The Cost Is You

As we left the house prayer meeting on the south side of Kolkata, I thought about the look on the faces of those dear Christians who sought only to seek and serve the one true God.

And as I thought about Pastor Paresh, a man of God who loves his people, and a heart filled with compassion to see the lost of his city come to know the loving Savior, Jesus, I felt ashamed that I had wasted so much of my life before committing it to God's service. So many times I wish I could do more. So  many times I wish the church in America would do more.

Perusing a blog the other day by Rob Wegner, Pastor of Life Mission at Granger Community Church, I saw a poem he posted written by Adrian Pass, which speaks volumes about the missional attitude of many church members today. I would like to pass it on to you with the hope that it would stir your heart to prayer concerning God's calling on your life, and what He wants the church to be doing until Christ returns.

AMEN    

When I became a Christian I said, Lord, now fill me in,
Tell me what I’ll suffer in this world of shame and sin.
He said, your body may be killed, and left to rot and stink,
Do you still want to follow me? I said Amen - I think.
I think Amen, Amen I think, I think I say Amen,

Look, I’m not completely sure, can you just run through that again?
You say my body could be killed and left to rot and stink,
Oh, yeah, that sounds terrific, Lord, I say Amen - I think.

But, Lord, look, there must be other ways to follow you, I said,
I really would prefer to end up dying in my bed.
Well, yes, he said, you could just put up with sneers and scorn and spit,
Do you still want to follow me? I said Amen - a bit.
A bit Amen, Amen a bit, a bit I say Amen,
Look, I’m still not entirely sure, could we just run through that again?
You said I could put up with sneers and scorn and spit,
Well, yes, I’ve made my mind up, and I say, Amen - a bit.

Well I sat back and thought a while, then I tried a different ploy,
Now, Lord, I said, the Good book says that Christians live in joy.
That’s true he said, you’re going to need the joy to bear the pain and sorrow,
So do you want to follow me, I said, Amen - tomorrow.
Tomorrow, Lord, I’ll say it then, that’s when I’ll say Amen,
You see, I’ve got to get it clear, let’s just run through that again?
You say that I will need the joy, to bear the pain and sorrow,
Well, yes, I think I’ve got it straight, I’ll say Amen - tomorrow.

He said, Look, I’m not asking you to spend an hour with me
A quick salvation sandwich and a cup of sanctity,
The cost is you, not half of you, but every single bit,
Now tell me, will you follow me? And I said Amen – No, I quit.
I’m awfully sorry Lord I said, I’d like to follow you,
But I don’t think religion is a manly thing to do.
He said forget religion then, and you think about my Son,
And you tell me if you’re man enough to do what he has done.

Are you man enough to see the need, are you man enough to go,  
Are you man enough to care for those that no one wants to know,
Are you man enough to say the thing that people hate to hear,
And battle through Gethsemane in loneliness and fear. 

And listen! Are you man enough to stand it at the end,
The moment of betrayal by the kisses of your friend,
Are you man enough to hold your tongue, are you man enough to cry?
And when nails break your body - are you man enough to die?
Man enough to take the pain, and wear it like a crown,
Man enough to love the world and turn it upside down,
Are you man enough to follow me, I ask you once again? 

 

I said, Oh Lord, I’m frightened, but I also said Amen.
Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen,
I said, Oh Lord, I’m frightened, but I also said, Amen.

 --Adrian Pass

I can attest that it is frightening when God calls you to His service. But He created the church for the purpose of bringing the good News of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world, and we are the church.

Are you willing to see the need? Are you willing to care? Are you willing to say Amen?

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

A Spirit-filled Day of Worship

Our time in Bangalore has been a whirlwind of meetings and getting to know the local pastor and his family. We both spoke at several home group meetings leading up to an incredible, Spirit-filled day of worship at the Mizpah Christian Assembly.

Pastor Albert and I had the privilege of sharing the message time, which began with singing, scripture reading, prayer, and testimony time. 

After two hours of worship we spent an additional hour in fellowship, with a small meal and further prayer for special needs. There is no other way to describe the day other than that we were truly blessed. We have a couple more meetings to attend, then we are off to Kolkata on Thursday.

Pastor Babu is a loving and dedicated man of God, and a very gracious host. It has been a real joy to spend time in his home with his family. 

