the wind in the field

2 BLESSING / August 2019

THE fi eld is the world. The wind is the Holy Spirit. The world has not yet

been saturated with the gospel. Worldwide evangelisation is a mountainous task. It cannot be accomplished by muscle power or monetary strength. As God told Zerubbabel, “It’s neither by might not by power, but by My Spirit” (Zech 4:6,7). Let’s study in this article how the Holy Spirit helps us in missionary work if only we depend on Him.1. He burdens us to PRAY The Holy Spirit descends on God’s people as the “Spirit of Supplication” when they seek Him for direction in missionary outreach (Zech 12:10). We won’t have all the information about places and people we would visit with the Gospel. Our prayers will be limited by the available information. But when we respond to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, we move into a realm that’s beyond human imaginations (Rom 8:26,27). There’s hardly a vigorous missionary movement that was not birthed in prayer. In the early sixties one Sunday afternoon the Holy Spirit moved upon our college prayer group mightily for the African tribes. We didn’t understand why. We were all students and none of us had hardly travelled beyond 300 kilometers from the Southernmost towns of India. But we kept thinking about these tribal people. We had the shock of our life when one of the BYM outreach teams in late seventies spotted hundreds of tribal men and women with

negroid features in the jungles of the State of Karnataka in India. They are said to have escaped slave traders and been living as a “hidden” people group. We have a growing Church in this community now. When our missionary praying is dependent on the Holy Spirit, we are able to see the condition of the lost from God’s viewpoint and love people as Jesus loves them. The Holy Spirit effusively pours out in our hearts God’s love that was manifested in Calvary for the ungodly (Rom 5:5,6). This was the testimony of Paul: “I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart” (Rom 9:1-3). This was for the salvation of Israel (10:1,2). Also for him to preach the gospel boldly he pleaded with God’s people to pray “In the Spirit” (Eph 6:18:20).2. He empowers us to WITNESS The last recorded saying of Christ before His return to Heaven explains the supreme reason for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you; and you shall be witnesses to Me.” Eventhough

the urgency to get the message of the Gospel to people had always been there, Jesus would

not let His disciples go on with the job until they had been endued with power from Above (Lk 24:47-49) Jesus Himself, though He was the very Son of God, did

The Wind in the FieldR. Stanley

The Holy Spirit effusively pours out in our hearts God’s love that was manifested in

Calvary for the ungodly


not preach or minister to people in His own power. Peter, who had closely watched Jesus for over three years observed, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). Oratory skills or clever salesmanship wil l accomplish nothing without the Spirit’s power ( 1 Cor 2:4). Not one time encounter but an experience of continuous infi lling of the Holy Spirit is a basic must for bold and effective witnessing. Those who were baptized with the Holy Spirit in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost were fi lled again and “they spoke the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). There must be frequent stirrings within so we will not be intimidated by fear of any sort (2 Tim 1:6,7). Peter before Pentecost was a notable coward. But the Holy Spirit emancipated him from the fear of men and empowered him to challenge thousands. He understood what difference it made when the gospel was preached “by the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven” instead of by mere human enthusiasm (1 Pet 1:12; Mt 26:34; Mk 14:31). His utter dependence on the Holy Spirit is seen in his unassailable defence before the council: “We ought to obey God rather than men... We are His witnesses, and so also is the Holy Spirit” (Acts 5:29,32). Satan will not peaceably surrender his captives. Missionary work is a spiritual warfare. As the beautiful feet march with the shoes of the gospel towards the enemy’s territory, all the fury of the principalities,

powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual hosts of wickedness will be turned against them (Eph 6:12,15). Satan will have his

agents like Elymas to hypnotically infl uence the hearers of the gospel through sorcery, false prophecy and the like. Only when the witnesses are “filled

with the Holy Spirit” can they confront the formidable enemy and set the captives free (Acts 13:6-10; Isa 61:1). The Bible encourages us to “desire spiritual gifts” (1 Cor 14:1). The fi rst list of gifts in the New Testament is given in the context of evangelism (Mk 16:15-18). Of the gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor 12:7-10), the word of wisdom (Acts 15:13-21), the word of knowledge (Acts 8:23), faith (Acts 28:3-6), gifts of healings (Acts 9:ee-35), working of miracles (Acts 14:3), and discerning of spirits (Acts 16:16-18) are the most essential to missionary evangelism. God is more than willing to bestow these gifts on us when we ask Him (Mt 7:11). Will the Lord of Armies be slack in equipping His soldiers before sending them to the battlefront?3. He directs us to GO As per the Great Commission we are to go everywhere preaching the gospel to everyone. But the condition of one fi eld differs from the other. Some fi elds are yet to be ploughed. Some other fi elds are ready for sowing. And there are fi elds already ripe for harvest. So also the gifts and calling of God vary from missionary to missionary. Some workers are effi cient in ploughing, whereas others excel in sowing or reaping (Jn 4:37,38; 1 Cor 3:5-7). The Holy spirit

