YEAR OF PATIENCE

December 2003       

Volume 32 Issue 12  No. 333

HITHERTO... 333 ...HENCEFORTH!

The slogan for my writing ministry will always be: Write What’s Right! If you would like to read then and there what I write, kindly register your e-mail id on my website: www.StanleyOnBible.com

TEN TOWERS

Greetings, dear friends, in the Name of the Lord who is great! Praise Him for His presence and guidance with us in this ministry all these 30 years. This 3-day Programme is organized for us to gather before Him to celebrate His praises by recollecting His mighty deeds of the past and rededicating ourselves to follow Him faithfully in all the years to come before the Return of His Son.

The theme chorus sung repeatedly and rapturously in the annual camps of BYM in the early seventies was—

Great is the Lord,

And greatly to be praised!

 

This chorus is Psalm 48:1,2 set to music. The last three verses of this Psalm set the stage for our meditation this morning: "Walk about Zion, and go all around her. COUNT HER TOWERS. Take note of the fortified walls, and tour all the citadels, that you may describe them to future generations. For that is what God is like. He is our God forever and ever, and He will be our GUIDE until we die" (Psa 48:12-14).

During the 3rd Decade Inauguration Meet in January 1991 we meditated on the Book of Haggai to remember the past and be renewed for the future. This time we will invite Prophet Zechariah to conduct the tour for us and explain to us the Towers of Zion. We will consider the Towers of Zion as the Pillars of BYM. Interestingly, the name Zechariah means, "Jehovah remembers!" The Old Testament prophecies have an immediate fulfilment, a distant fulfilment, and an ultimate fulfilment in the plan of God for the ages. The Blessing Youth Mission as a tiny part of the Body of Christ can access to this prophetic book of Zechariah for remembrance and guidance. This study tour is to renew us and lead us to rededication and that we may rehearse it to the generations to come. There are atleast TEN TOWERS we will cover in this tour. Keep the Book of Zechariah open.

TOWER 1 Revival & Restoration

1:17, "The towns of Israel will AGAIN overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will AGAIN comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem as His own!"

2:12, "The land of Judah will be the Lord’s inheritance in the holy land, and He will ONCE AGAIN choose Jerusalem to be His own City!"

9:12, "Come back to the place of safety, all you prisoners, for there is yet hope! I promise you this very day that I will RESTORE double to you!"

Here is the genesis of the ministry of Blessing Youth Mission. Gripped by a deep sense of dissatisfaction over the condition of the Church, a group of about twelve college students kept crying before God, day and night, for a genuine spiritual awakening. The reading of the revival history of men of God like John Wesley (1703-1791), Charles Finney (1792-1875) and Jonathan Goforth (1859-1936) created in them an unquenchable thirst for a mighty visitation of the Spirit of God. They cried out before God, "O Lord! Lift up Your arm as in the days of old!" The prayer gatherings were filled with shouts of, "Do it again, Lord!" Someone in the group would plead with tears, "Double portion won’t do; we need triple portion, O God!"

The result of months and years of such revival praying was the birth of the famous three day statelevel annual camps in Tamilnadu known as "Blesso" for men, and "Revivo" for women, in Thanjavur and later in Danishpet. These were followed up by scores of regional programmes and weekend revival meetings in Churches. These revival programmes brought the participants to a renewed realisation of the awful condition of men’s hearts and reverence for the awesome holiness of God.

There are critics who question where revivalists are found in the New Testament list of ministers. They make this challenge with a reference to the fivefold ministries of Ephesians 4:11. I believe that Revivalists are close to Prophets. All Revivalists are Prophets though all Prophets may not be Revivalists. The ordinary does not interest them. They are not general practitioners. They are God’s specialists. They diagnose what’s really wrong with the Church. They are not physicians but surgeons. They come to the scene at the hour of total helplessness. The messages of the Old Testament prophets prove this point. Their sermon in a nutshell in the words of the Prophet of Prophets is, "Remember from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else...!" (Rev 2:5). The theme of Revivo ’83 was "I will Restore!"

