Month: September 2018

I trust the testimonies this month have encouraged you. As you can see, when you invest in our church leader training program, you are not only giving an individual an opportunity to learn, grow, and become a leader. You are also impacting the entire community where that student lives. Will you prayerfully consider supporting a training center? It costs around $100 a month to maintain each training center, where around 25 students learn church leadership skills. Helping to support these training centers will allow much needed funds to be used for other needs, such as providing support for our missionaries and pastors.

Wherever you choose to give, and for whatever amount, you will have the satisfaction of helping to extend God’s Kingdom here on earth, and storing up riches in Heaven!

Discipling His People…

…until He comes,

Thomas

V* is a 22-year-old young man. He grew up hearing curses from his parents every day. Each had said “I wish you weren’t born in our family.” They saw him as a burden on the family. His parents viewed him as unwanted, and so they neglected him. His only comfort was his grandmother, but when he was 12 years old she passed away. This broke his heart.

He was forced to cook, clean, and do the household chores. He did his best to please his parents, but they never said a kind word to him; instead, they beat him and yelled at him whenever he made a mistake. As the years went by, he became more and more desperate; he thought about committing suicide or running away from home. At 22, he was full of hatred towards his parents.

One day, hope finally came when he answered a knock on the door and met two brothers from our house church leader training. They shared the Gospel with him, and gave him a New Testament.

The second time our bothers visited the village, he was waiting for them, eager to hear more about Jesus. As they shared, his eyes welled up with tears as he listened. On their third visit, V* came to a small prayer meeting our brothers started. That day in front of the village he repented from his hatred, and invited Jesus into his heart.

Along with the prayer group he started praying to Jesus about his situation at home, and for his parents. For

him, their cursing words did not matter anymore. He was happy with his newfound love for Jesus and His Word. Slowly, he noticed a change in his parent’s behavior towards him; his parents stopped cursing at him and abusing him.

V*’s heart swelled with joy. He saw his family transforming and Jesus answering his prayers. He shared the Gospel with his family regularly. His parents were angry at first, but over time they began to listen to him and sit with him in prayer. A couple of times his parents attended the prayer groups.

He joined our house church leader training program. After the 40 days of training, he slowly took the lead in the prayer group in his village. Over the past three years he has led hundreds of people to the Lord. The house church in his village has grown to a “full-grown” church with over 120 baptized believers (including his parents!). Last month we had a baptism service in that church, and 19 people were baptized!

Just imagine preparing for your wedding and budgeting for all the expenses involved. In India, a bride’s parents are not only expected to pay for the wedding; they’re also expected to pay the groom a dowry. In many cases, dowries aren’t just one simple payment to the groom; new husbands in India often make huge demands. Greedily, they pressure brides to make their families pay. If they don’t, new brides in India are often tortured, humiliated or beaten, by their husbands or in-laws. (In our churches we don’t practice the dowry system. But, we do allow voluntary gifts to be given to new couples.)

K*, whose marriage was torn apart because of her husband’s dowry demands, was devastated. She couldn’t bring herself to tell her parents about her husband’s insults and beatings, since they had already given so much. She quietly endured 2 years of abuse, but then things got worse. Her husband and in-law’s had wanted a boy, so when she gave birth to a girl they were furious. When the baby was 3 months old, she left, and went to live with her family. The next 6 years were very difficult. K* found a job as a field hand, which left her with an aching back and trembling legs, as well as many other health issues.

A year ago, she met some of our sisters who were attending a house church leader training program in her village. They shared the Gospel with K*, and prayed for her. They also told her about our tailoring center in a nearby village. K* joined the tailoring center, learning quickly. There she also gave her life to the Lord. Since then, she has regularly attended a worship group, and wants everyone to know the one true God she has met, who loves her just the way she is. After graduating from the training, K* started a small tailoring shop in her village. God blessed her and she is now earning enough to provide for herself and her daughter.

In addition to running a business, K* also joined our house church leader training this year. In the last few months, she has led more than 11 people to the Lord. Last week they were baptized in her training center.

S*: “I was an alcoholic. No one came near me, or talked to me, including my wife and children. I was miserable. The addiction took everything from me; my wealth, health, reputation, family and friends. I felt alone, and I even tried to commit suicide several times. One day a young man came by, sat down, and talked with me, with great affection and kindness. He told me how Jesus loves all sinners. I told him “You are wrong; no one loves sinners.” But he was persistent. He gave several examples from the Gospels that demonstrated God’s love for sinners. He told me about the woman caught in adultery, the thief on the cross, and finally, about the man in the temple, who prayed, ‘Lord have mercy on me!’ That day, under a mango tree, I asked the young man, ‘Can Jesus show his love to me?’ He said, ‘If you repent from your sin Jesus will pour His love in your heart and you will be transformed.’ I asked him to pray for me. He laid his hands on me and began to slowly pray for me. I was standing, but not for long. I felt so weak. My knees bent. Weeping, I asked Jesus to show kindness to me. When we finished prayer I felt fresh. I was smiling and felt light hearted. That day God saved me from the addiction, because of this young man who was willing to share Jesus with me and pray for me.”

S* went back to his home totally transformed. His family welcomed him back, and later the entire family received Jesus and became church members. A year later, he attended our training program. After graduating, he went back to his own people and friends, and the Lord helped him lead many people to Christ. Today he leads two house churches, one in his home and the other in the neighboring village.

When an Indian man or woman accepts Jesus as their personal Savior, they are very passionate and eager to share their newfound faith in Jesus with their friends and relatives. Unfortunately, when they are unable to answer their friends’ questions, they keep quiet because of their lack of knowledge. The house church leader training equips them with the knowledge they need. Once they are trained, they go back to their own communities, where there are almost no Christians. In their home village, God uses them to share the Gospel, and, miraculously, families and entire villages are transformed.

The house church leader training curriculum is a study based on the life, teaching and ministry of Jesus. Along with imparting knowledge, it is designed to help them develop a strong personal relationship with the Lord. Emphasis is placed on the importance of living a practical Christian life and sharing one’s faith with those who have never heard the Gospel. This takes place in their native environment, over the course of one year. Each student’s goal is to establish a strong, reproducing community of faith in their native village.

Every year we train hundreds of leaders in our training centers. This year we have 16 training centers and 394 trainees going through the program. Recently our ministry leaders spoke with individuals who completed the training program last year. This month we share some of their testimonies.

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” 2 Tim. 2:15, NASB