As the beautiful feet march with the shoes of the gospel towards the enemy’s territory, all the fury of the principalities, powers, rulers

of darkness and spiritual hosts of wickedness will be turned against them


as the Chief Executive of missionary work decides WHO, WHERE and WHEN. In His sovereignty He can change the course and the candidates. Blessed are the fl exible; for they shall not be broken! The Book of Acts is the textbook on missions. It teaches us through examples how we can be successful in missionary outreach if we follow the voice of the Holy Spirit. The following three incidents are illustrative. Evangelist Philip was conducting a glorious healing campaign in Samaria (Acts 8:5-7). This was the talk of the town (v 8). Huge crowds were thronging to hear him and see the miracles. People were baptized in water and getting filled with the Holy Spirit (vv 16,17). In the midst of such a hectic programme and an arduous ministry to thousands, the Holy Spirit directed Philip to go to the desert of Gaza to minister to just one individual! (vv 26,29). This may not appeal to human logic, but the Heavenly Wind blows where it wishes! Those born of the Spirit must yield themselves to be borne by the Spirit! (Jn 3:8). Simon Peter was vacationing with Simon the tanner enjoying the sea breeze and spending time in prayer (Acts 9:43; 10:5,6,9). He would have least expected a missionary call from the gentile world at that hour. He was a biased Jew. But “the Spirit said to him, Behold, three men are seeking you. Arise and go, doubting nothing; for I have sent them” (Acts 10:19,20; 11:12a). Basically Peter was called to be an apostle

to the Jews (Gal 2:7,8). He had no personal liking for the non-Jews either. But because Christ in the fi rst instance had given the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven to Peter, the Holy Spirit urged Peter to inaugurate the gentile ministry (Mt 16:16,19). Sensitivity to the promptings of the Spirit is indispensable to fulfi l God’s missionary programme. Paul and Barnabas were two among the fi ve prophets and teachers in the Church at Antioch. The disciples of this Church were the ones to be fi rst called Christians (Acts 11:26; 13:1). Though Paul and Barnabas would have been such a blessing to this local Church, the Holy Spirit spoke

to the other leaders to release them for the translocal missionary work (Acts 13:2). The Holy Spirit was so actively operating in this enterprise that it

is recorded that these two men were “sent out by the Holy Spirit” even though it was apparently the other leaders who sent them forth (Compare v 3 and v 4). Which Church does release its best ministers for missionary work? Is the Holy Spirit not speaking to us these days or are we not obeying His voice? The Holy Spirit not only sends us to the fi elds but also guides us in the work. His guidance can be either through open doors or closed ones (Acts 16:6-9). He also creates irresistible desires in the hearts of missionaries about specifi c places or peoples. An example: “Paul purposed in the Spirit... I must also see Rome” (Acts 19:21). Though the message is the same to all peoples, the methods will have to be changed to suit the cultures (1 Cor 9:20-22).

The Holy spirit as the Chief Executive of missionary work decides WHO, WHERE and

WHEN. In His sovereignity He can change the course and the candidates. Blessed are the

flexible; for they shall not be broken!


The Holy Spirit as “The Spirit of wisdom and understanding” leads us to behave prudently according to the situation (Isa 11:2).4. He inspires us to GIVE Money is not primary in missionary work but it is necessary. Pioneer missionary work is more expensive than the maintenance of established Churches. Though tithing is a healthy practice, if Christians won’t give more than one tenth of their income, world evangelisation will continue to be far from realisation. The Spirit of Pentecost released a spirit of liberality in those who received Him. According to the Biblical record, there was no direct orders or indirect hint from the apostles to get the disciples sell their belongings and pool the money for common enjoyment, especially to bless the have-nots. The spontaneity of the act is the miracle of miracles! (Acts 2:44,45; 4:34,35). Fresh outpourings of the Holy Spirit are reported worldwide. People speak in tongues, shout, jump, dance, fall, roll and so on and so forth. But do we hear of anyone sharing his wealth liberally with the poor and the needy as a direct result of being baptized with the Holy Spirit? Which will be a more practical and convincing evidence of Spirit baptism - Acts 2:4 or 2:44? Missions Researcher David Barrett reports that of the top twenty American Churches in giving, not one is charismatic. Where have we gone wrong?

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of glory (1 Pet 4:14). When He possesses us He grants us glimpses of eternal glory. As a result our grip on earthly gold and possessions is loosened. When Abraham was satisfi ed with the bread and wine received from Melchizedek, King of Salem, he despised the material wealth offered by the King of Sodom (Gen 14:18-24). This dimension of the ministry of the Holy Spirit must be restored in our life and teaching. That alone would usher in the long awaited revival giving.5. He helps us to REAP Reaping the harvest is the most exciting part of missionary evangelism. The end time in-gathering of souls is accelerated by the

last days outpouring of the Spirit. Quoting Joel’s prophecy Peter in his Pentecostal sermon said, “It shall come to pass in the

last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all fl esh... And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:16,17,21). The Holy Spirit mobilizes the entire Church - not just its full-time ministers - “sons... daughters... young men... old men... menservants... maidservants” - for gathering the grains (vv 17,18). Aggressive evangelism is a natural outfl ow of the Holy Spirit revival. When God pours out showers of blessing on His people dwelling on His hill, they invariably become a blessing to those all around (Ezek 34:26). Not only the Church as a community but also each Christian becomes a mighty soul-winner through the fullness of the

Aggressive evangelism is a natural outflow of the Holy Spirit revival. When God pours out

showers of blessing on His people dwelling on His hill, they invariably become a blessing to

those all around


Spirit. It is told of Barnabas that “he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit... and a great many people were added to the Lord” (Acts 11:24). In our mission fi elds we have frequently witnessed outpourings of the Spirit on the hearers of the gospel even before they were formally initiated into Christian life by a mouth confession or water baptism. In such instances the Church growth has been phenomenal. The case of Cornelius is illustrative of this sovereign act (Acts 10:44-48). After all it is the Holy Spirit who baptizes (inducts) people of any culture and status - Jews or Greeks and slaves or free into the one Body of Christ! (1 Cor 12:13). At the same time we cannot conclude that the Holy Spirit is not at work if the harvest is poor or delayed. Not all soils are alike. We must be faithful in sowing and watering but leave the fruit bearing into the hands of God. The Bible emphatically states, “Neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase” (1 Cor 3:7). Having done all, we must wait on the Lord till He rains on our fi elds (Hos 10:12). He will not disappoint us. He will cause the former rain and the latter rain to come down for us (Joel 2:23). Stay positive and expectant (v 21). Our labour will not go in vain (1 Cor 15:58). “In due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Gal 6:9b).6. He causes congregations to GROW Just like Abraham sent Eliezer to fi nd a bride for his son Isaac, the Father God has sent the Holy Spirit to get the bride ready for His Son. The Holy Spirit is now preparing the Church to be married to the Lamb of God. Until Christ returns the Holy