If the world must be reached, the Church must be revived. A sick Church cannot save a dying world. Evan Roberts (1878-1951), used mightily by God in the Welsh revival, used to pray, "Lord, bend the Church and bless the world!" The last Book of the Bible first addresses the Church before addressing the nations. The Churches in this Book are compared to candlesticks. Christ is all out to trim the candles. He will never quench the smoking flax. He will bring forth a Church that’s triumphant (Mt 12:20,21).

It’s revival that keeps all our ministries and activities in proper perspective. Once the heat of revival is lost, there will be the structure but no Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit revival that gives birth to New Testament evangelism. Unless the backslidden David restores the joy of salvation in his life, he cannot teach God’s ways to sinners and transgressors (Psa 51:12,13). It is ever observed that revival begets evangelism though the converse may not be true. The BYM is not raised by God merely as a missionary sending agency. It is called to be a revival movement. If this emphasis is lost, the Mission will become a machine, and the missionary will be a machinery. Don’t forget your calling and follow popular tracks!

3:3-5, "Joshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. So the angel said to others standing there, "Take off his FILTHY clothes." And turning to Joshua he said, "See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine NEW clothes." Then I said, "Please, could he also have a CLEAN turban on his head?" So they put a clean priestly turban and dressed him in new clothes while the angel of the Lord stood by."

8:3, "Jerusalem will be called the FAITHFUL City; the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the HOLY Mountain."

14:20, "On that day even the harness bells of the horses will be inscribed with these words: HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And the cooking pots in the Temple of the Lord will be as SACRED as the basins used beside the altar."

First, Joshua is sanctified. Then the mountain is made holy. Third, the bells and bowls are made sacred. Here is a picture of "personal" sanctification, "corporate" sanctification, and finally "ministerial" sanctification. One leads to the other, in this order. The holiness of conduct in the lives of individuals determines the purity of the group, which finally is reflected in its works and activities. Joshua had already been chosen to be a priest and consecrated to minister in the Temple. God’s call is always to those who are already sanctified to be sanctified still. "He who is holy, let him be holier still!" Our potential sanctification in Christ must result in practical righteousness. The "new clothes" speak of pure heart, and the "clean turban" indicates clean mind. Let holiness be written all over us, as our beloved Brother Emil Jebasingh sang in Tamil.

The first main talk in all our programmes would be on holiness. Whatever be the theme of the camp or the purpose of gathering, we always begin with a time of self-examination. It is unlikely that any other para-Church organisation in India has produced so many self-examination questionnaire for searching the heart in the light of the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Spirit. Personally I had to spend several weeks in fasting and prayer to prepare most of these question sheets. Before I wrote them down, I had been put to deep searchings of the heart and soaked in tears of repentance. The impact of these question sheets on the users is the evidence.

Eventhough our major programmes always began with a time of searching and cleansing, we set aside one annual camp for the exclusive study of the subject of Holiness. It was Blesso ’78 in which the theme was "Holiness to the Lord!" I expanded this theme further and conducted a weeklong Study Seminar on it in West Germany in 1993. These talks in audiotapes with the simultaneous Tamil translation by Brother Jeyaraj are in wide circulation. The year 1998 in BYM was declared as the Year of Sanctification.

Satan will not disturb us in our ministerial activities as long as we flirt with him and the sinful ways of the world that’s under his spell. Satan was opposing Joshua the Priest as he was going through divine cleansing (Zech 3:1-3). Let us not sell our convictions and compromise because of convenience. According to Prophet A.W. Tozer (1897-1963), the first mark of a spiritual man is that he desires to be holy than be happy. Happiness is a bestseller in the religious market. There’s no demand for holiness. No wonder the devil is not afraid of us. In one of his letters to me, Prophet Leonard Ravenhill (1907-1994) wrote, "May God make you, young men, so holy and pure that the world will fear you and the devil frown you!" Let BYM any day be known for its commitment to personal purity and organisational integrity.

4:6, "It is not by force nor by strength, but by My SPIRIT, says the Lord Almighty!"

