Assembly of Jesus Christ Church, Chennai Ministries carries out the Lord’s work in a full-fledged manner from Adambakkam. Submitting himself in obedience to His Holy Calling, Late Pastor. V. Russelian set him apart for this honorable ministry in the year 1984. What budded as a humble beginning with a handful of believers at his residence has now bloomed and branched to seven branch churches in the outskirts of metropolitan Chennai. Indeed, as we read in Job 8: 7, “Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be”, the Lord who has chosen, predestined and called according to His eternal purpose is been blessing the humble beginnings in every wing of church ministry. Praise be to God on high! The promise of blessing in Deut 1: 11, which reads, “May the Lord, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised” is what we confess as a congregation in faith.
Conspicuously, moving forward on this ministerial path had never been a cakewalk! Amidst innumerable slanders, hostilities, financial crisis, false allegations, natural calamities and nation’s uproar, we confess boldly along with apostle Paul, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8: 38, 39)”. It’s by His eternal grace that we stand; just the way Paul writes to Timothy in I Timothy 1: 12, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry”. As we stand firm by His grace, we undoubtedly believe the words of Paul in 2 Thessalonians 5: 24, which goes on like this, “Faithful is he that calleth you”. In spite of the countless wicked schemes of the defeated demon who walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour, we passionately confess with Paul as he writes in his second epistle to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1: 12, “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day”.
Awaiting our Master’s glorious return as prophesied in I Thessalonians 4: 16, 17, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord”, we make haste in fulfilling the Great Commission entrusted to us when Jesus himself commanded, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28: 19, 20). Liable to this heavenly calling with an eternal purpose and being cautious in unison with Paul as he writes to the Corinthians in I Corinthians 9: 16, “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” we abide by the apostle’s instructions as in 2 Timothy 4:2, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine”. Until we embrace the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the omnipotent Father in glory, come, join us in serving the rightful Judge so that we could be found spotless in His sight!