Spirit works zealously for the Church for her health and growth. About the early Church congregations we read that they walked in the “comfort of the Holy Spirit” and were multiplied (Acts 9:31). It is the Holy Spirit who ordains overseers to shepherd the Church of God (Acts 20:28). He equips them with His gifts of wisdom, knowledge and discernment and guides them in leadership. As the Spirit of Truth, He leads the Church into all truth (Jn 16:13). He reminds the Bride of the words of the Bridegroom so her walk may be pleasing to Him (Jn 14:26). When doctrinal disputes come up, the Holy Spirit sheds new light on the Scripture for better understanding. See how wonderfully He helped the leaders in Jerusalem council to sort out the circumcision issue! Their conclusion was what “seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to them” (Acts. 15-28). The Church grows healthily when “every organ” and “every joint” function effectively (Eph 4:16). A Church with a silent majority is not a New Testament Church. When the Holy Spirit has His sway He energises and enthuses every member to function to his fullest God-given potential. There’s no “non-spiritual” work in the Church. Whether it is artwork or administration, the Holy Spirit is the Enabler (Ex 31:1-5; Acts 6:3)7. He strengthens us to SUFFER Missionary work without suffering is unheard of. The Lord Jesus introduced the Holy Spirit as “another Comforter.” As a Comforter, even before the missionaries face persecution, He strengthens their hearts for what lies ahead. Missionary Paul declared, “The Holy Spirit testifi es in every


city, saying that chains and tribulations await me” (Acts 20:23). In His commissioning address to the twelve disciples, Jesus encouraged them saying, “You will be brought before governors and Kings for My sake... But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak... for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you” (Mt 10:18-20). We see this magnifi cently fulfi lled in the case of Stephen. He was not primarily a preacher or a teacher of the Scriptures but only a deacon appointed to look after business matters in the Church (Acts 6:2-5). But his opposers “were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke” (v 10). He died a martyr’s death “being full of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:55). It is frequently observed in pioneer mission fi elds that the answers given but uneducated by Spirit fi lled workers in defence of the gospel would baffl e the best of theological minds! Suffering is suffering. Pain is pain. But the Holy Spirit fi lls the persecuted with inexplainable joy (Acts 13:50-52). This is something which neither the persecuted nor the persecutors can understand. The stories of martyrs right through the Church history attest this fact. Of the seven Churches of Revelation 2 & 3, the only two Churches which were not rebuked were missionary minded. The Smyrna Christians were promised “crown of life” and the Philadelphians the position of a “pillar in the temple.” What more do we need? He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches about the unchurched!

To the attention of BYM Partners and subscribers sending offeringsAll those who want to send their offerings to BYM (for missionary work, sponsorship, magazine subscription and other supporting funds) you may do so through any one of the following methods:

Home & NRE donors Name : Blessing Youth Mission

A/c No. 10545849472 Bank: State Bank of India

Branch Name : Siruthozhil,Vellore 632 006

Branch Code: 007274IFSC No: SBIN0007274

Gulf DonorsA/c Name : T. Prince Stachys Ravindran

A/c No: 35374362080 Bank Name : State Bank of India

Branch Name : SiruthozhilVellore 632 006

IFSC No : SBIN0007274Online payment

www.bymonline.orgWhen you transfer your offering through net banking, please make sure that you fi ll your name, address and the details of fund to be used for in the remarks column and notify us by any of the following methods: -SMS to 9445275410 -Phone call to +91 416 2242943 or 2248943 -Email to [email protected]

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We Plead or We Perish!Leonard Ravenhill

Since the fi rst day that Communism was born, its cheap jibe against Christianity has been, “It’s pie in the sky when you die.” Now we are hearing much from a people who as Christians say, “It’s pie on your way to the sky.” These interpreters of the spiritual life offer an experience in grace that is a summer without any winter, a rose without any thorns, a sea without any storms, a bliss without any battles. They are totally anti-biblical in this interpretation. Jacob’s famous night of wrestling in spiritual power saw him changed into prince with God—it also brought him a limp! Samson had the most blessed of all gifts known to men— “the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him” (Judges 14:6), but there was a lion in the deal, too. Our blessed Lord cried, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” He never ministered until the anointing came, but with it came the forty days of massive temptation. Pentecost saw the Upper Room disciples transformed, and immediately after came a storm of persecution. Heads rolled, but the believers did not fold—they fl amed: “We ought to obey God rather than men!” It’s time to leave the “prayer” breakfast and banqueting circuit for the battlefi eld. We have feasted long enough; now is the time to fast and to fi ght. We have clapped hands long enough; now we must let those bands cling to the sword of the Spirit as we battle against principalities and power. The hours ahead of us will demand a showdown of strength. The underpinning of truth—the Bible is the infallible, inerrant,

