Seeking to promote the ministry of both the Word and the Spirit by equipping men and women of God for the work of the ministry for the overall growth and edification of believers and the Body of Christ.
Friday, October 8, 2021
Revival in Meghalaya. Once Again.
Monday, August 23, 2021
Biblical Pattern for Genuine Fellowship
The Bible calls us to exhort, encourage and stir up one another. In fact, there are several verses in the New Testament that instructs the believers to “one-another”. For instance, “Love one another”, “Forgive one another”, “Pray for one another” and so on. And the fact of the matter is that it's simply not possible for us to practice all these “one-anothering” by meeting once a week inside a building with all the people in the pews facing towards the pulpit an hour or two. The solution for us is to emulate the healthy practice of the church in the book of Acts – to meet informally and daily from house to house.
Yes, in verse 46 it does say that they met in the temple too. And that was because these believers initially still observed the hours of Jewish worship. For instance, in Acts 3:1 we read of Peter and John going up to the temple at the “ninth hour” – the hour of prayer (3 pm) for the Jews. Another possible or additional reason for them to meet at the temple (courtyard) was so they could listen to the apostles’ teachings corporately. Whatever the reason, we should note that their activities in the temple were different from that in their homes where they broke bread and ate food with joy and gladness of heart as they prayed and exhort and edified one another. So genuine fellowship and building up of each other among the believers happened as a lifestyle wherever they existed.
Churches meeting in big numbers in large halls or buildings should realize the need for a genuine fellowship among believers to foster love, unity and building of each other up – something which isn’t possible in a crowd. The power of the early church should be recovered today by simply emulating them. Hence, if it’s not possible for big-sized churches to dismantle completely and meet in smaller groups at homes then they should, at least, invest their efforts by restructuring the church into smaller groups and give impetus to their meetings from house to house during week days. Having said so, it cannot be denied that such churches tend to treat the larger meetings as THE church and the smaller meetings that take place throughout the week simply as activities categorized under some label, usually groups that are geared to make efforts to make the larger meetings grand and successful. For instance, if one is qualified enough to take up a task in the smaller meetings then he or she would be gradually promoted to function in the larger meetings; everything geared up for the larger meetings on Sunday morning. Essentially, in the New Testament, especially in the Book of Acts, the exact opposite was actually true.
The church that met at homes in smaller numbers was a full-fledged genuine church complete and cohesive in every sense.
It's no doubt that large gatherings could enhance worship celebrations and preaching ministries, etc., but when it comes to koinonia fellowship and other activities where body life takes place, meeting in homes in smaller numbers is the most effective pattern of the New Testament for us to follow. Watchman Nee taught that, “Every church after God’s own heart bears the stamp of ‘one another’ on all its life and activity” (The Normal Christian Church Life, Indian Edition pg 47).
Therefore, church leadership ought to motivate believers to meet with one another regularly in order to encourage and pray for one another for mutual edification. Such intentional meetings could also give birth or enhance other ministries like neighborhood evangelism, visiting, reaching out to the poor and needy and many other similar projects and ventures all aimed at advancing the Kingdom of God outside the four walls of our church buildings.
Heb 10:24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, v25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Please feel free to leave your comments. Thanks.
The Power of the Word of God
When we think about the power of God we immediately think of the Holy Spirit and rightly so because the power of God is directly related to the Holy Spirit, “You’ll receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,” “But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” (Acts 1:8; Luke 24:49).
In the book of Acts we find several instances where this power of the Holy Spirit was manifested when the believers met together for prayers. Today, some churches will at times organize “revival meetings” with the expectation that they’d experience the manifestation and power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believers that there’d be repentance and renewal taking place. But we’d lose on many counts what the Holy Spirit can do in and through our lives when we limit Him and His power to only certain types of meetings. What we don’t realize is that we can experience the same power of the Holy Spirit daily through one important medium God has ordained for us. And that medium is the immutable Word of God. The same power of God which works through the Holy Spirit also works through His Word - the Holy Scriptures which we call the Bible. In fact, it’s the power of the Holy Spirit that also works through the Word of God.
The apostle Paul realized this power hidden in the Word of God and boldly declares, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Rom 1:16. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Paul doesn’t say that the gospel contains the power of God but the gospel itself is the power of God that works salvation in the lives of those who accept it. No wonder when Peter preached under the unction of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost three thousand people became desperate to get saved. The Word he preached was so powerful that the hearers felt it like an arrow piercing their hearts which caused them to run to Peter and cried out in utter desperation, “What must we do?” Such is the power of the Word. We ought to pray to God to revive such ministry in our pulpits again in our days.
