw us preaching the gospel and confessed that he himself is a Christian. He welcomed us to his office and then led us to his home, introducing us to his wife. As he was busy with his work, we had a time of home meeting with his wife; reading the Bible, and praying for the family. This family was so open that they wanted to join us on the Lord's day. Therefore, his wife and the child came to attend the meeting. This family was the fruit of following the Lord's leading this time.

Besides this, one man received the gospel tract, called the church's number, and came to the meeting hall. He had believed into the Lord but was not yet baptized. After he enjoyed the meeting with the saints, and especially with the young people, he decided to be baptized. Praise the Lord, he was baptized! Another blessing of following the Lord!

After the Lord's day meeting, we went out to preach the gospel again. As we were on the street, there was a heavy downpour. Initially, we were wondering how we could go on preaching the gospel as the streets were flooded. Due to the rains, we have to stop at a building where we met three groups of gospel candidates and preached the gospel to at least 10 of them. The rain opened the door for us to meet people group by group. Had it not been for the rain, we could not have met so many new people for the gospel. 

The Lord is sovereign in His move. O what a blessing to simply obey and follow His leading through the Body! The gospel preaching in DLF-3 is a new level of coordination. And I believe this is an answer to our prayer for the increase in the number of saints meeting in the church here. Praise the Lord!

Brotherly Fellowship

Listening is one of the most important character traits of a servant of the Lord. Anyone who serves the Lord and serves the people of God must learn to listen. Listen to God and also listen to people. Listen to God to know what is in God's mind concerning His service through me. Listen to people to know their situation and discern how to help them according to God. This lesson needs patience and the spirit of discernment.

Today and the past few days, I have had a wonderful experience of listening to my fellow believers who would confide with me about their situation, mostly their concerns, pains, worries, anxieties, etc. A sister had called me, pouring her heart out to me concerning her family situation and how she fellowshipped for help to pray for them and practical help in whatever way I could. Just listening to her pains and grief took me over half an hour. After which I prayed with her over the phone and promised her that I would pray, consider, and do what I could do best.

A brother called me for prayer and after we prayed, he confided with me about all the things he has been going through in his family, especially with his mother. Incident by incident, point by point, he expressed his view of things and I carefully listened to him. Another brother called me for a time of fellowship as he had not called me for a couple of months now. He expressed whatever he felt needful concerning his life, his family, job, children, etc. I could tell from the narration that the Lord has been working on him and his wife and they are now on the progressive stage in their relationship and spiritual life. A sister called me up to pour out her concern for the stiaution of the saints in her local church and how some saints have veered away from the truth, indirectly causing division. In the midst of it, some faitfhful saints have been sincerely pursuing the ministry and standing firm on the ground of oneness for the Lord's testimony. All the three fellowship lasted for more than an hour over the phone.

The Lord has been gracing me with hearing ears to hear and listen to what the saints have to say. I did not comment much unless the Lord led me strongly to do so. I hear the fact and consider carefully first if the facts narrated were indeed true. And if so, what would the Lord want me to do based on the facts, and how and when I should take action. Until these queries from my side were cleared, I choose not to say anything until the Lord in His own time mainfest things more clearly and directly me to take the needed action. 

I have been learning to serve the Lord in this way. I keep myself open to all the saints whom the Lord would burden to fellowship with me. I take such fellowships as lessons for me to learn. And most of the time it turns out, they are blessings in disguise.

What a brotherly fellowship I have been graced to experience! I learn by experience as the Lord has been gracing me. Lord, grace me on and on...

Children: God's Heritage

Behold, children are the heritage of Jehovah,  

The fruit of the womb a reward.  Psalms 127:3

The Lord has sovereignly blessed us with three children. To me, parenting is best practiced by prayers. I and my wife have been praying almost daily for our children. We truly reckon them as God's heritage and we are only the earthly guardian. We do not want to parent our children according to us, but according to God. Though, oftentimes, I inserted my own way into parenting ultimately it has always been God's way that matters most. We, as parents, did make a couple of mistakes yet the Lord also parents us as His children teaching us how to parent our children.

I, as a father, could not really spend as much time with my children as my wife has been doing. But I make sure to pray with them every day whether at home or abroad. I have been doing my best to care for them, show love to them, and try my best to be a proper and normal father. The Lord has been so faithful to me and to us as a family. He has bestowed us with the best family environment where everybody feels really at home with peace and joy, prayer, fellowship, and the word of God, and all provision supplied abundantly not luxuriously though.  Sometimes, I told my wife that our children are so peaceful and joyful. They know no worry nor anxiety, especially like the way I did when I was a kid, and often wonder if they would need some "hardship" positively as a lesson for them to learn. Nevertheless, I am definitely not looking for hardship for my children unless the Lord allows it.