The Lord has been good. We are still healthy, if just a bit over-fed, and looking forward to how God will use this time in India. Please continue to remember us in your prayers.

 And please pray for the people, and especially the children, of Bangalore who are struggling under the burden of Satan's
control and extreme poverty.


                                                           

How Can They Believe...?

     Romans 10:14 says:  "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?"  Surrounded by innumerable gods, the people of India are very spiritual in the postmodern sense--intense religion, a pantheon of gods, and an awareness of the supernatural (and fear of it) are very much woven into the fabric of life.

     But how can worshipping a tree connect you to the One True God?  How can a statue have compassion on your suffering?  How can elaborate shrines point you to the love of the One Who died for your sins--and loves you deeply?

     As an author said recently, there is no Plan B.  We, the church, the Christ-followers, are the ones responsible for the souls of the nations.  Take it seriously.  In Ezekiel  33:6,7 God says: "But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.  Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me."
     If we learned one thing these past two weeks from the intense, inescapable heat, it was that we do NOT want to go to hell, nor see anyone go there.  We, the complacent American church members, are satisfied to show up on Sunday, do our hour for God, and go home to a sumptuous dinner.  Is that why we were saved?  Is that God's shallow purpose for creating us?  I don't think so.

     If we truly believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to God, then we had better make sure that the multitudes of the lost have heard His Gospel.  If we truly love Christ, and love our neighbors, we need to tell them about that love.  This trip to India has burned that fact, literally, deep into my soul.  Crowds milling about the streets and marketplaces, bodies and souls crammed into huts and houses and makeshift tents, all searching for God, even if they are unaware of Him.  We could see the intense concentration as they listened to His Word, sitting in front of us, or even hiding in the shadows down the street.  Who is this Jesus?  What kind of God loves us, me, an Untouchable nobody?  Can this be true?  Why have I never heard of Him before?

     Surrounded by the little children at Bible School, I could feel the love that Jesus has for them.  And experience their eager response that prompted Him to say, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."  Matthew 19:14.  If we truly love the children as He did, we need to make sure that none of them perish--physically for want of food, or spiritually for lack of knowing about Him.  We need to get off our pews and into the field, the neighborhoods, the cities of the nations that need Christ desperately.  "Here am I, Lord, send me!" should be the driving force of our existence.  At least, send us, the workers, into His harvest fields before He returns.  Or better yet, join us on the next trip, if you dare!  It will be hard but wonderful, and it will change your life--and their souls forever.
     PS:  Alice, Cindy and Karen are now back in the US; Russ and Albert have gone on to Bangalore following God's guidance to new doors opening before AIM.  Please keep praying for health and direction, and for more souls in the great harvest.

The Poor

Jesus announced His ministry by reading from Isaiah:  "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor..."  Today we preached the Gospel to the poor. 

I will never look at a blue plastic tarp again without seeing the hungry eyes, ragged clothes, matted hair of the people who live in what I call the 'blue tarp slums'.  Any unused land seems to have a makeshift shelter thrown together of crooked poles, blue tarps, maybe a few palm leaves covering the holes.

Bible School at the local church had ended this afternoon with joy and laughter.  Children making the colorful necklaces and bracelets that told the Wordless Book story--the Gospel in color.  Little did I know the background of some of the flashing eyes and smiles as they tapped my arm and said "Ma'am, ma'am" vying for my attention.

As night fell, we headed out to a blue tarp slum along the dried-up canal where one of Johnpaul's men is starting a new church.  The 'poorest of the poor' is a much used phrase, but it is the only way to describe the little neighborhood of perhaps 30 shelters.  A crowd gathered as we emerged from the vehicle, young men, old men, women, countless children, and babies....so many little babies.  A little hand grabbed my arm and a face smiled up into mine--Sandiya from the Bible School!  Several of our children came from right here. I had never guessed. 

We sat in a place of honor--a few plastic chairs and a sleeping cot draped with a blanket.  Children sat on the ground before us and curious adults joined until we had a large crowd merging out into the darkness.  So many bodies, so many souls, so much poverty.  Albert preached the Gospel with Johnpaul interpreting--news of the One True God and how to get to His presence after we die.  Hope.  Love.  Forgiveness.  Eyes were riveted on him, and many heads bent in prayer at the end.