10:1, "Ask the Lord for RAIN in the spring, and He will give it. It is the Lord who makes storm clouds that drop SHOWERS of rain so that every field becomes a lush pasture."

About 30 students from professional and arts colleges gathered for three days of waiting on the Lord with fasting in the jungles of Kottaiyur, a village near Karaikudi in Tamilnadu in October 1970. This was the climaxing event of nearly seven years of daily prayer and fellowship of a handful of youngsters. On the third day of the meet, around seven in the morning, as we were all kneeling in a circle in the early sunlight, I preached a prophetic message for about an hour with the repetitious mentioning of Ezekiel 34:26. "I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing!" There SHALL BE showers of blessing! There shall be SHOWERS of blessing! There shall be showers of BLESSING! This became the foundational text for BYM when it was organized in 1971.

The hymn, There Shall Be Showers of Blessing, by Major Daniel Webster Whittle (1840-1901) became the theme song for all the BYM meetings. The programmes of BYM came to be known as opportunities for people to receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit and experience His refillings. Dancing with the joy of the Holy Spirit was a regular phenomenon. Most of those who experienced this charismatic blessing were folks from non-Pentecostal Churches. Chronic seekers from traditional Pentecostal background were told that they didn’t need to "tarry" any longer for the Spirit but simply "take" Him by faith just as they received Christ. Many delegates received the experiences of rebirth and Spirit baptism simultaneously as a single package. Those who received the Holy Spirit for the first time would number several hundreds in each meeting. These sessions were led by Brother Lionel, my first associate from 1965. He would lead people into the Baptism with the Spirit both by laying on of hands and en masse. His gifting in this area is unusual. Those who got anointed with the Spirit in our meetings have become a great blessing all over the world. Several men and women in BYM, like Brother Lionel though not in the same measure, are now helping others receive the Holy Spirit.

In 1961 I wrote a booklet, Tongues Today?, to clear doubts and answer questions on speaking in tongues. The use and abuse of this gift were boldly explained. Another one which I wrote later, How to be Anointed with the Spirit?, has helped earnest seekers of all denominations to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The theme of Blesso ’75 was "Power." We allotted 1989 to study the Power of the Spirit. Thousands were brought into a practical understanding of the gifts of the Spirit.

During our student days, 1963-1970, we used to daringly pray for the sick including lepers and cast out demons. God honoured our simple faith by performing signs, wonders and miracles. We encouraged the BYMers to move out into needy villages and exercise simple faith. God did extraordinary things through ordinary young people. These youngsters in their Churches may not even get an opportunity to lead a prayer. Now they are in the forefront of evangelism. They conducted Divine Deliverance (DD) Crusades in villages and Gospel Go-give (GG) Camps in hills and tribal areas. They used their vacations for Summer Missionary Programmes to get an exposure of mission fields. The power of the Holy Spirit was the secret of all these exercises.

The flow of the Holy Spirit should never be blocked in BYM. It must be always known as a Power Ministry.

2:10, "The Lord says, SHOUT and rejoice, O Jerusalem, for I am coming to live among you!"

14:17,18, "Any nation anywhere in the world that refuses to come to Jerusalem to WORSHIP the King, the Lord Almighty, will have no rain."

12:10, "I will pour out a spirit of grace and PRAYER on the family of David and on all people of Jerusalem."

The Blessing Youth Mission did not start as an organisation but an organism. At its roots it was just a prayer cell in the sixties. Prayer was its lifeline. It was born and baptized in prayer. Whatever the members of this group did was an outcome of the hours they spent in solitude for prayer and intercession. The dryness and the barrenness they saw in Christendom made them cry desperately unto God for His intervention. Desperate praying brings forth miracles. Hannah poured out her tears in God’s presence and received Prophet Samuel as a miracle. So did Zacharias and Elizabeth. Prophet John was the answer. The BYM is God’s answer to seven years (1963-1970) of desperate prayer in woods.

