Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
This week, we start out with Kristiana as she reflects on her recent trip to Manipur, India:
Before going to India, I was very familiar with evangelism but not so “practiced up” on discipleship, so it was amazing to see God preparing his path in my life in on this last trip and showing me the connection between evangelism and discipleship.
There was one special day when I was really tired as I went out. I prayed, “Lord, you’re going to have to give me the strength to go out and do Your work today. I don’t feel like doing it, but I want to just for the hope of what I might see of You and Your glory displayed.”
So, as I shared the Gospel at this one particular house, I discovered that the people there were very receptive to our message and asked very deep, insightful questions. Yet, while many of them were very intense seekers, I didn’t think that many of them were actually ready to pray and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Many of them had just heard about Jesus for the first time in their lives, and choosing to follow Jesus is a huge decision – often resulting in them not only walking away from their multiple gods, but also their family and friends – definitely a lot to swallow after a mere one-hour conversation.
So when we were finished with our presentation, we were writing down lists of names on our “seeker lists”, divided into two categories: people who seemed ready to choose to walk with Jesus now, and people who may be interested, but seem to need more time. There were five girls, around 19 to 21-years-old, who came up to me and said, “No, I’m not supposed to be on that list, I’m supposed to be on the other list.” I then explained to them that the other list is for people who are ready right now to step over the line, throw out all their other gods and follow only Jesus with all their hearts, souls, minds and strength.
They replied, “Yeah! That’s the one! That’s the list we’re supposed to be on.”
Well, who am I to argue with that? So, I found my interpreter and further explained to them the gravity of their decision and what it really means to follow Jesus. Their boldness just blew me away as we prayed together that day and they accepted Jesus into their lives.
We then went for a walk together. As we walked hand-in-hand along the road (a very awkward moment for our interpreter), Jesus’ parable of the seeds from Matthew 13 came to mind and I began to share it with them:
A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 4 As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!
As we walked, I couldn’t help but sense the Spirit of God walking along with us. I told the girls, “I really want you to be like the seeds that grow and bear fruit!” The girls were also moved by Christ’s story and agreed that they wanted to grow in their walk with Christ. I then got to teach them how to read and study the Bible, what it means to pray, and how Jesus gave us examples. It was just beautiful.
They then began asking some amazing questions, such as, “How are we going to find Christian husbands? There are no Christian men in our village.” I told them the story about how in the very same year that I began praying that God would give me a Christian husband, the man who I would eventually marry accepted Christ and began his walk with Jesus. This was eight years before we even met. Yet, God had his hand in our lives. So encouraged by this story, they began praying for Christian husbands right away with the faith that God would answer their prayers.
Discipling these girls was an absolute highlight of my entire trip!
Kristiana’s report shines a bright light on what is really the majority of our ministry at E3 Partners. Not only do we send teams all around the world to share God’s message, but we also establish locals who will disciple the people who make decisions to follow Jesus. After all, we weren’t called to simply plant churches around the globe, but to make disciples of all nations.
Next, we hear from Craig as he shares about his time in Romania. Now, many times when our teams arrive at different locations all around the world, we encounter people who have actually be expecting us. In some supernatural way, they knew we were coming. Craig offers one such story:
I’ve been a church-planter with E3 Partners for eleven years. And for the last six years, I’ve been working in Romania. I tend to fly to one end of the country, get a team established, then fly to the other end of Romania and get another team set up and repeat the process over and over again. But, there was one team that I was with in a very remote and poor end of the country. Prior to our arrival, we had the advantage of a local Christian going around home-to-home telling his neighbors that some Americans would be coming soon to share the Gospel with them. Many people said they weren’t interested, a few said that they were.
One man was standing outside his door, dressed to the nines, waiting for us when we arrived. He invited us into his home and told us that life was very tough in his town. I replied by telling him that I had brought some light and joyful news for him. He excitedly said, “That’s very good! I’d like to hear this news!”
As I began sharing the Gospel with him, he would periodically interrupt me and say, “You are right! This is very joyful news! I like this! This is the Jesus I want!” Now, keep in mind, this is the first time that the story of Jesus had ever been shared with him. So, when we got to the end of our presentation and he eagerly wanted to pray to ask Jesus into his heart, my translator interrupted and said, “Wait… this is too easy. I think we need to share again with him so that he understands.”
So, my interpreter began to share with him again and he interrupted her, turned to me and said, “What is her problem? This is the message I want. I want this Jesus!”
When we came back the next morning to follow up and to study the Bible a little together, he was again waiting for us outside his home. He then enthusiastically told us that his wife and son also decided to follow Jesus and his whole household had turned their hearts and lives toward Christ!
It’s funny how sometimes we can’t believe what God is doing, even right in front of our eyes. But yet, God gives us the grace to see it through. And God will bring people to Himself according to His will!