In His Time.......... with P.Ramachandran

Tonight we had the last prayer meeting for the year 2016. I had last Sunday declared 29-31 Dec as days of fasting and prayer before we entered the New Year. The purpose was to reflect, and review 2016 and refocus for 2017. Yesterday we had 38 people in the prayer meeting. Today we had 55 people for the prayer meeting, the highest for any prayer meeting this year. We had a time of worship. I shared from Gen 31 and 32 on how Jacob had to settle the score with Esau if he was to inherit the blessings that God had promised him. God blessed Jacob when he was with his uncle Laban. But that blessing was only a fraction of the intended blessing God wanted to bestow on him. Jacob had to realise  that he was " Jacob" before the angel of the Lord can bless him.  The Lord has blessed us in 2016, but God wants to bring PEC to a new level. But before we can rise to that level, we need to settle the hurts, the bitterness and the frustrations amongst ourselves. I called for a ...

Today all our church board members and their families came to our house for a time of fellowship. We have not done this in a very long time. Even of we did, its so difficult to get everyone together. But this time we did, all the members of the board and their spouses came. I also invited some of our evening service Indian brothers and sisters to join us as well. We all had a good time and good food as well. I realised that fellowship like this, is very important for bonding and to keep a group working together.. Fellowship and prayer/Word go hand in hand. Very often we focus on one and miss out the other. The early church did both. In a fellowship like these your team members also feel appreciated for all the hard work they had put in. We also understand each other's families better and unity gets stronger. I must say that most of the board really worked hard this year and they deserve a good treat. We should plan for a getaway soon for the board.  First time we had al...

Christmas is here again. We had an early service, started at 9am. Church was packed and this year we had the highest number of people attending our Christmas morning service, in a long time. Bro Babu James shared the Word. He talked about the faith of Abraham and one of the things that caught my attentions Abraham's third wife. We usually hear about Sarah and Hagar buttery seldom hear about Keturah, mentioned in Genesis 25. Can you imagine even past 100 years old, Abraham was still able to have children. That only show's that nothing is impossible with God. The question is was marrying Keturah the right thing to do knowing well that Isaac was the son of promise. And Keturah bore six children for Abraham, one of whom was Median, the father of Midianites. The nation was a constant  thorn in the flesh of Israel, just like the children of Ismael.  The lesson here is even God's blessings can be used for our own selfish purposes and they become the works of the flesh...

We had a wonderful production this afternoon. Full house crowd with more than half, friends and relatives. The program was exquisitely carried out. The focus was on evangelism and this was factored into the Christmas story. The story itself was tapered with a contemporary setting. Nevertheless the true meaning of Christmas was given full weightage. Everyone had good things to say about the program. I was specially blessed to once again to witness the unity and coherence of our church. Alvin and her team worked very hard in spite of many challenges. In fact the whole church worked together, put in a lot of effort and depended on the Holy Spirit to carry us through.The young adults and the youths played a major role in the entire production with the older ones, always ready to chip in when called for assistance. What a sight it was to behold. Sincerely grate to fun Alvina and her team for a job well done. Praise God.

            He came for the outcast             He came for the desperate.             Now He comes for the fearful   Another thing, the Bible says about the shepherd was that they were terrified. What else do you do, when all of a sudden a host of angels appear, a bright light shines around?  Of course anyone would be frighten. But there are other reasons why people are afraid. Fear of terrorism, of death, of discrimination, of hunger, fear of death, fear of sickness, fear of the future fear of almost anything.    But the angel says, "Don't be afraid". This is because Jesus brings peace to this earth. Isn't it ironic that Jesus was born in a place where there is so much fear today?  Look at the Middle East. Its the bedrock of fear. Yet the messages the same. Only Jesus can set this world free from fear.  Prophet Isaiah calls Hi...

In Part One I said the angels appeared to the no-bodies. God is no respecter of persons. He loves you just as he would any other person. No matter who you are, you matter to God. He came for you. Verse 8 - And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.   Notice, the verse does not say that the shepherds were working in the fields or passing by the fields. It says there were living in the fields with the sheep. This was not a 9-5 kind of a job. They were there full-time with the sheep. That was their habitation, their home and they lived with the sheep. And when animals are around, they don't observe toilet manners. The whole field is a toilet. You can imagine how bad it smells. I have seen shepherds in India many times. They look dark  because  of the sun, they look dirty and smell much like sheep or goats. They wear worn out clothes and often not a  pleasant  sight to behold. Most of them are r...