The first secret of a successful Christian ministry is prayer. The second secret is prayer. The third also is prayer! This is our conviction. The tear in the trousers of the members of the Karaikudi campus fellowship was usually at the knees and not at the back! It is said that Apostle James had thick and swollen knees. No wonder he could write so much on prayer in his Epistle. My plea with the leaders and members of BYM is, "Pray... and pray again!" (Js 5:17,18). Don’t begin with systems or structure, but with the Spirit. The BYM is built on a solid foundation of prayer. Take heed how you build the superstructure. Let not what was begun in the Spirit end in flesh! We already have too many monuments in Christendom. These were once movements of the Holy Spirit which later became skeletons because the dependence was on money and methods rather than on prayer power.

In order to revive the spirit of prayer in BYM, the year 1991 was declared as the Year of Prayer. This was the inauguration of the third decade. Sadly we have not yet restored prayer to its proper place. Some of us the select leaders of this Mission gathered in 1997 for a few days in Sitteri Hills our first mission station to remeditate the Book of Acts with the focus of prayer. We were thrilled to find out again that the solemn secret of power of the early Christians was prayer, and the reproachable reason for our powerlessness was prayerlessness. The future of BYM depends on the restoration of the spirit of prayer at every level and area of operation. Inspirational guidance is what makes missions different from secular organisations which are run purely on the discussions of committees (Acts 13:1-4). Prayer is the key.

4:10, "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the PLUMBLINE in Zerubbabel’s hand."

8:3b, "Jerusalem shall be called the City of TRUTH."

The plumbline speaks of the straightness of the Word of God to locate deviations in doctrine. It is rare to come across missionary organisations in India which are devoted to doctrinal teaching. The BYM from its inception has given high priority to the teaching of the Scripture. My basic calling as a Bible Teacher has been an advantage. People flocked to our meetings to receive solid meat from the Bible. Over two thirds of time in our programmes would be spent in preaching of the Word of God. There were occasions when we even forgot to collect the offering or ran out of time to do it because we were immersed in the study of God’s Word. Each annual camp had a specific theme and we travelled from Genesis through Revelation in studying these subjects.

Besides our annual camps, we had Summer Study Programmes in 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1984. I led these Sunday to Sunday programmes teaching the entire Bible dispensationally, structurally, historically and with the theme of redemption. To teach God’s people how to interpret the Bible and escape floods of false doctrine I conducted 5-day Sound Doctrine Seminars in Danishpet (1997), Hubli (1998), Trivandrum (1999) and Bhopal (1999). The lectures were in English with simultaneous vernacular translations of Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi. (The next two Seminars were conducted in Vizag and Cuttack for Telugu and Oriya in Oct 2000 and Oct 2001 respectively). The delegates as well as the listeners of the audiotapes of these Seminars have received tremendous spiritual enlightenment.

God has used BYM over the years to make His people fall in love with the Bible. Numerous Bible Contests and Memory Contests have been conducted. The theme of Revivo ’78 was, "It is Written!" 1992 was observed as the Year of Bible Meditation. The annual camp of that year in May was a Bible Lovers Camp. Rev. J. David Pawson, a renowned Bible Teacher from England, conducted the studies. It was an unforgettable time. When we later invited him for another programme like this, he commented, "I honestly feel that you have enough of Bible teaching in BYM. I wonder what more I can give!" Such privileges we enjoy in BYM bring us under tremendous responsibility. To whom much is given, of him much shall be required!

Not only in our meetings but also in our magazine, over two thirds of space is allotted to messages of edification, exhortation and comfort. We have freely introduced Study Bibles and other study aids to Christians to help them grow in the understanding of God’s Word. I dare to say that the workers and supporters of no other Mission will have so many study aids like those of BYM. For several years from 1979, my wife and I paid for the study books for our missionaries from the personal gifts we had received from friends in the Gulf. To get my first copy of an English Bible, I had to pray for nearly two years in the early sixties, as a student in the College. I therefore had made a commitment to God that when He would give me means, I would do all that’s possible to help the underprivileged to get Bibles and study books. An advantage of disadvantage!