The initial shock of the slum conditions soften with the smiles and interaction.  Lost in a multitude of people, each soul wants to be known, me, myself, I am worth something to someone.  So many begged to have their photo taken.  I think it was that basic human need to say 'someone knows I exist.'  That is what God wants us to tell them, tell the nations, tell the world.  "I know you exist, I know you by name, I love you.  I want you to know Me."

With several of our Bible School children clinging to my hands, I walked through the area.  A lady begged me to come into her home...  I have tears in my eyes now. (I almost did then.)  It was made palm mats, about the size of a large walk-in closet of an American home.  Yet it was neat and clean.  This poor woman had neatly folded her few belongings on the shelf across the far end; her cooking pot was by the door; her dirt floor was spotless, swept clean.  She is by far a better housekeeper than I am.  I pray God that someday she will actually have a house.  But it could be that she was born under a blue tarp, will give birth on the dirt floor of her hut, and maybe die there.  All I can do is make sure that she has heard the Good News of Jesus Christ, and pray that she will live alongside me in my Father's house. 



  

To The Nations

 O Lord, glorify Your Name among the nations.  Use us to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who never heard your Name.  One day, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that You are Lord--what a joy to see knees bowed and tongues in prayer to You this very day.  And double joy to see children worship You in a land where so many 'gods' compete for lordship in the hearts of men.  Lord of lords, King of kings, glorify Your Name among the nations.

Please pray for us in this intense, stifling heat.  One of the Team almost collapsed this morning; thank the Lord she recovered after wet towels were applied, and she rested most of the day plus drank doses of Pedialyte.  Please understand that the electricity and internet are not available most of the day, so no outside contact, no fans, no AC--and it feels as if there is no breathable air.  Even our bottled water is hotter than most tap water at home.  Thank the Lord we are able to survive the Bible School time in late morning/early afternoon.  After that, movement and activity is virtually impossible for us.  Just lie on our air mattresses and pray for electricity...

Yet the response of the children (and accompanying adults) is what keeps us going.  This is our purpose, and God's purpose.  His glory among the nations.

What Is My Soul Worth?

What is the worth of a soul?  If Jesus left His heavenly throne, came to earth in human flesh, suffered and died to save the souls of earth, should it not cost us?

If it costs us 115 degree heat without electricity, fans or AC for most of the day; if it costs us a little discomfort and dirt to to carry the Gospel; if a few thousand dollars were spent to reach the unreached; and a little child hears about Jesus--we have fulfilled God's purpose.  To see the rapt attention, the absorbing of the love of the one true God (in a land where children are surrounded by thousands of idol shrines), the joy and smiles as they grasp the concepts of sin and salvation--we have fulfilled our purpose. 

Four more days of Bible School will complete the session.  God's Word will never return to Him void.  And these children will impact their culture far beyond our own lifespan.  Who knows what God will do, whom He will raise up from among these little ones to lead their country to Christ?  We are sowing the seeds to the seedlings; Johnpaul's pastors will water, and God will bring the eternal increase.

Please keep praying as new doors and opportunities open daily.  More on our next blog.  If I survive the oppressive heat, the 'breeze' through open doors that feels as if someone opened a woodstove, the hot water in our bottles (at least it's wet...)

  

Long Trip, Safe Arrival

After 54 hours of travel we have arrived!  Praise the Lord for a safe trip.  On the Dubai-to-Hyderabad leg, a young lady graciously gave Russ her business-class seat which astonished the flight attendants.  God is good!
The SUV trip from Hyderabad to Tenali was grueling.  The temperature is well over 100+ and the AC barely made a dent in the heat and humidity.  Seven adults, one child and several backpacks inside; 10 suitcases piled on top.  What a relief to arrive at last.
We were greeted by our Indian family and a group of the orphans, garlands duly draped on our weary necks, hugs and joy all around.  Then off to sleep.  Tomorrow the Bible School begins.  Please pray that we reach the hearts of the children.  Also pray for Albert and Russ, and the preaching that will be happening in villages and slums over the next several days.  And that the electricity doesn't go out quite as often as it has been doing.  We really need the fans functioning while we sleep...and the AC unit would be nice too.
Russ is home.  We are where God wants us to be.  Please keep us in your prayers.  More details and photos later on Facebook and in our emails.

Karen May who is also with us has published a blog with some photos she has taken. If you would like to see her take on things visit www.karen-may.blogspot.com