Neh 8:8, 9 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. 9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law.
When the people heard the words of the Law which was read and explained by Ezra and his companion they began to mourn and to weep out of conviction. We could say that there was some sort of revival that took place that day and it was because of the ministry of the Word of God. Such was the weeping and the mourning that the leaders had to calm them down. And that’s the power of the Word of God in action. We, therefore, ought to be conscious of the fact that everytime we read and meditate upon the Word the power of God would work in us and everytime we preach and teach the Word we should expect the power of God to touch and transform peoples’ lives. For the Gospel is the power of God. The revival stories that we read about and which took place under the ministries of God’s servants like Jonathan Edwards, R. A. Torrey and others were basically because of the ministry of the Word of God. Such revivals bring about a genuine and long-lasting transformation in the lives of those being ministered to.
If there’s one thing lacking in the pulpit today then it is this - the dearth of anointed and systematic preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Not just some emotionally charged up rhetorics and cliches of words but solidly grounded and sound teaching from the Scripture breathed by the Holy Spirit that brings about a genuine transformation in the lives of our people.
As we seek the power of the Holy Spirit may we not underestimate the power of the Word of God. Remember: The Gospel is the power of God.
Friday, August 20, 2021
Privileged to Teach

David Pawson in his extensive work entitled, “Unlocking the Bible – A unique overview of the whole Bible”, speaks about the three different approaches to reading the Bible. The first one is the verse-centered approach (self) in which we look for a word for ourselves. In this approach “we read through until a verse fits our situation”. He humorously calls it ‘the horoscope method of Bible reading’. The second approach is the passage-centered approach (others) where we “read the Bible mainly for the sake of other people”. Of course, this is popular today with preachers and teachers. The last one is the “best approach” in which we read the whole book rather than just parts of it. The author reinforces that, “only by doing this can we really understand what God is saying to us through it” (page 612 – 614). May the Lord increase our spiritual appetite to read the Bible and the things therein in its totality.
Saturday, August 5, 2017
I Love You But I Don't Like You
“I love you but I don’t like you.” Has anyone ever said this seemingly rhetoric line to you? The first time someone threw that on me I was a little puzzled and felt funny about it. The second time was during an ice-breaking question in a Bible-study group where I was asked if I’d choose to be loved or liked by people. The third was when I had some friends over to our house for dinner and someone brought up this line for a casual discussion. I questioned the group if it was ever possible to love someone without actually liking him or her. “Well, also the opposite of like is dislike, right?” I added to my question. Now, is it therefore possible for a person to love and dislike a person at the same time?
In the context of Christian fellowship someone might argue that the person concern is not worthy of being liked because of some negative issues or attitudes or some flaw in his/her character. But because the Lord has called us to love one another we could therefore love that person without actually liking him/her. I personally find this saying, this statement rather contradictory. Here’s why. You see when you dislike someone there has to be at least one reason why. And whatever the reason, the Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins. And if you truly love that person then you’d be willing to cover his sins or his shortcomings – the reasons for which you disliked him. And when you cover his sins or weaknesses then you can’t continue to dislike him. For if you do then you’re still holding it against him. Of course, we may dislike the sins in his life, his uncomely behavior, his weaknesses and such other negative traits in his character. And that’s also exactly why when we say we like a particular person we’re actually referring to some aspects of his character, behavior or attitude which are appealing and beautiful in nature. So in that sense, love has to do with a person as a whole while like has to do with certain aspects of that person. Love is more subjective while like more objective.
The Bible doesn’t say, “For God so liked the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” It’s because He loved the world. He loved us. He didn’t like the sins and darkness in which we were wallowing and dying and yet out of love for us, He rescued us. That’s what love does and it should be no different with us, His children. Now you know God loves you. And it’s on the basis of His amazing love towards us that He not only bears with our sins and weaknesses but also ardently deals with them so that the things He dislikes in us is transformed and replaced with the things He likes and enjoys in us.