4:7, "Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of ‘GRACE, Grace to it!’"

There are several references to Christ in the Book of Zechariah. He is called "My Servant" (3:8), "The Man called the Branch" (6:12,13), "Your King" (9:9), and "My Shepherd" (13:7). The Bible is Christocentric. When we forget this, we will go off tangent in our Biblical studies. We will be misled and deceived by falsehood if we don’t "hold fast to the Head" (Col 2:18,19).

As far as I could remember, most of our Bible meditation in our college prayer group was around the theme, "IN CHRIST." We would chew every line of Paul’s Epistles and dance with joy. Our position in Christ was the subject that excited us most. I list here the salient points we have emphasised in our pulpit teaching all these years in BYM—

  All believers are priests before God. There are no two classes of people among believers. The Aaronic priesthood has been changed. We are coworkers with Christ the High Priest in the order of Melchizedek (Heb 7:11-17). Fulltime preachers are not greater and do not have a better standing before God than average Christians. There’s no laity in the Church. All are clergy. As such we have no mediator between God and man other than Christ. The ministry of every minister of the New Testament is to make every believer a minister (Eph 4:11,12).

  Under the New Covenant, God does not anoint objects or sanctify places. His Spirit descends only on "all flesh!" Attaching any ritualistic or ceremonial import- ance to any object or place is idolatry. The entire earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. His presence is there wherever His people assemble in His Name. The curtain in the Temple was not torn from bottom to top, but from top to bottom. This is the Lord’s doing!

  We have guidelines, principles and commandments from God, but no law. Legalism and emphasising the externals are of man-made religion. We are freed from the yoke of Moses and brought under the lordship of Christ. Religion is busy washing the tumblers and whitewashing the tombs, but the Holy Spirit is dealing with the spirit and soul of man. Salvation is all of grace on God’s side, and all of faith on our side. Potentially, we are already complete in Christ. Practically, we are growing into Him.

Because I have consistently preached this New Testament truth and taught my coworkers to boldly proclaim it wherever they go, the BYM has earned several enemies among those who are in the business of restitching the curtain of the Temple (Gal 4:16). The Church may not be in Dark Ages but it does have many dark areas! We need another Luther to teach justification by faith and another Wesley to teach sanctification by the Spirit. Both the Testaments are important in the Bible, but because we are under the New Covenant, for every single reading of the Old Testament you must read the New Testament atleast five times! I call upon the BYMers to contend boldly for this faith which was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). We studied the theme "His Grace" in Revivo ’76, "Alpha & Omega" in Blesso ’80, "The Just shall Live by Faith" in Revivo ’85, and "Prophet, Priest & King" in Blesso ’88. Meet with those who attended these camps and study these vital subjects afresh.

One of the commonest names of Jehovah in the Old Testament is "The Lord of Hosts!" Next to the Book of Isaiah, the maximum occurence of this Name is in the Book of Zechariah (1:3,4,6,12,14,17, etc.)

The subject of spiritual warfare became popular mostly in the nineties. The Lord in His wisdom led us to study this subject in our major programmes of eighties itself. For example, the theme of Revivo ’82 was "Jehovah-Nissi," and that of Blesso ’86 was "Lord of Hosts." Even from 1971, there was hardly a programme in which a talk on Victorious Christian Living was absent. Personally I would have delivered atleast fifty talks on this subject approaching it from various angles. It was not simply a call to overcome temptations, but step-by-step practical teaching on victorious living. The cry of the youth is, "Don’t tell me why, but teach me how!" Our sermons must not be simply descriptive; they must be prescriptive. Thanks to Brother V. Ezekia Francis who composed for us the Tamil song, nanfhth ãÁ, to Brother M. Jason Pandian for nridfë‹ f®¤j® njt‹, and to Brother K. Ponraj Isaac for Méæ‹ g£la¤ij vL¤J¡bfhŸSnth«. These are hits with rich content.