Every year we had a Christmas tree decorated in the church. This year our deco team ventured into something different and for a good reason. They proposed to decorate a cross instead of the tree. I agreed. Of course it drew flakes from those with the traditional mindset and I fully understand their response. Because I too was skeptical at first but as I thought deeper, it made a lot of sense. Paul says in Gal 6:14 - As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross,   my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. If not for the cross, everything else in the Christian faith crumples to mere religion.  So Sis Melody, the brainchild behind this "thinking out of the box" did an explanation for the skeptics and this is it. Really thankful to Mel and Steven for this and also for decorating the church in a glorious way this year (visit https://www.facebook....

These days I have been meditating on the Christmas story and listening to sermons on this topics. Well as you would have guessed, we have heard almost everything there is, in this passage about the heavenly visitation to the shepherds. What else can be new. But God's Word is always new, every time we take time to wait and mediate on it. If we are going to announce the birth of our own children, we will definitely tell it to our families, friends and church. We will not think of telling it to strangers or even people of low esteem. And we would certainly want some great pastor or prophet or even some great men in society to bless our baby. Have you ever wondered why the angelic announcement of Jesus's birth was made to the angels and not the others? There were the chief priest in the temple, some fasting and praying in the temple, King Herod and others in the royal palaces. Probably Jesus life would have been different if the announcement was made to these. The angels a...

Today marks seven years since my Dad left us. Taking time to reflect on my father's legacy. I read this morning in a clip on the facebook. "Everybody dies, but not everyone lives". How true. How tragic it will be, when we come to the end of life's journey and regret for the things we ought to have done and yet did not. My Dad did what he could. His physical condition did not allow him to do much, but what he could, he did faithfully. To those who would be reading this entry, I challenge you to live the best you can, live your God given dreams, do something great for God that will make the Father smile. Leave a legacy behind that the people you leave behind will appreciate. 

This week I have been overwhelmed with office work. I guess its payback time. Nevertheless the Lord has been gracious. Mutford Slum I was so glad to see the various Christmas celebrations in our mission field, especially among the children.  CPs and families in Odisha I was specially impressed to see all the PEC church planters and their families coming together for the Christmas celebration in Odisha. It was a joy to see how the Lord has blessed the work. My pray is that this will grow and multiply for the glory of God. As I prepare to go to work today again, I feel satisfied at seeing the number of families PEC has blessed and only heaven will declare the number of souls that were added into the Kingdom as a result of PEC's involvement in missions.  The last few months have been very challenging in PEC. I noticed that one by one of the board members or their families have been hit with some very challenging situations, sickness or discouraging news....

Finally we are checked in for departure for Singapore. Our last trip for the year 2016 has almost been completed. We had a great week in Agra and Delhi. I am penning this thoughts sitting in the aircraft, 39,000ft above the ground and bound for home. All I can say is, "Thank you Jesus" In spite of the uncertainties that followed after CM Jayalaitha's death and the smoggy weather conditions in Delhi and Agra, God had protected us, including Bro Rubern in Tamil Nadu. All praise  to our Lord and Savior Jesus alone.  The two days leadership seminar in Agra was well received. On the second day we had 75 participants. The feedback was good. Our host in Agra, Pst Raul John, a young man of 26 years, impressed us much. Very matured and on fire for the Lord. This is the first time in our mission trip in India, we did not have to contribute a single cent for the seminar. All the expenses for the seminar and our stay were taken care of by Pst Raul and hi...

About 50 pastors attended the first day Pastors Seminar. Pst Raul John hosted the program. Pastors travelled from a distance to attend this seminar. The teachings were based on John Maxwell's leadership material. In the evening we visited Pst Mukes Lall's home. Pst Mukes is the senior pastor of Tru Light church, founded by Pst Raul John. Pst Mukes and his wife have have adopted 7 children in the home and it was a joy to see how these couple, in spite of their many challenges are serving God faithfully.

We arrived Agra yesterday at about 11pm. Pst Mukes Lall was there to receive us. By the time we reached  our Hotel in Agra it was about 4am in the morning (Spore time 6:30am). It was very cold, around 15 degC. Today was a free day and so we took the opportunity to visit the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort. Say what you want about India but it is rich in history and the two sites we toured were simply magnificent.

It was a good service today. Reena testified of God's goodness and how God healed her from her condition in the ICU. Praise God.  Proverbs 3:4 - Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. The Bible gives the formula for successful Christian living. Proverbs 3:3 -    Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Examples in the Bible of God’s favour on people : Gen 39:21 - But the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. Exodus 33:17, ESV   And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” Exodus 33:17, ESV   And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” Daniel 1: 9 - No...