Foundation Stones

There are many, many conferences in this room. और इसी कम्रे पे बहुती ऐसे सभाई हुई है and yet this conference we feel is more special than any others that we've had. और मैं ऐसे, मुझे ऐसे महसुस होता है जे इस conference, दूसरे सभाईों से बहुती महत्यपुन रखता है and we're sorry for the inconvenience you've had in the delay और तुश्वारी और देर के लिए हमें बहुत खेत है yet we know that we've learned some very precious lessons even through this experience लेकिन फिर भी हम जानते हैं जे इस प्रजुर्बे के वितर से हम बहुती अच्छे सभक, बहुमुल्य सभक सीखा lessons that are very valuable और ऐसे सभक जो कि हमारे लिए बहुत महत्यपुन और बहुमुल्य है as I think that any of us who have intentions of continuing in evangelism in India must get ready to face constantly the unpredictable situation और हम जो इस संसार में यहां सुसमाचार को प्रचार करने के लिए जो तैयार है इस बात में हर समय तैयार रहे क्योंकि हमारे सामने जो भविश्य है, जो ऐसे मालुम नहीं होता क्या, कब क्या होगा, धामा ढोल है All the messages in the world, all the conferences, all the books mean nothing if when the test comes of the unpredictable we are unable to face it and plough through it.

जितना भी संदेश और जितना भी किताव और ये सब वितरिंग किया जाता है, दिया जाता है तब ये बेकार होगा, जब कि हम उस परिक्षा हमारे सामने जो आती है उसमें, अगर हम हार पड़ें. Christian leaders know that this is one of the reasons that a time with OM is often such a valuable training. और विश्वासी अगवे ये सब जानता है जे OM का ये समय जो आती है, कितना बहुमुल्य है.

Because it's not a matter of just getting more messages and more talks, but it's a matter of being thrown into very difficult, nitty-gritty, living awkward situations in which you have to produce reality on the spot and demonstrate it. और ये सिर्फ संदेश और दूसरे चीज़े सुनने की नहीं, लेकिन ऐसे समय समस्या में आपको जहाँ की खेल दिया जाता है, और हर समय आपको पाय जाते हैं, और उसके भीतर से, जब आप कैसे विजय होते हैं, जब ये दिखा देते हैं दूसरों को, ये महतुपुन रखता हैं. I know this was a tremendous experience for me.

मैं जानता हूँ, ये मेरा तसुर्भा इते दिनों में था, because if I didn't know Jesus Christ, अगर मैं इस मसी को अगर नहीं जानता, this kind of situation is the kind of thing that would anger me and upset me beyond words. और ऐसे ऐसे परिष्टिति, जब अगर मेरी जीवन में आता, तो मुझे बहुती क्रोधि और बहुती गुश्च में मुझे डाल दिया जाता है. It's just the kind of situation I detest the most.

और ऐसी ऐसे समय, जो कि मुझे बहुती अच्छी तरह नहीं लगता है, because see, some situations are hard, but at least you can be doing something, you can be working in trying to solve it. और दूसर ऐसे समय, जो आपके सामने में आता है, जब आती है, तो आप उसको साफ़ करने के लिए और उसको ठीक करने के लिए आते सोचते हैं. But if we were stuck out in the water and then stuck here, there's nothing we could do.

और जैसे हम वहां पानी पर वहां रुके हुए, और तो फिर इदर पर आके हमको उतरने के नहीं मिला, हम कुछ नहीं कर सकते हैं. A week ago when my wife disembarked from Vizag, I said, look, she didn't really want to disembark. I said, look, it's nothing.

One night, she'll be back in the ship tomorrow night. That was a week ago. मैं और मेरी पतनी जब कि हम वाईजाक में उतरा, तो मैं कहा जे चलो तू तो उतर जा, और मैं एक रात की तो बात है, उसके बात में हम एक साथ हो जाएंगे.

And of course, my wife, just like the rest of you, she could not come. जैसे आप और हम जैसे, आप और हम जैसे वहाँ पर कटक पर रुके हुए थे, मेरी पतनी भी वहाँ पर रुकी हुए थी. And those kind of experiences, before I knew Christ, just drive me into total loss of temper, which is not very healthy.

And I, during this week, was just praising God and rejoicing in that we as believers are in a totally different level of life than the unsaved men. And there is no experience, nothing that can come to us that we cannot face and handle calmly and graciously by the power of God. Nothing.