We must avoid the danger of underestimating or overestimating Satan. He has not lost his power a bit. Christ is greater than him and so we can overpower him by the authority of Christ. The devil is the Prince of the world, but Christ is the King! Once upon a time there was total ignorance in many Christian circles about the work of Satan. But now there is overindulgence in this subject. Both are extremes to be avoided. The devil is intelligent enough to sidetrack us from our main task of soulwinning and evangelism by getting us overoccupied with the subject of demonology. My talk, How not to Battle, has helped thousands come out of deceptions.

The Book of Nehemiah has been one of the favorite books for us in BYM from the inception. No other book brings out lessons on spiritual leadership in the context of spiritual warfare like the Book of Nehemiah. The summary of the Book is, "Keep the trowel on one hand and the sword on the other!" (Neh 4:17,18). Be active in the work, and at the same time be alert! Be vibrant in the work, and at the same time be vigilant! Work and watch! The theme of Blesso ’76 was, "I cannot come down!"

Sufficient prophetic warning has been given from our pulpits against the possible attacks of the Enemy on the ministry of BYM, especially after the time of its founding leaders. I call upon the younger leaders to read and listen to the earlier messages to be better equipped. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Beware of substitutes! The devil is not afraid of anything synthetic. He cringes only before the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and the Men of God. If the devil could cheat the first couple when there had been no history of sin in the world, how much you and I are vulnerable today to his attacks! Knowing that he has just a short time, he is overworking and more furious than ever. May God fill each of us with the spirit of discernment!

2:4, "Hurry, and say to that YOUNG MAN, Jerusalem will someday be so full of people that it won’t have room enough for everyone!"

8:5, "The streets of the City will be filled with BOYS and GIRLS at play."

9:17, "How wonderful and beautiful they will be! The YOUNG MEN and WOMEN will thrive on the abundance of grain and new wine."

The first name of this ministry was Full Gospel Young Men Association (FGYMA). The women’s wing was called Full Gospel Young Women Association (FGYWA). The vision was stated as, "Revival among youngsters and Evangelism through youngsters." The leaders were in their twenties. The inaugural message, when the ministry was formerly launched, was from the story of David and Goliath. "Now David" was the phrase picked up from the narrative to challenge the youth (1 Sam 17:12a). The messages during the first decade were primarily addressing the youth. The thrust was to get every non-fulltimer actively involved in soulwinning and evangelism. Joseph of Genesis, David, Daniel and Timothy were the outstanding figures for character study.

In 1987 the ministry was renamed as Blessing Youth Mission (BYM) incorporating both FGYMA and FGYWA. The emphasis slowly shifted from youth to sending and supporting of fulltime missionaries. It then became necessary to have a separate wing to exclusively work among youngsters. It came to be known as Students For Jesus (SFJ). For a "youth" mission to have a students wing looks rather odd, but this arrangement became necessary so we might not lose our grip on youth when we concentrate on work in distant fields. To cater to the specific needs of unmarried youth in the age group of 16 to 25, the Mission started conducting one day rallies and three day camps respectively known as Sozo, Halo and Aroma. Teachers Conferences were organized to get the helping hand of Christian teachers in the campus ministry. If the leaders are not extremely cautious, this ministry in course of time will become a general mission agency like the hundreds in India.

The failure of the Church in addressing and attracting the young people is appalling. When over 40% of the members in the congregation is youth, the Churches observe just one Sunday in the year as the Youth Sunday. Even on that day, it is the old Pastor who delivers the sermon! Why not allot atleast one Sunday every month for the youth? Youth of course may make mistakes, so what? Don’t we elders make blunders? Don’t we realize that God has ordained our "sons and daughters and young men" to play the role of frontliners in the endtime outpouring of His Spirit? (Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17).

It’s our feeling of insecurity that applies brakes on the youngsters when they start moving for God. I have guided so many youngsters in the preparation and delivery of sermons. I am thrilled to see so many of these young preachers on pulpit. I have not run out of job! Quitting gracefully from the limelight is an act of maturity that would richly bless youngsters to grow and glow! There’s no tomorrow for Churches or missions if older leaders don’t voluntarily step down to give way for youngsters. We must turn a deaf ear to the sentimental appeals that come from friends asking us to stay longer in power. Let’s help youngsters to write the last chapter of Church history!