indestructible Word of the Lord—is being eaten away in the seminaries and schools by the acid rationalism of so-called intellectual progress. Such a battle of the Bible is not won in the lecture halls. It is won in the prayer closet. From every pulpit we should hand this boldly written text: “For the nation and kingdom that will not serve Thee shall perish: Yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted” (Isa 60:12). It took ten vicious plagues to shake Pharaoh from his grip on Israel. Will it take ten plagues to shake us from our materialistic complacency and our spiritual sleep? Must God rain fi re from heaven upon us to stop our mad rush to the fi res of hell? “While men slept the enemy sowed the tares.” While we sleep in the church the devil sows his tares, sets his snares, and weighs folks with cares. Folks heed the politicians more than the preachers these days. Materialism has mesmerized us, and we count our calories more often than we count our blessings. Time is running out on us, liberties are drying up. Privacy is withering. Soon there will be no private holding of funds. Federal peeping at bank holdings is very near. I am told of a millionaire who, after the invasion of his country by the Communists, looked back at his once-prosperous material empire saying daily, “I wish I had used that money for the Lord.” Shall we sigh that way? God has said that He will yet shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the


dry land. The earth is the Lord’s; let no man or government forget it. He will not always chide, neither will He keep His anger forever. Yes, He loved Israel; and He delivered Israel into the hands of the Midianites, also. The web of impurity t ightens alarmingly around the nations. The cup of iniquity is fi lling rapidly. Darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the people. We are contesting now against the rulers of the darkness of this world, with the unfruitful works of darkness obstructing our every step. We believers have been called out of darkness into His most marvelous light—”Ye brethren are not in darkness.” In His light we see light. We see what the world cannot see either in blessing or in cursing—coming judgment. The world wars did not shake the world as it is being shaken at this moment. Will the Church sleep on while mankind heads for the rapids? A longsuffering God cannot wink at our iniquity much longer. He lets men go so far and then, as they announce their triumph, He intervenes. Belshazzar had it all wrapped up. He defi led the temple vessels; he defi ed God; he deified himself. And when the party was a roaring success, when the fl esh strutted and the people acclaimed him the greatest—then he saw the handwriting on the wall. This changed the frivolity into fear. The wine became bitter, the fun a farce, the song changed into a sing. The wizards, the soothsayers, the astrologers and wise men could not read the warning. Then entered God’s man, Daniel. He made the correct interpretation: “God hath numbered thy kingdom, and fi nished it.....Thou art

weighed in the balances, and art found wanting” (Dan 5:26,27). The king at another period was shaken by dreams. Again the smart men were speechless, but Joseph got through to the king with his message from the visions. (Have we already had our seven years of plenty?) It was when all hope was gone that Paul, the brave preacher-prophet—whose prophecy of the coming blast had been ignored—stepped into the tearful mob to say, “Peace and safety if ye abide in the ship.” Isaiah spoke of a day when “a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.” This is just what the prophets are in the crisis hours of history. God made the Assyrians the rod of His anger (Isa 10:5,6). He sent them against the hypocritical nation of Israel. Who or what will be His rod against our generation? A total collapse in the national economics? A foreign invader? More earthquakes and devastating floods? More plagues, such as the incurable “gay plague” acquired by homosexual (Acquired Immunity Defi ciency Syndrome: AIDS) from which almost half the victims die? Will God deal with our sins as He dealt with the sins of Sodom, or will He just let us rot a little further? It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. “It is a more fearful thing to fall out of those hands,” said Robert Louis Stevenson. Before you hang your harp on the willows, before you say, “How can we sing


the Lord’s song in a strange land?” let me tell you, there is a way out! The way out of this sinful mess is: Down on our knees, then up through the skies in intercession; then out to the world, fi re-baptized in concern, compassion, and conquest for the final outpouring of mercy before the day of His wrath. The way out of this awesome sin plague certainly is not by human strategy. Despite more money spent on education in the last twenty-fi ve years, we are lower in morality than ever before. Despite our progress in science, we face famine on the largest scale ever, right at this moment. Despite more money spent on church buildings, our spiritual birthrate is lower than ever. Which way then? God’s way! “Not by might (strength of armies), nor by power (scientifi c know-how and education), but by my Spirit, saith the Lord” (Zech 4:6). The world knows not the Spirit. He does not invade carnal hearts. We believers are His channel. God has said, “The yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing” (Isa 10:27). This is the secret-the anointing! it is: The enduement of power from on

High—Pentecostal power—unearthly power to shake the earth. Divine equipment to shake the strongholds of hell on earth. Enduement to harass the devil and his powers. Power to break the yoke from the millions bound in superstition and occult practices, manacled by drugs, enslaved by drink, locked in lust. Power to storm heathendom with the cry of deliverance. Power that will cripple the cults and set the captives free. Power that will cover His name with glory ! Jesus is coming for a Bride, not for a widow, not for a sick Church. He is worthy to receive honor and glory and power now and forever. Against this present world’s onslaught of iniquity, the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong. Here the lame take the prey and to those who have no might, He increaseth strength. He who heard the cry of Elijah from Carmel and of Jonah from the belly of hell will hear our cries for mercy and revival. “Call upon me and I will answer thee.” We plead or we perish !

I am a Bible Christian and if an archangel with a wingspread as broad as a constellation shining like the sun were to come and offer me some new truth, I’d ask

him for a reference. If he could not show me where it is found in the Bible, I would bow him out and say, I’m awfully sorry; you don’t bring any references with you.

- A.W. TozerWithout the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the preacher may storm, the teacher may

strive, the Christian worker may sweat, but all to no avail. - Vance Havner

I steadfastly refuse to gratify the devil by being discouraged. - Selected


Problems or PearlsJerisha Melbin, Missionary, BYM, Chennai

Pearls are precious stones used to adorn oneself. But what makes them different from other precious stones is that, they are not mined from the earth but rather taken from a living creature – an oyster. Besides, it is not readily found in oysters. It is created with pain and agony by the oyster when it tries to wrap the irritant in its body. Pearls are made up of a very common substance - calcium carbonate. But, what makes them unique is that it takes almost 7 years for a pearl to be formed. The thinner and more numerous the layers, the fi ner the luster. Hence, pearls are used as a metaphor to denote something very rare, fi ne, admirable and valuable. An irritant is something that need not be there, like a thorn in the fl esh. Certainly, no one would want it. People would say, “I don’t deserve this”. Yes, that is the case of an irritant. But, see what the oyster does with the irritant! It turns the very irritant into something adorable. Our Lord Jesus suffered great agony and gave His life on the Cross to redeem us. He wrapped us, irritants with His righteousness, making us beautiful in God’s eyes. “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Pet 2: 21-23).