As time passes by, the Lord's blessing has been manifested among all our children. They all are excelling in their studies and have come out with outstanding results in their academic performance in addition to the extra curriculum activities they participated in and won awards for; at school, state, country, and even international level. Positively, I am proud of them, the Lord covers me for saying this. 

On the academic front, the teachers have appreciated all of them and they all have carved a niche in their respective classes as someone the students and teachers can look up to. They all have been given an important role to play in school functions, selection by merit, even to the point that the Principal and Headmistress came to knwo about it.

Last Monday, my wife and I were invited to attend a school function that our son was hosting with one of his seniors. He was applauded openly by the Principal in the meeting. Last Lord's day too, he shared in the Lord's day meeting his enjoyment of the truth concerning the Lord's incarnation, human living, death, resurrection, and ascension in addition to sharing his own experience in the past week. I myself was so shepherded by my son's sharing. I could not control it but had to admit to him how much I appreciated what he shared and frankly told him, "Amana, I am proud of you! May God continue to bless you." 

Likewise, my two daughters have shown extraordinary enthusiasm in their academic fields. I literally have not yet been involved in their studies to help as they could manage their studies all by themselves, or with the help of my wife, or use Google to search their queries. As of now, we have not given any special coaching or tutor as they could manage all by themselves, except for Hindi subject for which they help from a Hindi speaking brother sometimes. Mostly they google all their queries online using even google translate to get the hard meanings of Hindi words.

All these are because of the Lord's grace, mercy, and blessings upon our family. I have nothing to boast about, I am simply stating the fact. 

May the Lord continue to preserve us under His grace and bless His children for His purpose. Indeed,  children are the heritage of Jehovah! And the fruit of the womb a reward!

Praise You, Lord Jesus!

New Testament Recovery Version in Indian Languages

The opening of Your words gives light, imparting understanding to the simple. Psalms 119:130

Thank the Lord for His word! Much more, thank the Lord for the revelation and interpretation of His word! For ages past, in His sovereignty, He has been revealing the hidden truths through many brothers and sisters. And it is indeed wise that we learn from them and inherit the riches of the word of God by being open to what God has already revealed. God has gifted many with the gift of interpreting and giving meaning to His mysterious and profound word. 

And they read in the book, in the law of God, interpreting and giving the sense, so that they understood the reading. Nehemiah 8:8

Such interpretation had been practiced during the Old Testament time itself. Even in the New testament time too, there is such a record of the need to make the word of God known to those in need as seen in the case of an Ethiopian eunuch.

And when Philip ran up, he heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, Do you really know the things that you are reading? And he said, How could I unless someone guides me? And he entreated Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “As a sheep He was led to slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so He does not open His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away. Who shall declare His generation? For His life is taken away from the earth.” And the eunuch answered Philip and said, I beseech you, Concerning whom does the prophet say this? Concerning himself or concerning someone else? And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he announced Jesus as the gospel to him. Acts 8:30-35

In a similar manner, today, we have been learning from the church history and also from all our spiritual forefathers what God has revealed to them. Thank the Lord for some faithful brothers who had paid the price to fulfill the burden of making the Word of God known to the children of God today. To my understanding, the New Testament Recovery Version is one such study Bible that has been helping me and many others in interpreting and giving the sense to the word of God. Thereby, opening the word and giving light.

For this study Bible translation from the original Greek to local Indian languages, the Lord has been gracing us for the translation preparation. He wisely and patiently led us through two years of biblical Greek learning, and then the qualified learners were selected for translation from Greek into their target languages which lasted for another five years. Finally, from Jan-Feb 2022 we did the final proofreading. In all these, I had been specially graced to participate in the entire project, from its inception to its completion. What a privilege, what a blessing, and yes, what grace! Now the printed study Bibles have come out in Malayalam, Mizo, Tamil, and Telugu! 

Praise the Lord!

On the 15th of July, we formally made the announcement of the availability of these study Bibles after laboring to bring out the brochures and a one-minute scriptures reading for each language. The announcement made was:

Amana Literature is pleased to announce the release of the New Testament Recovery Version in Malayalam, Mizo, Tamil, and Telugu.

