In a message dated 2/17/2008 6:34:06 A.M. Central Standard Time, bharatprateek@hotmail.com writes:
Dear brother Randolph
Greetings from your brothers and sisters in Babarmahal Kathmandu. After a long time I am sending this email to you.I have prayed much and I am knowing your saying .But I have disagreed some of them.which you had wrote me few months ago.I never practiced to be a human institution to control the lord's churches. I understand also about the autonomy of churches.But I worked for unity and harmony in the body of Christ for long years. But I got so many blames without causes for three years.It has made me upset many times during those time.But I have remained in truth which I have learned from the scripture.I believe that. So During my working for the lord, I encouraged the church and brothers to evangelize person to person and go and teach house to house Acts 20:2o.Because I have been doing through this way after my conversion. But I also worked for to be a glorious and faithful church of the lord at Babarmahal locally.I went many places to preach the gospel and established several congregations in different places in the past.I tought same thing in every places. My efforts was just to building mature churches.
But Brother, I became guilty and got many blames .I could not get encouragement with deeds from our breothers Because You brother and others brothers thought me I am after American money only and serving for money.I never thought like that .Because WE are working for the lord and helping each other for the lord's work.Brother I had left very good job last 1990.I started work of the lord in full time basis.Brothers from USA encouraged me to do work for the lord.So I am spending seventeen years by teaching and preaching the gospel.I did not care basic needs for my family and me.Like shelter to live family.Now I have troubled to stay family because of lack own our house.I have very difficulty to stay to others houses.Because I have lack of finance to pay rent.So I have to need certain place to teach people and for the church meeting.It is essential here for permanent work.It is my experienced that people want to need those things for church property.
Brother, I am not writing for expection but we need help with many ways from full grown churches if possible and brothers who are interested to do work like that.It is not compelling but working for necessiaty of church..
Brother, I am still in problem to pay rent to house owner.I could not move from this house because of this problem.I obligated to stay in this building for the church and my family.So I got liability.I have no way to solve this problem now a days.I am praying to my lord to get deliver from this bondage.Brother,I have to need your prayer and some time help.It would not in vain.I have great ministry of the lord here.So many christians love me and my work.They encourage me all the time to do work for the lord as before.
Brother please forgive me If you have disagreement with me.Let us show each other love of Christ. Please be a free from misunderstanding. Lets know each other by following the truth.
Brother I have also got grand son .Wilson my son and Shova my doughter in law have got a healthy child from three months.Our lord blesses us .Pray for our family.I will be praying for you and your family and all brothers and sisters there.
May God richly bless you and your work.
Thanks.
Brother in christ.
Elijah.
From: Rgonce@aol.com
Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 08:43:13 -0500
Subject: Re: Greeting from Elijah
To: bharatprateek@hotmail.com
Dear brother Elijah,
Thank you for your message. It is always good to hear from you. Congratulations on your grandson, and give Wilson and his wife my greetings. My grandson is now 7 months, and is almost walking, climbing up on chairs, holding and walking around. He will turn loose and walk soon. He also pushes his walker around from the outside, grasping it with his hands and pushing.
I do not believe you understand the autonomy of the local church any better than most of my brethren, including Krishna Gopal. The local church is all of God's people in a city. There is no smaller division than that for establishing elders recorded in the scriptures. We should have a church of Kathmandu.
My God bless your ministry with love from a pure heart, love from a good conscience, and love from a sincere faith.
Randolph
In a message dated 2/18/2008 6:42:38 A.M. Central Standard Time, bharatprateek@hotmail.com writes:
Dear brother Randolph Gonce,
Thank you very much for email with congratulation me have a grandson. I pray for your grandson and all your family members brothers and sisters there.
Brother, I have not much knowledge about the God's way and God's plan. But I have some knowledge about the truth which is revealed in the N.t. So I have read some book which is written from genuine writers.About autonomy, I have read the "scriptural organization of churches of christ"written by Jim Massey.I believe that his teaching about the new testament church and autonomy of the local congregation of the lord. So brother I want to know from you that you have told about the only church in city like church of Kathmandu.I believe that if local members want to meet their own place for worship of the lord and evangelize the gospel . They are called by locally name and wear the lord's name. they are body of christ. In city too,may have many congregations of the lord.If we follow God's way and God's plan according to N.T. by local congregations.They become one body and one church and growing in the lord for full grown church.