Of all things, Christ has called us to, He has called us to suffer! Besides, He has set Himself as an example for us to follow – the way we ought to react when meted out with such injustice. Though we may be treated as sheep to be slaughtered, yet in all these things, we are more than conquerors (Rom 8:36,37). When we think, it is too much to bear, let us remember that greater the number of layers in the pearl, greater the luster. Hence, let us endure. Let us look at some of the people who, while being captive, were a blessing to their captors.The Steadfast Slave Joseph was sold as a slave. He could have sulked down based on what he faced. But he just kept looking unto God who was with him. “… the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and fi eld” (Gen 39:5). Not many of us have a Christian overseer over us. Let our faithfulness bless their house. Our integrity may increase our work load like Joseph. But, let us continue to be a channel of blessing for them till the appointed time of the Lord rather than moan because of the work load.The Caring Captive We don’t even know her name. The only thing we know is that she was a girl. How painful it would have been for her to live as a slave, far away from her parents, from her hometown, from her friends… Yet, she chose to be a blessing. She mustered up courage and spoke to her mistress,


Mrs. Naaman. She believed that the Lord Jehovah is the true God and that Elisha can heal her master. It was her tiny initiative that changed a leprous skin to a skin like the skin of a little child (2 Ki 5:14). We may not always get accolades. People may even forget our name. But, let it not bother us. Let us be that trigger that brings in the miracle.The Rational Rescuer Daniel and his friends were taken as captives to Babylon. They were recently recruited into the team of the wise men of Babylon. But sooner Nebuchadnezzar decreed that all wise men be killed because the wise men whom he approached were not able to reveal the dream and interpret it. When men came to execute Daniel and his friends, Daniel obtained time to interpret the dream. Once it was revealed by the Lord, he requested that the wise men not be executed apart from revealing and interpreting the dream (Dan 2: 24). Yes, dear friends, let us not be puffed up when God raises us above our contemporaries or even our seniors but strive like Daniel for the well being of our associates. Let us continue to be like Jesus.

The Prudent Prisoners Paul and Silas were heavily beaten and thrown into the worst prison. When they looked to the Lord, He sent an earthquake so massive enough to shake the foundations of the prison and open all the prison doors. When the jailer was about to commit suicide, they stopped him and assured him of their presence. Later, they were able to lead him and his whole family into salvation. Isn’t this the oft quoted verse for leading people to Christ (Acts 16: 31)? There are times when those who torture us are in crisis. Let us not stand back and mutter that they deserve it. But rather, step in and help. Surely, the Lord will use us to lead them to Him. Dearly beloved, the path that we are treading may be rugged and weary. The process may be painful. We may feel like quitting. But the more we endure, the more the Lord will use us a blessing to many. Further, we will become more like our Saviour. As Peter exhorts, let us entrust our souls to the faithful Creator and do good (1 Pet 4: 19). For He is adept in converting an irritant into a precious pearl.

Blessing Children Home, Ramagiri Alumini Meet was held in the month of June. 33 alumini turned up for this meet. Praise God that many are married and well-settled now. It was a joyous occasion to see the grown up children having children of their own. 6 of them are now in ministry. Many are doing small scale businesses and some have entered Government services. The students

presented gifts to all the wardens. Mr. Philip Bishoyi, who is the pioneer of Ramagiri ministries, elucidated the diffi cult times during the initial period when even getting drinking water was very diffi cult. Mrs. Florence Jaisanker encouraged the children to continue to fi ght the life’s battle as life is a battle of faith. The students were encouraged to contribute to the Lord and be a blessing in turn. They have also decided to meet frequently. All glory to God.


Candles In The Night(Testimonies of Native Workers of Blessing Youth Mission)

Tilo Sagaria & his familyTilo Sagaria was born in a poor family in

a remote village in Odisha. His forefathers were dacoits. But his father secured a small piece of land and started doing agricultural work. Tilo was talented in village folk music and directed a small village ‘Drama Band’. They used to travel from one village to another and perform dramas on the streets.

At that point of time, Tilo had no idea about the living God and the sacrifi ce that He made on the Cross. He was then married to a girl. But everything started to change when suddenly he developed severe arthritis. His joints started to bend and his whole body was disfi gured. He could not continue the ‘Drama band.’ Seeing his hopeless plight, his wife left him. Tilo, for the fi rst time felt abandoned by everyone. He even thought of killing himself.

It was during this time, he visited the ‘Jungle Clinic’ in Ramagiri. It was when late Dr. Jaishanker was treating the patients. He referred Tilo’s case to a Mission Hospital, 68kms away from Ramagiri. Doctors there treated him and slowly he began to recover. The love of the Christian believers attracted him to Christ. Missionaries Mr. Selvam and Mr. Solomon visited his house and prayed for him.

Tilo experienced complete healing from God and understood the message of the Gospel. He gave his life for Christ. In fact, according to Tilo, his hopeless life has been transformed to a life full of hope and joy. He became the fi rst believer in his village. He started to walk slowly and started to play harmonium, like the ‘Drama Band’ days. By His abundant Grace, he started to write songs for Jesus and witness for Him. His songs are very much liked by the village folks.

