- Photo by Rajendran
From time to time I find my patience wearing thin.
When I'm talking to an American who has been following Jesus for decades, and attending worship services for an even longer period of time, I tend to believe they should know enough about God's love to invite another person to church. So when they say to me, "I'm not ready. I haven't had enough training. I wouldn't know what to say," I stand in utter amazement.
Maybe this story from Raj will inspire us to start living for Jesus. Maybe it'll help all of us realize it's not training we lack. It's faith, courage and motivation.
Read the story (in Raj's own words) and learn the truth about one of our church planters in India. She was demon possessed, delivered by God, and -after a few months of training - is now planting a church in a hostile culture.
How much training do we really need to get started? I'd say it's less than many Western Christians assume. I also think it's time for us to bump up our game.
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"This is sister Latha from a Hindu family background. When she was a child she had an opportunity to hear about Jesus in a Sunday school. But she did not follow him. When She was grown, she got married to one of her relative. When she delivered her second baby, some people did witchcraft against her. Because of this she lost her mind, sometimes she would throw the baby, while breast feeding, and run on the road. Sometimes she would remove the cloths and run. Other time she would scream and roll her head or on ground because of the evil spirit possession. The pain and suffering was unbearable, her husband tried all the possible ways but nothing worked out. They did not know what to do.
Then she remembered what she has learned about Jesus in the Sunday school. So, she told her husband to take her to a close by Church and asked the Pastor to pray for her. There, she got healing. Her heart filled with joy. Then Latha and her husband Srinivasan accepted Christ and started following Christ.They also started telling the truth to all the people around them. They also actively participated in the Church activities. Srinivasan is currently working in a factory close to his village.
By seeing their commitment and sincerity, her Pastor told Latha to focus on the Meppur Thangal village to plant a Church. The Church had 4 contacts in that village, so she could start with them. Her Pastor also sent her to KGT to get training to plant a Church. Now she has completed 4 modules of training. This training has helped her to share the gospel in a simple and systematic way. Now within one year time, 40 people are attending the service and 15 of them have taken baptism. Her husband also supporting her during his free time. They are so happy to serve Jesus. She said though she is facing lot of difficulties, she is able to overcome with God’s grace. Thank God for this wonderful Sister."
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John 1:41-42a - Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who had heard what John said and then followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother, Simon, and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means the Christ). Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus.
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