Brother,I may be wrong but I want to learn truth.In different circumstances,I am holding through the truth.I encourage you that please teach me through the truth and love us your wonderful deeds.You are good , experinced and mature brother.
Brother, Some misunderstanding was created in the past days. which were not good among us. You brought very good course teaching meterial of basic knowledge for christians.I appreciate for that.I am still using those meterials for teaching sometimes.
Brother. I have not much knowledge of english for translation and enterpretation.So I have been becoming back because of lack of language of english.But I have nice knowledge of my language Nepali.I thank God for blessing me to preach the gospel of Christ through my language.So I spent several years by teaching and preaching. Now a days, I have no encourage to do work together.I am also getting problems without blames .It is made me upset sometimes. But I look to my saviour lord Jesus and living for Him.
Brother,Please pray for me and my work for the lord in my country Nepal.You understand that about our country.Many people do not know Jesus as a saviour.Their souls are going to lost.We should preach the gospel to them to save their souls in the lord. Brother, I will be praying for you and your work for the lord.
Thanks.
Brother in christ
Elijah.
From: Rgonce@aol.com
To: bharatprateek@hotmail.com
Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 7:06 PM
Subject: Re: Greeting from Elijah
Dear brother Elijah,
You have been taught, as I have been taught, that a group of Christians who meet in one building are autonomous compared with a group who meet in another building. Autonomous means self governed.
While the scriptures mention people who gathered in a person's house, that group is never given an autonomous presence compared to other Christians in the same city. The bible teaches that God's people in a city are meant to be one body. Schisms over false teaching are condemned. Schisms over favorite teachers are condemned.
The Bible does not divide Christians based on their meeting place. The Bible considers Christians who live within political and geographic boundaries as being one church for that division. Paul instructed Titus and Timothy to appoint old men as overseers or shepherds in each city, not each meeting place.
It is correct to speak of the church in India, the church in Nepal, the church in Katmandu, but not to teach that each group is separate from any other division of the church. The church in Nepal and the church in the USA are all part of the same body, under the authority of Jesus and the teaching of the scriptures.
The church has one head, so there is no division based on headship.
The church has one teaching authority, the Holy Scriptures, so there is to be no division based on teaching.
The church is one body, and each member of that body has life by being connected to the head, and by functioning with other members of the body, 1 Cor 12, Rom 12.
The church has elders in a city, as Paul instructed Timothy, but the church at Jerusalem, with the Apostles and Elders, sent out a letter to churches in other cities.
Elders or pastors are not rulers, but servant leaders. They must lead all the members under their influence to be one with other Christians.
Yes, God sees one church in Katmandu, and that includes all who belong to Him, meeting in many different places. There are no elders appointed over the church in Katmandu, because of man's foolishness and inability to see the people of God for who they are, and elders are thus unable to lead them, or to be appointed to lead them.
God's people are all who believe in Jesus by placing their trust in Him through repentance, confession, and baptism in the name of Jesus. What name they have on their building, nor where they gather for fellowship, has any bearing upon their belonging to God.
God is not exalted by having a lot of people gathered in one place under the misguided teaching of a preacher supported from the USA. God is exalted when people hear the gospel, come to Jesus in faith to be born again of the water and the spirit, and then encourage each other to live successful lives.
This world has seen enough of "Churchanity" and all the division it has brought, with the exercise of political power and pride, hindering our loving God with all our being, and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
The world has seen enough of man made rules about what we can and cannot do as Christians.
The world has seen enough of God's people arguing and destroying each other over a thing as foolish as arguments about church music, and other arguments about things about which the scriptures have nothing to say.
Jesus said that the commandment of first importance is to love God with all our being. He said the second in importance is to love our neighbor as ourselves. If we would focus on these two, we would fully occupy our time and not find time for quarrels about things of no value.
The reason for this instruction is that we my have love from a pure heart, love from a good conscience, and love from a sincere faith.
I will be glad to discuss this with you more if you are interested.
Brotherly,
Randolph