“My life itself became a testimony”, says Tilo today. As he visits villages in his bike, people are astonished to see the once invalid person telling them about the miracle that Jesus wrought in His life. Tilo is very much thankful to his Lord and Saviour who gave him this gift of life and wants to serve Him till the end of his life. He was in darkness and now he has seen the light. God has forgiven his sins and has given him eternal life. Today he is a shining light in the land of darkness. Hallelujah!

Not only that, Tilo married a believer girl Ratna and is now blessed with 4 children. Recently his house was partly damaged in the Odisha cyclone, but God gave him strength and capacity to repair it. As a Native worker, although his pay is meagre, he still continues to minister for the Lord.

“For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness” (Ps 18:28).


“A stitch in time, saves nine” is an adage that highlights the importance of attending to issues though trivial in the beginning but becomes monstrous to handle in the roll of time. We can fi nd a similar and more relevant metaphor in the parable of the ten virgins as described by our Lord Jesus Christ in the fi rst part of Matthew chapter 25. The Bible says that 5 were wise and 5 were foolish. Why were the fi ve virgins called foolish? They resembled the wise virgins in all manner! They were virgins, they wanted to meet the groom, they came with their lamps, they waited for him; in fact the wise virgins also slept. The only area they failed was that they did not take sufficient oil. They did not foresee the situation. Later, though they took greater efforts than the wise virgins, like requesting others for oil or even going to the market at that odd hour, they were shut out by the bridegroom. He even claimed that he does not know them. Thinking of this sends a shiver down my spine. It seems as if the bridegroom is unloving and merciless, but the fact is that these virgins were careless. Our Lord Jesus Christ, at the end of the parable exhorts, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Mt 25:13). Let us consider some of the areas where we need to be watchful.Watchfulness in Salvation Salvation is a gift from God. We are saved by grace through faith. Salvation is a transformation from dead to life and darkness to light. Salvation commences our journey with Christ. During the initial days we rejoice in His presence and are sensitive to the Spirit’s leading. It is a life of total

commitment to the Lord. We are totally sold out to Him. But as days pass by, we slowly lose our fervour. We don’t “feel” like reading the Bible, meditating it or spending time in His presence. Even fellowship with other believers tends to become tiresome. Slowly we estrange ourselves from our Beloved and our zeal gradually diminishes. We can boast that we have been saved so many years back. But are we still relating to the Lord the same way as we used to? Let us beware! Salvation is a daily experience. The fi rst time we were saved, we were saved from the penalty of sin. In our daily walk of life, we need to be saved from the presence of sin. When we continue to grow in the Lord, when we meet Him face to face, we will be delivered from the presence of sin. Till then we need to work out our Salvation. Christian life is a walk from sin to holiness. If we falter, we will become like King Saul. Though he was anointed as the fi rst king of Israel, he failed to walk by the precepts of God and lost his anointing. Christendom is fi lled with such backsliders. They not only disqualify themselves to enter into heaven but also leave a bad testimony thus becoming a stumbling block for others. Let us not fall into this category of people. Let us shine for God and lead a witnessing life. We need to be watchful in our priorities also. When we are careless, we lose our vision. We get distracted. Gradually, at times even without our knowledge, we dethrone the Lord from the throne of our hearts and crown something or somebody else as our king. This position can be usurped by our love for money, power, position and the

Watchfulness In Small ThingsPasala Ramana, Missionary, BYM, Vellore


like. Even family and ministry can dethrone the King of kings from ruling our life. We may still go to church, read the Bible and attend prayer meetings. But they do not hold the same signifi cance. Church becomes a community centre, Bible reading becomes a duty and a treasure hunt for promises and blessings, even prayer meetings are just to comfort our wayward heart. Once we lose our personal intimacy with our Lord Jesus, all our so-called ministerial activities are in vain. When we meet Him on the other shore, we may say that we have accomplished a whole lot of things for Him. But He will reply, “I never know you” (Lk 7:23) because we have lost that personal relationship with Him. That was the case with the foolish virgins. They never realised that they were careless in their preparatory work and when they realised it, it was too late to repent. Let this not be true in our lives.Watchfulness in Christian Walk The Bible (word of God) and prayer are two boons to mankind. Through the Bible, God speaks to us. It is the roadmap for us pilgrims to reach heaven. Through prayer, we communicate with our Saviour. When Jesus, the very Word of God was in His bodily form on the earth, we fi nd Him praying with all earnestness to God the Father. This should be our model, dear friends. We should not be satisfi ed with mere hearing of the messages in the Sunday church service or still worse listening from a preacher in the television. A believer depending exclusively on the preachers for their spiritual food has become the norm of the day. Hardly people turn the Scriptures to feed their souls. Preachers too are not interested to wait on the Lord. They just present some other preacher’s message which they have taken from the YouTube.

Preaching has become a fashion in the Christendom. People love to be called as conventional speakers. The Scripture, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,” (2 Tim 4:3) is being fulfi lled in these days. Preachers are lifted up based on their talent to speak or sing. It is pathetic to observe that they never grow in the Lord and also deceive their hearers. Instead of meditating and practicing the Word, preachers just want to preach, preach, preach and perish! Their personal life does not refl ect the sovereignty of God. When questioned, they answer - ‘Spiritual life is different from secular life!’ Isn’t this a life of hypocrisy? Some years back, I underwent a short term training in seamanship where we were taught on how to navigate a ship. Navigating a ship is no small feat. We do not have any routes and roads there. But a route map is available. Hence, the navigator has to calculate the nautical miles and steer the ship accordingly. Even a small mistake will make a great difference. It is believed that Captain Edward J. Smith ignored the warnings about the icebergs in the sea. Only when they came to a quarter mile close to the ice berg, did they realise the danger. But by then it was too late. They couldn’t completely avoid the iceberg which led to the fall of the unsinkable Titanic. Personally I am convinced that we need to meditate the word of God till we hear His voice and pray till we are assured that He has heard us. It should neither be a duty nor a routine. Not listening to God’s word properly leads us to wrong practices. Slowly, they breed into wrong teachings