And we see things from a totally different viewpoint than the world. And so many of these things that the devil tries to use to upset us, when we see it in the light of eternity, we just smile. और जब हम अनन्त काल के जीवन के लक्ष से इसको देखता है, तो संसार की लक्ष से बहुती फरक हमें मालुम होता है, और सैतान को यह बहुती जूती चीज़ा मालुम होती है.

As we can see in the light of eternity, these things are very small. And what we learn through it, character building that comes through it, that is valuable as gold that can never be taken away. और जब हम अनन्त काल के जीवन के लक्ष से देखते हैं, और यह सब सबक हम सीखते हैं, हमारे चरितर जो बनता है, वो सोना से भी उत्तम है.

याकुब के किताग के बारे में, मैं एक नया किताग पढ़ रहा हूँ, एक भाई जो मोडी भाइबलिंश्ट का अध्यापक है, और जब हम उस किताग को हम पढ़ते हैं, तो जो सबक हम सीखते हैं, ऐसे बहुत बहुमुल्य है, जो कि वर्णन से बाहर हैं. और जब हम वाच्च्मन मी के बारे में सोचते हैं, Of course, we realize that most of the trials we have in OMA are extremely small, but praise God, he's got to begin somewhere with the likes of us. Well, I'd like us to begin by looking at the book of Philippians, and especially I would like us to turn to chapter four.

What a tremendous chapter in God's words. I hope, though I know you've had two days of conference, I hope that we can give you some foundation stones on which to build a successful conference. That's the title of this message.

Foundation stones of which to build a successful conference. And we'll start in Philippians four. We'll just read in English.

Please follow in your Hindi Bible. Read very carefully right through verse nine. Meditating on the word of God.

Now, those of you in that other room, that's easier for you to go to sleep, because though you can see me, I cannot see you. But perhaps once in a while, I will send a spy in to see if everyone is awake. Unfortunately, even when I turn around and look, I still cannot see you, because you don't understand television.

Please do not think that these troops release any kind of evil or worldly spirit. We don't want anybody worried about that. Because some have heard, even from the West, that television is of the devil.

Now, that may be true, but all these sets are duly converted. And they only handle the programs that we feed into it. None of the devil's programs can come here.

Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved, and long for my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. And I beseech the Odias, and beseech them to see that they be of the same mind in the Lord. And I entreat thee also, true yoke fellow, help those women which labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with others, my fellow laborers, whose names are in the book of life.

Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice. Let your moderation, that is, your mildness, your patience, your kindness, your meekness, your gentleness, be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

And be careful for nothing, in other words, don't worry about anything. But in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your heart and mind through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, and whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in me, do, and the God of peace shall be with you. Praise God for this passage from His word.

The first foundation stone to build on in a conference. And I have now taken part in over one hundred OM conferences, and in case any of you don't feel relaxed, or you don't like conferences, you can join me, because I don't like conferences either. And I praise God that a long time ago, I learned that the Christian life does not consist in what I like.

The Christian life consists in a much higher level of living. And that level of the will of God. And I love the will of God.

And I want to be able to say, Jesus, my need is to do the will of God. And I believe it's the will of God that we're here today. I believe it's the will of God, and it's a tremendous privilege for me to be a small part of this conference.

And I think that's important to keep in mind. So I would like to put as the first foundation stone, the spirit of praise and rejoicing. Now beloved, remember that Paul was writing this epistle from prison.

He hadn't just finished his favorite three-course meal. In his favorite restaurant, with his favorite girlfriend, in his favorite town, in his favorite planet. He was in a crummy, dirty prison.

He wrote verse four, rejoice in the Lord always, and again, I say rejoice. As you go through your Bible, and it always takes me a while to get my motivation up to decide to read right through the whole Bible again. I always start with a great verse to speak.

And I just started this two days ago again. And I've gone through almost 50 chapters. Almost the whole of Genesis and the whole of Isaiah in two days.

But I find after a while, I start to talk a lot. But it's good to read right through the whole Bible. You just take a six-month period, and in six months, go right through the whole Bible in three months or one year, whenever you're feeded.

And when you do this, you see there's a theme that you just constantly find in the Word of God. I would put it among the top five or ten things that are just repeated again and again and again in the Bible. And that's the theme of praise, thanksgiving, and rejoicing.