I urge the present leaders of BYM as well as those of other ministries to stay in touch with the youngsters. Read secular youth magazines and watch youth programmes in order to understand the culture of the modern youth and minister to them relevantly. Jesus became like us except that He did not sin. We cannot help anyone without incarnational identification. Let no leader become too busy to play with youngsters and laugh with them. Accept youngsters as they are. Avoid overcorrecting them. Never criticize them. What if a boy wears a cap with the shade at the back? May be the sun is behind him!

We will look at three passages for this pillar:

  8:16,17, "This is what you must do: Tell the truth to EACH OTHER. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace. Do not make evil plots to harm each other. And stop this habit of swearing to things that are false. I hate all these things, says the Lord."

One of the slogans we have been frequently using in our preaching and writing is: Get right with God; Get right with men! Matthew 5:23,24 will be invariably quoted in every sermon on repentance and holiness. Reconciling with the offended, and restituting matters with the wronged do not find much place in the popular preaching of the day. But the Bible keeps challenging, "If we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we have not seen?" (1 Jn 4:20b). The vertical relationship with God and the horizontal with fellowmen are mutually inclusive and complementary. Worship of God without concern for others is faith without works. The delegates in our camps were urged to meet with the offended at the earliest, either in person or through post or phone, to restitute matters so a clear conscience could be maintained (Acts 24:16).

The theme of Blesso ’88, our 18th annual camp, was, "But the Greatest is Love!" Due to heavy rains the main pandal in Pandither Gardens, Thanjavur collapsed during the programme and we shifted to a wedding hall downtown. The place was cramped but the fellowship was very warm. It was one of the best camps we ever had. This year of 2000 is observed as the Year of Brotherly Love. There is no New Testament Epistle which does not condemn grudge, bitterness, anger, unforgiveness and hatred. Adulterous thoughts and angry outbursts are treated alike by Christ. Both lead to hell fire (Mt 5:28-29, 21-22). Holding anger beyond sunset gives room for the devil to check in! (Eph 4:26,27).

  7:9,10, "This is what the Lord Almighty says: Judge fairly and honestly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and POOR people. And do not make evil plans to harm each other."

Charity has become the missing virtue of modern Christianity. But a close study of both the Testaments of the Bible will lead to the conclusion, Christianity is Charity, eventhough we cannot say, Charity is Christianity! In the definition of "pure religion," keeping oneself unspotted from the world comes only after caring for the helpless in their troubles (Js 1:27). So called "separation" from the world without service to its occupants is sin. We observed 1999 as the Year of Charity. Both in preaching and practice, sincere efforts have been taken to restore the doctrine of Charity to its rightful place in Christian theology. Our teams sprang into immediate action for relief work at the time of Orissa floods (1991) and Maharashtra earthquake (1993). With the financial assistance of Indienhilfe, a German relief agency, we have opened up Children’s Homes to house and educate tribal children. The "Jungle Clinic" of my wife, Dr. Lilian Stanley, in Orissa stirred up thousands of Christians to take positive steps to help the suffering. God’s favour will be on BYM as long as it brings smile on the faces of the poor (Psa 41:1-3).

  3:8, "Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, you and your COMPANIONS who sit before you. You are symbols of the good things to come."

This passage stresses the need for team spirit. From 1964 to 1970 this ministry was called a "TEAM," and from 1971 onwards an "ASSOCIATION." Neither of these words finds a place in our name now as we are presently called a "MISSION." A name need not tell everything, but we must be careful lest we sacrifice relationships for activities. When an organisation grows and the leaders are overworked, paper may become more important than people. An organisation is beautiful only as long as unity is experienced, especially at the leadership level (Psa 133). When there’s powermonging and lobbying, splits are inevitable.