and when left uncorrected they beget wrong doctrines. Such doctrines not only destroy the preacher but sweep away multitudes of people who believe in it. Hence, let us keep a close watch on our lives. Let us leave nothing unattended when the Holy Ghost convicts us. Else, we will also be of those who have had a good start but have gradually drifted away from the Truth. We need to, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving” (Col 4:2).Watchfulness in Ministry Nowadays, people are not willing to come for the Lord’s ministry. Though there are several reasons, one of the reasons is that it is being considered as a menial job. Ministry is being looked down because of our behaviour. We are demolishing the Kingdom of God and building our own empires. We are attaching a price tag to what we have received freely. We work as if God is our servant. Gone are the days when we needed money for ministry. It is now ministry for money. We show partiality that has been strictly condemned by the apostle James (2: 1-7). We have forgotten about the Kingdom work and are ablaze to fulfi ll our worldly passions. Ministry has become yet another avenue to earn. Leonard Ravenhill has clearly captured this as, “The early church was married to poverty, prisons and persecutions. Today, the church is married to prosperity, personality, and popularity.” Instead of fi lling the world with the church, the church is being fi lled with the world. The ministry that God has given in our hands is His ministry. He sent His only Son to save us and to reconcile mankind to Him. He has entrusted us with this Gospel to

win souls for Him. He is eagerly waiting to receive His Church, the bride. He has kept us as caregivers. We need to remember that we are stewards and not shareholders. Christ says, “for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and fi nd you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” (Mk 13: 35-37) and “Blessed are those servants whom the master fi nds awake when he comes.” (Lk 12: 37). Let us wake up and be good stewards (Rom 13:11). For when He comes, our work will be tested by fi re (1 Cor 3: 10-15). Only what has been done by His standards will last. All else will turn into ash. Let us not minister to meet our needs. Rather let us sacrifi cially labour for the Lord and reap the reward He has kept in store for us. When I was a child, I used to study using a kerosene lamp. Once, I noticed that the light emitted by it was not suffi cient and it was about to die. When I tried to set it right, I noticed that the oil was full and the wick was also long enough. Unable to solve the mystery, I took it to my mom. She just trimmed off the black part of the wick and explained that carbon settles on the wick and it needs to be trimmed occasionally. Yes, dear friends, we may be good or even exceptionally good in lot of things. Let us keep a watch on those little areas where we need to trim on a regular basis. Hence let us trim off that which is unwanted and be ablaze for the Lord. Let us be like the wise virgins who were ready in all possible ways to meet the bridegroom and partook in the marriage feast. Let us watch therefore, for we know neither the day nor the hour of His coming (Mt 25:13).


andhra pradesh ➢ Mr.Benniel Ganesh from UAE arranged

for spiritual meetings, and the Lord helped Missionary Saroj to minister God’s Word at 8 places in Dubai and Sharjah during 13th to 18th of May. Praise the Lord!

➢ Mission Sundays were conducted in 8 Churches. Visakapatnam, Srikakulam, Ramachandrapuram, Guntur & Kakinada. 1.5 lakhs offerings were raised.

➢ The Lord blessed the revival meetings arranged exclusively by the Telugu Baptist Church, Srikakulam. Nearly 500 participated.

➢ Children’s Retreat was conducted successfully with 72 kids and teens at CSI Church, Vizianagaram.

gujarat

Praise ➢ 12 ladies attended the Deborah Fasting

Prayer. ➢ 152 children participated in the VBS

held in 4 places. ➢ Masru was delivered from evil spirit. ➢ Anjana who had sickle cell anaemia

delivered a girl baby though the Doctor had ruled out a safe delivery.

➢ 2 new families have started to attend our fellowship.Pray

➢ Salvation – Vimal, Prakash, Bura, Nanji, Madha, Anandha, Ujmo, Rammi and Ramesh.

➢ Pragati, Sneha and Prakash to get a job.

madhya pradeshPraise

➢ 10 confessed their faith publicly. ➢ Lakshmanan, Roshini, Prakash and

KalluBai were delivered from evil spirit. ➢ God protected Sandeep from an

accident. ➢ 50 New Testaments and 100 tracts were

distributed. ➢ 20 contacts were established. ➢ In a village where there was much

opposition for the Gospel, Chandan and Janaki are seeking Christ.Pray

➢ For Salvation - Nithu, Preethi, Vimlesh, Prakash, Nannebai, Ramkumar and Sandeep.

➢ Lalitha to be delivered from evil spirit. ➢ Healing – Saraswathi (Paralysis);

Roshini (Bleeding); Ramkali (Chest pain). ➢ Ram Prasad to be delivered from

alcohol addiction. ➢ Blessing of womb – Priyanka, Bharathi,

Sweety, Shalu, Sumitra, Elina, Neetal, Neelish, Priyanka, Rethu, Kamakshi and Akhansha, Paridhi, Sheela and Swetha.

➢ Suitable life partners – Mano, Sanjay, Devendhar, Haridas, Ramrathan, Kamal, Halle, Rahul, Arjun, Krishna, Dharmendhar, Rajendhar, Ramilan and Malathi.

➢ Missionary Raja and family shifted from Jabalpur to Hyderabad (Telangana). Missionary Appalasamy and family shifted from Karim Nagar, Telangana to Jabalpur (MP). Missionary Kadhirvel and family shifted from Sagar to Jabalpur (MP).

FIELD FRAGRANCE!