Such an important thing in the world. Even in the book of Genesis. I've seen in the last few days how much emphasis there is on praising the Lord, on worshiping the Lord.

Yesterday I was reading how Eliezer was sent out to find a wife for, who was it, for Isaac? Right. How he took the matter to God in prayer. And God answered his prayer.

It's an amazing story, you know. He prayed specifically, the girl who comes to the well and offers not only water for me but water for the camel. And he said, O Lord, may she be the girl.

And Rebecca came, he offered him water, and offered his camel's water, and he said, there she is, Lord. And he bowed down and worshipped. And in OM India, if we could get a man of that perception and faith, we could give him a full-time job.

But I'm just amazed that right through Scripture such an emphasis on praise, on rejoicing, on worshiping the Lord. I wonder how many of us are willing to take this at face value. Rejoice in the Lord always.

Not half the time. Not when everything's going your way. Not when you're being appreciated and understood and accepted.

But rejoice in the Lord always, all the time. In Thessalonians it says, give thanks in love all things, for this is the will of God. So many areas where God will put us to the test in this.

So many areas. OM is a tremendous place for getting tested in this area. Just one example.

You're a team leader and you get a tremendous team of young men. Disciplined. Ready to work hard.

Red hot with the literature. Always keeping the truck clean. Always loving one another.

And this is such a tremendous team of young men. And so you praise the Lord. You haven't done much.

Anybody would praise the Lord with such a group of men. I'm scared to say, even an unchanged team leader would praise the Lord with such a group of men. Take another situation.

You get a team. Nobody wants to work. Nobody's getting up on time.

Everybody's backbiting and speaking against one another. Everybody's complaining about the food. I don't like the looks of your face.

I don't like the way you drive the truck. Everything is going wrong. No literature's going out.

Hardly any food. No money to buy any food. Bombay has forgotten all about you.

Everything is going wrong. If you can praise God and worship God in that situation, then you're beginning to learn something of New Testament reality in your heart. Think of the Lord Jesus Christ and the hopeless team he had.

One was stealing the money. Others were arguing who was going to sit at the right hand when we get to heaven and they're going to have a tremendous argument over such a ridiculous thing. And yet the Lord Jesus loved them unto the end and never ceased to give thanks to the Father and worship the Father.

So as we come together in this conference, there are many things to talk about. Some of the things are negative and we have to discuss negative things. But as we discuss and as we speak, we must be speaking and building on the foundation stone of thanksgiving and praise or otherwise our discussions will be in vain.

You see, it's completely different to talk about something or discuss something or even disagree with somebody while at the same time yourself you're resting in the Lord, you're worshiping the Lord and you're rejoicing in his love. This is completely different from discussing and arguing and talking on your own foundation spinning your wheels in your own carnal thoughts and carnal actions without the foundation of praise and prayer So raise to this conference may the echo of praise go in the prayer meeting before the preaching meeting in the morning, in the evening may praise and giving and worship just go up from this place. This I believe is one of the most important things in our gatherings.

The book of Psalms of course instills this truth The second foundation stone is five Let your moderation be known unto all men Now moderation means self-control It means patience It involves gentleness and meekness And what an important foundation stone that is for a conference We are well aware that there are many problems that we are facing in the work in India Certainly we as leaders who met in Pondicherry were very very aware of our own failure our own weakness and our own sins But if we are going to find solutions to some of these problems in this conference and after the conference we must be building on a foundation of self-control and moderation If we allow ourselves to be upset if we lose our spiritual balance and our rest of faith we will be unable to solve the problems we are facing The Word of God tells us to beware of any root of bitterness I think that verse is found in Philippians Where it says to beware of any root of bitterness Hebrews 12 Someone give the verse Verse 15 Is that right?

