Dear brothers and sisters,
In my previous report, I spoke about B. Naik and how the Lord has brought him back to His fold from the wilderness. It was a joy to baptize B. Naik and welcomed him into our fellowship. After personal counsel, we gathered as a church, I asked him a series of questions before the congregation. I asked him questions related to the truths of the gospel, his faith, his responsibilities, and his understanding of church membership and church discipline. He made promises to walk before the Lord in righteousness, to care for his family, and to give himself to the church. Upon the confession of B. Naik’s words, I baptized him in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
It is always the greatest sight to see someone coming to Christ, profess His Name publicly, and count the cost to be his disciple. Later on, in the service, he shared his testimony before the congregation. I thank all those who prayed for him. Now please pray for his wife and his extended family.
Last Sunday, he came to the church with his wife and they asked me a whole lot of questions. It just made my heart glad to see a young couple asking me many spiritual questions. They are earnest, and they are growing in the Lord. In fact, Naik even expressed a desire to preach the Word in the distant future. We never know what the Lord would turn this man into.
There are more people that are coming to church nowadays and we genuinely thank the Lord for His goodness. Please pray for me as I preach the Word faithfully, in addition to catering to the needs of the congregation. Please pray that the Lord would keep my heart always warm to preach the goodness, grace, and glory of God; as a dying man to dying people. Who is sufficient for this mighty task? Please pray for our Pastoral Assistant as he continues to grow in preaching and teaching. I am also teaching a class for the future deacons of the church on Sunday evenings. God willing, we would be installing a couple of deacons in the near future.
Pray for the group of five young men who are aspiring to be the preachers of the Word. The goal is to train men who have a stellar character and profound biblical knowledge to serve in the villages. Often times, the idea is to lower the standards for the ministry- if they are serving in a village. On the contrary, we want to give our best to these young men so that they may be faithful, as well as competent. Please pray for this ministry. Please pray for my family too. Both our son and daughter are growing so fast. We as parents, need a lot of wisdom and patience to guide them through in life.
Recently, I was very much encouraged by reading about Thomas Boston who served in an obscure parish in Scotland. Though he served the Lord in an unknown village, his desire to give the best to his congregation was exemplary. The outcome of his ministry is a treasure that would outlast the best of accomplishments in the world!