I deliberately chose the word "Coordinators" in 1972 for our leaders lest they became authoritative controllers of paid workers or volunteers. True leaders are like shepherds who gently walk before the sheep, and the sheep follow them. But the herdsmen of pigs will have to drive them from behind! Sheep must not behave or be treated like swine! Eventhough BYM is not a Church structure, all the principles of Church life and Church administration as laid out in the New Testament must be faithfully followed. The study of the theme, "His Body," in Blesso ’79 was an eye-opener.

We are coming to the end of our tour. Our tour guide, Mr. Zechariah, is taking us to the last tower now. We will look at it from four directions—

  6:8, "See, those who go toward the north country have given rest to My Spirit in the north country."

Little had the bunch of nobodies in the college prayer group of Karaikudi in the sixties realized that God had been preparing them for a nationwide ministry, especially in the least evangelized States of North India. Dr. David Manuelraj, a professor in the Physical Education College and a visitor to our prayer gatherings, was moved to give away his two gold rings for "tribal" evangelism. At that time we had not even seen a tribal man or a tribal woman! Today we have over 250 fulltime missionaries on the staff of BYM, a good number of them being involved in cross-cultural pioneer evangelism among tribespeople. The desert State of Rajasthan, areawise the largest State of Madhya Pradesh, and the tribal State of Orissa are our major fields in the North. The most gifted and talented among us should move to work in these difficult soils. The tendency to stay in the comfort zone must be resisted.

  6:12,13, "Here is the man called the Branch. He will branch out where He is and build the TEMPLE of the Lord. He will build the Temple and He will receive royal honour and will rule as King from His throne."

Planting churches in churchless places must continue to be our aim. We should fix targets and pour ourselves into the work to reach them. Building and battling will go together (Mt 16:18). We must not be paralysed by the enemy’s threats. God has used the Missionary Conventions of BYM to challenge the Indian Christian world in an unusual manner. The audiotapes of the messages I preached in these major Conventions are in wide circulation, both in the mainline and free Churches. It’s an honour to us that these messages are used by other mission agencies also. A constant searching of the Scriptures and a spirit of sacrifice are prerequisites for the speakers to deliver such impact-filled messages. Let BYM be a powerful voice ever to arouse sleeping Christians to pray for, give to and go for missionary work. This generation of Christians is responsible to reach this generation of non-Christians. 1993 was declared as the Year of Soulwinning in BYM. Let every BYMer be a soulwinner and everyday a day of soulwinning!

  8:23, "In those days ten people from nations and LANGUAGES around the world will clutch at the hem of one Jew’s robe. And they will say, please let us walk with you, for we have heard that God is with you!"

I received this promise specifically from God in 1965 during one of my evening prayers in the woods. I didn’t understand much of it then, but this Scripture verse would keep coming up again and again in my mind. Without understanding its implications, the Holy Spirit kept prompting me to pray for its fulfilment. I shared it with my colleague Brother Ponraj Isaac when he moved to Assam in 1996 to publish our Blessing magazine in Assamese as the 10th language edition. Faithful is He who has promised!

The writing ministry of BYM for the Body of Christ must not stop with the Stanleys. Besides gifting, the ministry of writing demands sustained prayer, painstaking study and hard work. In order to be faithful in our commitment to write for God, my wife and I had to say no to many invitations, especially to overseas programmes. It is our prayer that God would raise many new writers to meet the need of the hour.

  9:6, "I will destroy the pride of the Philistines... All the surviving Philistines will worship our God and be adopted as a new clan in Judah!"

The Church is intimidated by the threats of Goliaths. Improving the methods and acquiring sophisticated machinery will not help. Evil powers must be combated with the spiritual powers available to us through the Ascended Christ and the Descended Spirit. Missions and Churches must have the discernment to identify Davids and stop despising them just because they are youth. I believe that in the plan of God, there’s so much for the Blessing Youth Mission to accomplish. The first phase is perhaps over. The next phase will be more challenging and demanding. The ten pillars meditated this morning must be strengthened lest they buckle under pressures of our archenemy.

If we stay faithful in our calling and commitment, we will soon see the Lord as "King over all the earth!" (14:9). On that day there will be one Lord—His name alone will be worshipped!