Hebrews 12 Verse 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God lest any root of bitterness spring up, trouble you and thereby many be defiled And I would just ask even at this very early stage Is there even a slight root of bitterness in your heart? Toward any brother someone who has wronged you maybe spoken against you maybe tortured you doesn't matter God has allowed that God has allowed it to test you to see if you know how to return love for unkindness and to make sure you don't have any root of bitterness toward any brother or sister or even anybody outside the work that your heart is clean before the Lord in that area No greater foundation for what God wants to do in these days than a heart that is barren or cleansed and pure and broken And in that way alone you'll be able to demonstrate the self-control the poise the moderation that every child of God has an important foundation And then the next foundation stone is six Be careful for nothing Be careful for nothing I praise God for that I discovered years ago that worry was one of the greatest message Satan was trying to use to destroy my life Satan knows that a mind caught up with worry is a mind that cannot function cannot pray cannot do the work of God And so Satan does everything he can to get the brothers and the sisters worrying about this, about that and there are hundreds of things you can worry about And a man sitting in a meeting got nothing from the message whatsoever because his mind was worrying about even some trivial small things And a man sitting in a meeting got nothing from the message whatsoever because his mind was worrying And Satan is extremely clever in this area Brothers and sisters I am convinced that worrying is probably doing more harm in the church of Jesus Christ than immorality and even materialism and even materialism over-worrying and conquering over-worrying in the life. So God doesn't say just don't worry, he doesn't just say that. We move on to the fourth foundation.

Also found in verse six. But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. That's Jonathan.

And that's what we can do here. And one of the main functions of this conference will be our united time together in prayer. This is God's message of worship.

Do you think that we can solve the problems we have in India through discussion and debate and preaching? Never. Only through prayer and prayer alone will we move these obstacles out of the way. And that's also true of whatever problem, whatever worry, whatever frustration may be nagging away at your own heart in these days.

Through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving lay it before the Lord and watch him do wonders even in your own heart. And as we have the prayer meeting, we're all human. We're all human beings.

We'll be tired. We'll all be tired. So the intention will be to let your head drop.

It's not important. Nobody will notice. When a man is preaching on it, as I am now, you tend to pay attention.

Not too many of you go to sleep. But when the Holy Spirit of God, when the Lord Jesus is looking at us, wanting our attention in prayer, we're daydreaming and we're heads are sleeping on the table and all kinds of things that we would never do to a human being. And when we preach, your head is up.

But when the Holy Spirit of God is looking at us in prayer, your head is on the table and someone is snoring in their sleep. It's very easy to set up a conference. We might as well close up, sell the ship, junk the truck and all go back to work.

And then the next thing makes it so. Now we're up to number five. We've got the list.

Number five. We move on to the next verse. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Now that's a promise. That's one of the most glorious promises in the world. And the peace of God, the peace of God, which passes all understanding, so don't try to understand.

This is a passive understanding. shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. That is the foundation we want to build.

You know, I love that great hymn that says, Hearts are fully blessed. The foundation stone of a real time with God is getting your mind on the Lord, getting your attention on the Lord of glory. That's what's going to make the difference in your day.

As you do that, the peace of God will roar through your heart. This is tremendous. I've experienced this so much in the last seven days.

Don't think it was a tremendous temptation in me to worry, to be upset about this whole situation. We didn't know what was happening, whether God was ordering us out of India and all kinds of wild ideas came flooding into my mind. And I found as I just kept my mind on the Lord, He kept all these days flooding my heart and it was just perfect, perfect.

Tremendous. The week before that, I was very ill. I hardly ever get ill.

I hate being ill. I went off to the quiet corner for a couple of days with Thomas Samuel and my family. And to climb that mountain ever since I first saw it next to Thomas Samuel's quiet corner, which isn't very quiet.

It's not quiet because it is the most interesting bird sanctuary I have ever been in. Many years ago, before I was a Christian, I was a great bird watcher. South India has over 400 species of birds.

It is a bird watcher's heaven. So I decided to have this restful, beautiful experience in the quiet corner. I got some binoculars from the brink and my bird book which I bought in Ceylon and I went to the quiet corner.

And I had fellowship with only a few birds, I'd seen them I mean, when I fell very ill. And so the whole time I was laying flat on my back and fell out of the room with high fever. That was my quiet corner expedition.

And I know many of you have had experiences of being sick. It seems to be very basic to Operation Mobilization in India. Praise God, whether we're sick, whether we're healthy, whether we're under temptation or whatever, we can know this peace of God.

This is a real, definite peace of God. This is a reality and experience for all believers in India. Take that verse 7, take that foundation stone and by faith, pave it for these days and then you can build a solid foundation.

It says, keep your hearts and minds true. And this is very important. When we get our eyes on others, that's easy to do.

So and so and so and so. Did you hear what he said the other day? What is going on here? And we get our eyes on one another. Through whom the peace of God is.

All kinds of other things are there. The peace of God is flown away like a dove. And we get our eyes on the situation.