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Malayalam Bible – The New Testament Recovery Version https://www.amanaliterature.in/mznrcvbible

Mizo Bible – The New Testament Recovery Version  https://www.amanaliterature.in/malntrcvbible

Tamil Bible – The New Testament Recovery  Version  https://www.amanaliterature.in/tentrcvbible

Telugu Bible – The New Testament Recovery Version  https://www.amanaliterature.in/tantrcvbible

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A One-minute Scripture Reading with Commentary

Tamil Scripture & Commentary - https://www.amanaliterature.in/taomsc

Telugu Scripture & Commentary - https://www.amanaliterature.in/teomsc

Mizo Scripture & Commentary - https://www.amanaliterature.in/mzomsc

Malayalam Scripture & Commentary - https://www.amanaliterature.in/mlomsc

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BROCHURES: New Testament Recovery Version

RecVer Malayalam - https://www.amanaliterature.in/malayalamrcvbrochure

RecVer Mizo - https://www.amanaliterature.in/mizorcvbrochure

RecVer Tamil - https://www.amanaliterature.in/tamilrcvbrochure

RecVer Telugu - https://www.amanaliterature.in/telugurcvbrochure

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Punjabi Translation

Generally, the Punjabi speakers also understand Hindi. A decade ago, we used to translate the ministry books into Punjabi, yet not one book was published. Later, we dropped the translation into Punjabi due to lack of proper translator, at the same time we did not sense the urgent need then, as compared to today. 

During recent the ministry journey to Jammu, Kashmir, and Punjab, we discovered the need for Punjabi ministry materials as many Punjabi speakers prefer to read in Punjabi though they still listen messages in Hindi. Now that lakhs of people have been saved in Punjab, the need for ministry material grows all the more. 

This time, in my personal fellowship with the local Punjabi speaking believers, I was convinced of the urgent need for the ministry to be in this language. Though there are many new believers, many of them are very shallow as they have been so much influenced by signs and wonders, miracles and healings, clubbed with the so-called worship songs. But the one thing that can best make the belieber grow in life is the word of God, yes, the properly interpreted word of God. 

In fact, in a Christian leaders gathering that I attended, a good number of leaders acknowledged the need for healthy Christian materials in Punjabi to help the Punjabi believers grow in the divine life by the pursuit of the truth and by having a proper revelation of the word of God, such  as revealed in the ministry literature.

At least three Christian leaders have fellowshipped with me the need for good Christian library or bookstore for the believers. The reason being, many shallow and even wrong doctrines have crept in among Christians, especially with those claiming to have thousands and thousands of believers, as they gain people through healing and demon casting out with the promise of prosperity rather than the proper feeding on the healthy word of God.

According to the need, the Lord also provided a brother who started translating the ministry books into Punjabi. This one also referred his wife as another potential translator in addition to the one we met in Anantnag, a Punjabi brother, with whom we fellowshipped for Punjabi translation. On top of all these, I fellowshipped with a brother who used to do the translation many years ago to consider his service in the literature again. He then confirmed that he had been thinking of the same even before I fellowshipped with him. As he went to visit many pastors in the villages, he discovered that many believers urgently need proper ministry materials for their growth in life. Therefore, the Lord work all things together at the some time to meet the need for the many believers in Punjab.

The Lord has thus began a new step to gain North India, especially, Punjab with the initiation of the Punjabi ministry literature translation!

Lord, prepare the healthy spiritual food for Your Punjabi speaking children! And bless the translation service.

A Brother's Engagement

Two months ago, a family came to visit me in Gurugram and requested me to pray for their son's possible engagement in Jalandhar, Punjab with a Punjabi sister. I sincerely prayed for the brother's engagement to happen according to the Lord's will as I know him. In fact, he is now in his forties, high time to get married. A few weeks later, the brother called to inform me of his engagement to happen and also invited me to attend. Perhaps, to be their spiritual brother to pray for them and stand with them. I considered the request before the Lord and in fellowship with my co-serving brother, I decided to attend the engagement. Yet in addition, I also planned for a distribution trip to the city, to make use of the visit.

A comfortable hospitality was arranged for me in Jalandhar city where I could spend enough time praying and studying the word before the engagement meeting. At the engagement, though no preplanning was done, it was fitting for me to take the lead and minister the word for the couple. The sister's side brought along two pastors but they abruptly left after they made a short announcement about the engagement. There seemed to be a void in the entire meeting. Therefore, I was invited by the brother's side to take over. 