Have you ever clicked on the “Like” button for a post in Facebook only to realize, after contemplation, that it actually doesn’t deserve a like and then you change your mind and click the “Like” button again in order to undo it? Some will even jest, “Where’s the “dislike” button?” Similarly, because people can change, our likes and dislikes are therefore subject to change not for the person as a whole but for certain traits in his life. Love shouldn’t change.
God may like or dislike certain things in our lives but His loves for us endures forever. “I have loved you with an everlasting love” He says.
Love endures. Likes and dislikes don’t.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
An unknown man called me up this morning (18th June '14). He had listened to my radio program last week and wanted to meet me. I invited him over to my house. At first guess I thought he'd be just about a year or two older to me sussing (figuring out) from his voice over the phone. But it turned out that he was an elderly gentleman with white beard and 65 years of age.
He looked at me and said, "Ah! You're just a young man. I thought you'd be an elderly person". We chatted for almost 2 hours. He had read the Bible for the last 50 years and being from a Hindu background had read the major Hindu scriptures. In search for truth, he had also spent one year learning about Islam in India. So in his conversation he'd quote from all these religious books including the Bible. At present, he said some Jehovah Witness visits him to teach him their doctrine. But he had finally concluded that there's no other book like the Bible and that Jesus is the Truth. However, he didn't want to be baptized since he was disillusioned because of the lifestyle of some of the so called pastors and Christians. He felt that people were unnecessarily trying to force him to be baptized.
Cutting the long story short, I narrated to him my testimony of how even after almost all my family members accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior I was unwilling to simply because I had the same problem - finding faults in other Christians. And this would be my answer every time, especially when my parents would try to persuade me to commit my life to the Lord. Then I told him what my mother told me one day. When I came up with the same reply, she simply said, "Son, don't look up to people and their shortcomings for in doing so you'll always have one or the other complain about them and that'll actually prevent you from progressing in life. Just look unto Jesus and see if you find any fault in Him. If you don't then believe and follow Him." Then I told the gentleman, "Sir, today I want to repeat to you the same word my mother said that day." His countenance changed and declared, "That's it! No more finding faults at people from today and I'm going to look up to Him from now on." "Amen", said I and tried to shook hands with him but he got up and hugged me tightly and sitting down wiped his tears away. The Lord touched him at that moment. After that we continued chatting for the next hour or so and handed him the book, "Questions of Life."
Please pray for his complete salvation, and of course though I didn't want to be another guy to press him for baptism he desires to meet with me again. My message last Friday night was about the benefits/fruits of meeting in small groups which included church planting in every neighborhood. He had been so encouraged through the message that he desires to start a church right in his locality.
Please also continue to pray for my radio ministry. Thanks and God bless!
Udaypur, Rupatar - 2 Days Training in a remote village. <= Click on the link/title to read and to check some lovely photos.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Meghalaya Ministry Trip Report April 2012
Well, I know it sounds rather unusual to start a report with the verse above. But I have a good reason to do so :-).
God's word can, without doubt, be taken at face value. Undertaking this two-week ministry trip for the first time with my wife, I could see the favor of the Lord everywhere we visited. No doubt, my wife at time past had accompanied me for ministry but that was simply for church meetings on Sundays. However, this visit was really a different experience for me. Her presence made me feel so complete in ministry. I would wish that it was possible for her to join me every time I make such long and outstation ministry trip. But that would also mean someone willing to take care of our kids like John (my younger brother) and his wife Esther did with such loving care. But just as I have witnessed that many couples serving the Lord together are usually older folks (and my perception could be wrong), I wonder if that would be the case with us too. Grow up fast kids!
| The Church in Shillong |
| A railway station in NJP area |
| Some Shillong believers coming to see us off at a bus station |
| Mikseng & Rosemary |
| Evening Meeting |
| Tura Times editor, Pangseng & Dilip. Pangseng is also in Mikseng's leadership team. |
| Garo delicacies |
| Anu & Abhishek |
| At the crowded railway station in Guwahati |
Back home, I’m teaching the Alpha course to about 40 young people most of who are non-Christians and I’ve another week to go in order to complete the course. The Lord is using this time to bring these young people to know Him better and to commit their lives to Him. Your prayers would be invaluable for this ministry.
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| ...and yes that's our little Daniel. He'll never pose for a photo without the V sign |
With gratitude of love,
Reuben Pradhan
| Praying for various needs |
| Worshiping |
| Word of prophecy for an elder's son |
Please feel free to leave your comments. Thanks.
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