Oh, this is happening, that is happening, oh my. Things are going wrong. We get our eyes on the situation.

On the problems. And the dove of peace. Finally.

And we are left doing in our own circle of carnal thinking, carnal activities. And the dove is sitting on the hilltop watching us. So that's the fifth foundation stone.

And the sixth stone is found in verse eight. One of the greatest verses in the word of God. And I dare to say that real obedience to this verse would bring a revolution in our hearts and lives.

It would amaze us. It's the revolution, the foundation stone of positive thinking and a positive attitude. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, lovely, good report.

Any verse, any phrase speaks of these things. I'd like to just give a testimony. That if God hadn't taught me something of this principle.

Principle of maintaining a positive attitude and a positive mind in all situations, without any question, I would not be here today. I was reared in a home. With two parents, the mother and the father were both perfectionists.

Especially my mother kept an immaculate home with not one thing ever out of place. And in everything my mother and father did, they were perfectionists. They wanted to do it right.

And I was drilled into my head from a very young age. Every time, everything should be done with honesty and everything should be done right. And in this very situation, in this very situation, I grew up.

And this thing was deeply ingrained in my mind. And the person who wants everything to be proved, if he is not able to do it, then very soon he becomes a hypocrite, a con man, and a con man. And in everything, he judges each other and criticizes each other.

And after many years, I came to know that after keeping this principle in my mind, my mind was being pulled down like a necromancer. And on the other hand, I began to criticize others and to do justice. And in this principle, in my personal life, I began to pull down a lot.

I thank God for certain books and for His words. And He told me that there should be a revolution in my mind. And He tells us what direction our mind should not be in.

And this verse, Philippians 4a, shows the direction in which the mind must be renewed and what we must think upon and dwell upon if we are going to have this renewed mind. And I began to think along this line. I learned to see good in everybody.

And I found very soon that God developed a tremendous trust for people and a great belief in people. And that has been one of the major factors that has kept me going over all these years. I believe in people and I know God is working in people.

And it's just exciting and tremendous to see God's program in people. Anybody can see weakness and failure and sin in his brethren. Any idiot, any fool.

You don't get any insight in the world to see weakness and sin in everybody around you. But it takes a revolutionary, it takes a man with a renewed mind to see what God is doing in the people. Your whole prayer in India and in this work should be decided for the good or the bad on the basis of what you do with that 8th verse of the 4th chapter of Philippians.

And if you will allow God to give you that positive attitude that positive mind that positive experience of heart that positive disposition because God is concerned about your disposition and will make all the difference in the world and in your entire life. The world is filled with despair. The world is filled with sadness.

The world is filled with problems. And because of that it becomes very easy for us to dwell in that time. You don't even need any eye.

Just what you hear is enough. It's God's way of doing it. He says that how is His eye? How is His good report? So is everything.

Seek Anisha. Dwell Anisha. Feed your mind with Isha.

You will become a different person. But take these as foundation stones. Of this time together.

And as we do God is going to meet with us in this place. God is going to give us the wisdom we need to move another month, another year in this work. The world today no matter what country you're in you never know what's going to happen in the future.

As we gather here we don't know what the future holds. Even tomorrow. Even this very afternoon.

As if it's 50 years. We never know what the future holds. But we know who holds the future in their hands.

So let's keep our eyes on Him. Commune with Him. Nothing is more important than our communion with God.

Man will disappoint you. I'm sure I've disappointed many people. The very thought of it is almost causing me to quit a hundred times.

But as we look unto the Lord as we commune with the Lord as we feed upon the Lord there's no disappointment. For in Him is no variable. Let us pray.

Oh living God we pray before you this afternoon. We lift our hearts in thanksgiving unto you. We know that you have a great plan for this conference.

You alone overrule many, many obstacles and problems. Give us this privilege of dwelling together here and worshipping you together before we move out again separately across India. We thank you for your words.

Thank you for this passage in Philippians that we have been studying. The foundation stones that we have seen. Help us to lay these.

Help us to walk upon them daily by your grace and by your power. And we'll be sure to give you the praise in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Let us continue in a time of praise. Those praying Hindi there in the lounge just carry on with your time of praise. One brother after another leading in praise.

If there's some here that wants to join them no Hindi, feel free. Let us just worship the Lord and praise the Lord and thus by faith laying these foundation stones. Amen.