paul

Dear brothers,

Greetings in Jesus name! I would like to thank you, and share with you some of the ways in which the Lord blessed me through the leadership conference that was held in Goa. First, I just wanted to thank you for organizing this. It was a privilege to be able to sit and learn from the Word of God throughout the week. It is hard to put into words the many things we took away from this conference. It was a great time of refection, correction, ministry evaluation, and a renewed commitment in taking the correct steps. Below are some of the truths that the Lord impressed upon my heart:

1. The disconnect between understanding the truth, and the transferring of the truth in practical church ministry must be corrected. The disconnect that is between a right understanding and a right practice has to be bridged with urgency. In the context of not having many role models (local churches who exclusively trust in the sufficiency of the Scriptures)- we are in need of being faithful, and creating some.

2. Listening to the brothers speak, especially concerning the fear of the Lord in the care of the local church, overwhelmed my heart. The leaders call is no ordinary calling. It has to be done with fear, trembling, and with reverence. We must resist the temptation to do things in accordance with our understanding and personal preference. The household of God is most precious to Him, and the Church is His, and must be cared for in the way He has instructed.

3. It is vital that nothing draws people to our churches except the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

4. One statement that keeps ringing within me is, “How sure are you that much of your activities in the ministry are not going to be burnt up?” This statement has caused much thought and prayer. I am thankful to the Lord for His grace in helping me to see things in the light of the Gospel. I pray that it will bring forth ongoing transformation in my life, and the ministry that the Lord has entrusted to me.

5. More than anything, this conference helped me to look back at my journey of faith and ministry. It has helped me evaluate how the Lord has, and is directing me in my understanding of ministry and importance of the local church. As I have mentioned in the past, I came from a background of “doing missions with urgency,” without any focus on a in-depth understanding of the Scripture and the Gospel. Through the providence of the Lord in the relationships He has brought into my life, it is clear that depth is more important than width. The foundation must be laid first if it is going to last. This conference has brought more clarity in understanding this truth. Thank you for being God’s instrument in bringing this message.

6. The lessons on how to plant a church, and the correct way to pastor one, has caused us to re-evaluate things.

7. Being alone with God, studying the Word of God with much diligence, and then preach it to His bride. When studying the Scriptures, we should seek to see His glory and His majesty in the text. The problems that face our land today is not because of liberals or politicians, but preachers, who do not spend their time in the Scriptures and prayer closet. There has to be a stronger desire, and greater commitment to the study of the Scriptures.

8. Another important lesson I learned from this conference is that we cannot always act based on the need. We must be driven and act upon biblical principles.

9. Other important lessons: (1) Lack of proper church history is hurting missions. We need translation work to be done, and the grand history of the church to be published in my language. God’s people have a heritage, and they need to know it. (2) Prayerlessness does not only affect the leader, but it also affects his ministry and his work. (3) Scripture has to be the basis of all that we do. (4) Preaching the Gospel is not enough- we are called to plead with men to obey and believe in a biblical manner. (5) The only thing that will transform people is the knowledge of the mercies of God revealed in the Person and the work of Jesus Christ. We are not allowed to move people with manipulation, or beat them up. (6) Cultivating the mind of Christ is of extreme importance. The truths we preach must be a reality in our own lives!

The Spirit has revealed to me my need of rededicating my life to the study of the Scriptures, and the giving of myself to prayer. I need to further cultivate the discipline of reading good/recommended books. I need to focus on the importance of having a strong local church- with Biblical preaching, prayer, a solid theology, evangelism, membership, discipline, church leadership, and reproduction. I need to find ways to connect with like-minded brothers, allowing us to help each other.

Praise the Lord for His grace!

Thank you,

Vijay