For about forty-five minutes I ministered on God's eternal plan in creating man as a vessel so that man can contain Him, express Him, and represent Him. For this, God also charged man to multiply, which happens through marriage. Therefore, marriage is God ordained and must be honored. I also ministered along the line of loving the Lord and loving one another, being one with the Lord and also one with one another as couples, and the need for Christ filled family life in today's age of degradation and godlessness. 

As I noticed that some of the relatives of the sister were still unbelievers, I shared a short gospel for them and showed them how to believe into the Lord Jesus Christ. With this simple message, impromptu though, but the Lord anointed and gave the utterances. The meeting was very much enriched. The family of the brothers were so supplied by this "unplanned" engagement message. 

Later, they expressed their gratitude, and our relationship as Christian brothers and sisters got much strengthened. The father of the brother was so touched by my being with the family and shepherding them, when I was about to move on for my next work, he thanked me with tears rolling down from his eyes, and hugged me. I am glad that the Lord's shepherding care indeed was upon them through my presence. To me, it was all the Lord's shepherding care for the raising up of His testimony in their native place one day. They are bign prepared by he Lord.

Through this one day engagement meeting, the Lord made the entire family open to me for fellowship. I do belive the Lord will use this newly established relationship to shepherd them all in the coming days and also gain them all wherever they are, to be fully for the Lord.

Lord, gain the couple and all their relatives for Your testimony!

Ministry of the Word to Jalandhar

And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must lead them also, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one flock, one Shepherd. John 10:16

In the entire North India, Punjab has the fastest growing Christian population. In the past decade alone, lakhs of local people have believed into the Lord Jesus Christ. The growth of new believers has been so fast that it even drew the attention of the media and a religious group who dominated the entire state. 

I have heard about the growing Christian population in this state and had been waiting for the proper time to visit this state and distribute the ministry literature, though I had gone to Chandigarh for propagation and distribution many years ago.

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to attend an engagement function of a brother known to me. When he invited me, I considered and prayed about it, and also fellowship with my coordinator my burden to make use of this visit. Therefore, I planned a distribution trip after the engagement function. It turned out that, this was the best time to visit the city Jalandhar, as there was a Christin leaders meeting, while I visited the city of which I also attended.

A seeking family, a Rhema contact, gave us hospitality during our distribution in the city. The ministry books were introduced to them; they were so seeking and open that we even enjoyed a time of morning revival and Bible study together right away. He purchased the Holy Bible Recovery Version for his family Bible study.  This brother introduced us to his brother who is also a pastor of an independent group and had served with Christian literature service for a good number of years. The moment we met, he narrated his story of how he labored in the literature service in the past for many years. We introduced the ministry literature to these two seeking brothers who loves the Lord and joyfully received whatever we ministered. We spent five hours of fellowship in our first meeting itself. The following day, we were invited for a time of fellowship over a dinner love feast. They being so impressed by the riches of the ministry, proposed to open a bookstore in their new meeting hall.

We were also led to fellowship with a group of young ones who left the denomination and are now simply meeting as a “church”. They were so supplied by the truth we ministered concerning the need for growth in life using the ministry literature. They all received the ministry books for their further pursuit.

When we fellowship with two young Punjabi pastors concerning the Christian life and the need for growth in life through the word, they joyfully received the ministry literature. They were so impressed by the ministry of the word. One of them has the burden to translate the ministry books into Punjabi. This brother has been serving the Lord full-time on his own, independently, but was enlightened on the truth concerning Christ, the local churches, and the universal Body of Christ through our fellowship. Out of burden and need, he has now started translating the ministry books into Punjabi with the goal of translating the entire Rhema set. Praise the Lord, now we are restarting the Punjabi translation service!

We also attended a "Christian leaders and pastors" gathering where we were warmly welcomed and even honored with a memento by the Christian leaders. It was a surprise honor indeed, yet I took that as an opportunity to introduce the riches of the ministry of the word to all that pastors and leaders present there. The key leaders expressed their gratitude for our visit and voiced the need for Christian literature in Punjab. Despite Punjab witnessing the fastest growing Christian population in North India, the word of God is still rare as many are attracted by “signs, wonders, healings, and miracles”.

A pastor invited us to his Prayer Tower in the city where we introduce the minsitry literature to him. He purchased the entire set of ministry books in Hindi and selected books in English to set up a Library-cum-Christian Bookstore, to be the first of its kind in the city.

May the Lord recover many of His lovers and seekers in the city for His strong testimony on the ground of oneness as an anti-testimony to the world and the religious world of division.