➢ Govind to be delivered from evil spirit and hip pain.

maharashtraPraise

➢ 11 confessed their faith. ➢ God protected Arjun and his family

from snake bite. ➢ Ladies’ Prayer Cell have been newly

started in two places. ➢ 4 new villages were visited. ➢ 60 attended the Gargoti church

anniversary. Bro. Anil Jadhav shared the Word of God.

➢ On 23rd June, Dr. Subhash was invited to share God’s Word in worship service in Bethsaida Grace Church, Belgaum. More than 350 attended and were richly blessed with God’s Word. In the evening, he shared God’s Word in Youth fellowship and encouraged them to live a witnessing life for the Lord.

➢ On 24th June, Bro. Reuben and Dr. Subhash attended Pastors’ fellowship in Miraj and shared about BYM and encouraged to have partnership with the Mission.Pray

➢ Sawant, Anand, Bapu, Jadhav, More, Umesh and Ashok to be delivered from alcohol addiction.

➢ Healing - Reshma and Laxmi (BP); Sneha (Nervous Problem); Renjana (Throat Cancer) and Aslam (Mental Sickness).

➢ Missionary couple Dr. Subash Waghmare and Suchita have shifted to Pune.

odishaPraise

➢ 29 obeyed the Lord. ➢ Ladies’ Prayer Cell and Sunday school

were started in a village.

➢ 35 attended a Night Prayer. ➢ 190 were blessed in a Family Retreat. ➢ God healed Ranju from severe stomach

pain and Sanjeev from Kidney problem. ➢ God protected two of our believers

from cobra bite. ➢ 50 people are listening to the Gospel in

a village. Pray for their salvation. ➢ Praise God that Raghunath of Suabeda

miraculously escaped when a lightning struck their house. Everything was burnt but the family members escaped unhurt.

➢ 210 were blessed in a Youth Retreat in two places.Pray

➢ For healing – Mongali (Low haemoglobin); Sabamani (Back pain); Chithru (Chest pain); Keshri (Rheumatic joint pain); Radha (Tonsilitis); Bhagyasee & Niranjan (Kidney problem); Tapan (Fits); Drupati, Kalavathi & Rehan (Heart problem); Mano (Neck pain); Siro & Rupa (Joint pain); Absalom (Sickle cell anaemia) and Danu (Burning sensation in legs).

➢ For Salvation – Shiba and Kesba. ➢ For Jaleswar who is opposing the Good

News, to know Christ. ➢ Sitaram couple to have children. ➢ Revathi to be delivered from evil spirit. ➢ Missionary Abhimonue Bhatra has

problems in his kidneys. Pray for a miracle.rajasthan

Praise ➢ 8 accepted Christ as their personal

Saviour. ➢ Healings received – Kaskma (Able to

speak); Sunil & Saridha (Skin allergy). ➢ Prathing was delivered from alcohol

addiction. ➢ The Lord gave us an opportunity to

minister in the VBS held in St. Andrew Church, Jaipur and in Eternal Life Church,


Jaipur. After many years we are again invited by the local church to offer services to their youth. Pray that God may help us build cordial relationship with the pastors and be a support to them in uplifting their congregation.

➢ Kali’s husband Bhura mistreated her for attending the Church. But now he is a changed person. Praise God.

➢ A Table Tennis Tournament held during the month of June. Young people participated enthusiastically.

➢ Mini-Halo was held in Jaipur in which 35 young people participated for the fi rst time.

➢ The Bible Lovers’ Camp was held in the month of June in Jaipur. 28 people participated and were blessed with the Word of God. Pray

➢ Ashish met with an accident. He was injured in his head and has a fracture in his spinal cord. Pray for his healing.

➢ For healing – Ramchand (Paralysis); Maria (Dumbness); Raju (Mental illness); Deva (swelling in her body) and Kasma (Breathing Problem).

➢ Vinod to be delivered from alcohol addiction.

➢ Kali had frequent miscarriages. Pray for her to be blessed with a baby.

➢ Five of the youth members have left the Rajasthan team owing to wrong and deceptive teachings. Pray that God might protect the sheep.

uttar pradeshPraise

➢ Our believers’ children Sandhiya, Devender, Pahalwan and Rossini got a suitable life partner in June.

➢ Native missionary Shiromani is blessed with a baby boy.

➢ Missionary couple Guru Prasad and Mercy shifted from Mahroni to Lucknow.

➢ Asha and Akilesh were healed from eye problem after 15 yrs.

➢ Ramvathi accepted Christ after receiving healing from stomach pain after 10 years. Pray

➢ Healing : Parimela (White Spots); Anand Kumar (Spinal cord problem) and Sheela (Heart problem).

➢ Salvation - Modiram and Dinesh.west bengal

Praise ➢ 180 attended the VBS in 3 places. ➢ God protected our missionary Solomon

Das’ son Sumit from a bike accident.Pray

➢ Pravin and Lallu to be delivered from alcohol addiction.

➢ Healing – Beranaikkakujur (BP); Sunitha (Unable to move her right thumb); Pravin (Injured leg) and Banthima (Injured hand).

➢ Backsliden - Philistiliah, Augastu, Rajini and Marium.

➢ Saravanakumar couple to have children. condolences

➢ Missionary Yacobu Namburi’s father, Pastor Rajarathnam Garu (85Yrs) went to be with the Lord on 11th May.

➢ Missionary Rashmirani Kuldip’s mother Aladini Chandra (63 Yrs) entered God’s glory on 28th June.

➢ Missionary Kuntala Khosla’s mother, Jamuna Bagh (65 Yrs) had her home call on 5th July.

➢ Missionary Nithya Kadhirvel lost her father Gunasekaran (67yrs) on 13th June. Pray for their consolation.

the wind in the field

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