October_1

Nov 10, 2023 by LMAsia

India

Currently there are 205 churches in India, with approximately 5,278 attending the Lord’s table meeting and approximately 9,225 participants in the church life. The current burden of the churches is to make the speaking of the ministry the speaking among all the churches universally and to make the leading of the ministry a common practice among all the churches. In practicality, this primarily involves the following four aspects: entering into the annual seven feats, practicing the God-ordained way to strengthen the testimony in major cities, all the churches praying to spread the Lord’s testimony, and raising up the next generation.

The Video Training and PSRP

In the past, during the video training in Kerala, the saints would often share the revelations they received after watching the video messages. However, starting from the Winter Training in 2022, the brothers received the burden to help the saints enter into the training in a rigorous way. Before the training, the brothers helped the saints get prepared by entering into the outlines through PSRP. During the training, everyone followed the schedule diligently and took notes. There was also time for review after the meetings, and everyone participated in exams. This rigorous approach to training brought revival to the churches, and two young people were inspired to join the full-time training as a result. In the semiannual training in 2023, more churches began conducting video training in this way. After this video training, brothers from one church testified about how the word of the Lord had resolved the problem of coordination and restored the oneness among the brothers. Thanks to the Lord, He is strengthening His work among the saints through His present speaking.

Practicing the God-Ordained Way

Before we began keeping statistics in 2019, we thought there were 50 saints in Mumbai. However, after listing names, we found that only about 30 were regularly attending the Lord’s table meetings. We were greatly enlightened. The brothers subsequently helped us prepare a statistical chart for managing statistics and consider the statistics during the Monday serving meeting to seek breakthroughs. For example, we started caring for the saints who were absent from the meetings and arranged evening bread-breaking gatherings for those in need. Over time, we realized that the progress of the Lord’s move depended on the prayers of the church. Therefore, we started conducting district prayer meetings every Tuesday, with approximately 45 saints attending. These saints then went out to shepherd people every week in response to the burden, leading to an increase in the number of those being cared for and in the attendance of the Lord’s table meetings. At the end of last year, the Lord’s Day attendance in Mumbai was 82, and this August, the average attendance was 91. We hope that by the end of the year, the attendance in Mumbai will reach 100. May the Lord gain a strong testimony in Mumbai.

All the Churches Spreading the Lord’s Testimony

During the co-workers’ training this January, the brothers sounded the trumpet, encouraging the churches in the states with existing churches to propagate in the states without churches. The churches in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana responded to this burden and began to propagate the neighboring states, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, in coordination. Through the distribution of Rhema literature in the past, the Lord has manifested some seekers in thirteen cities in the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha. They met in free groups but were eager to know the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. The co-workers have been regularly visited them. Since the sounding of the trumpet in January, the responsible brothers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states began visiting these two states to shepherd the saints and regularly reported on the progress in the responsible brothers’ meetings. Each church then prayed accordingly for the Lord’s move in their prayer meetings. Through this, the saints gained a broader view of the Body of Christ, and the Lord hastened His move in these two states through the prayers of the churches. We hope that in the first half of next year, the Lord will raise up five local churches to be His testimony.

Grace Received from the Full-time Training

For the past few years, the enemy used the pandemic to hinder young people from attending the training. Since last July, the co-workers and responsible brothers in various places have coordinated in one accord, shepherding the young saints who have the heart to attend training every week. Many young people thus responded to the Lord’s call and joined the full-time training. As of July this year, a total of 60 trainees are being perfected in the training center. In the past year, 14 trainees graduated, and 9 of them continue in the third-year training for further perfecting. At the same time, more young co-workers from various places join the coordination to teach at the training center. Praise the Lord for separating the young people in India to serve Him! May the Lord raise up more young saints to participate in the full-time training. We hope that the number of trainees next year will reach 70. Please also pray for the renting of new facilities for the training center and the preparation of more serving ones so that every trainee can receive all-inclusive care and become stepping stones for the Lord’s move in India.

Turkey

On February 6, two rare earthquakes with a magnitude of seven or above occurred in the central-southern region of Turkey, and rescue efforts continued for over a month. People in the affected areas, various government agencies, and even the entire country of Turkey were in a state of sadness and fear. From the end of March, they entered into the tension of the fasting month and preparations for the elections, which continued until the end of May when two elections took place. Only then did things slowly start to return to normal.
The situation outside was tumultuous, and people’s hearts lacked peace and security. However, His church remained steadfast, and the fellowship among the members of the Body became richer, filled with God’s presence. When the earthquake occurred, the saints in Istanbul immediately contacted the saints in Adana, a city closer to the disaster area, to ensure their needs were met and continued to pray for the saints and the people there. The Lord used the situation to closely join the saints in Adana together, so that they could comfort, care for, and encourage one another.
In early June, five saints from Istanbul visited the saints in Adana. They had prepared some messages on blending before their visit, but when they met, all the preparations seemed insignificant. God’s presence filled everyone, and there was nothing but thanksgiving and praise! The saints were comforted and strengthened in the Lord and in the Body. On the last day of their visit, a sister’s classmate was baptized. The Lord is victorious! He led the saints to triumph over all the limitations and pressures from the external environment.
In addition to visiting existing saints, several Rhema readers were contacted during this time. Among them was a young brother who had a strong desire to know the truth. Ten years ago, he heard a Turkish hymn on YouTube that deeply attracted him, and he began seeking the Christian faith. He had visited some Christian groups to learn about this faith, but the people there were not very accepting of him. Nevertheless, he continued reading the Bible. Four years ago, he suffered from depression due to his father’s death and needed treatment. He mentioned that after the earthquake, no one around him cared about him, but the saints actively contacted and cared for him, which deeply moved him. He felt that these Christians were very different from those he had encountered before. He opened up to the saints, desired to experience the church life, and requested to join online Turkish-speaking meetings.
Since the earthquake, about 13 readers and gospel friends have been contacted. So far, four have responded well, and the saints continue to stay in touch and fellowship with them. In addition to the brother mentioned earlier, there is another brother who, after reading our spiritual books, wrote a thank-you letter stating that he was deeply touched by the words in the books which were full of light. He was particularly responsive to the messages about “long for the guileless milk of the word” and “love your enemies” and saw them confirmed in his own experiences. Muslims typically fear God, but he now has a different view, recognizing God as a God of love, a loving Father, and he couldn’t believe he could become a child of God. The letter was filled with a sense of overwhelming glory!
Thank God that there are still people truly seeking the Lord in this Muslim country. From January to September of this year, three Turkish individuals have been baptized and received the Lord through the sharing of the saints. Glory be to God!