“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. WE ARE THEREFORE CHRIST’S AMBASSADORS, AS THOUGH GOD WERE MAKING HIS APPEAL THROUGH US. WE IMPLORE YOU ON CHRIST’S BEHALF: BE RECONCILED TO GOD. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
As God’s CO-WORKERS we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, “ In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. I tell you, NOW is the TIME of God’s FAVOR, NOW is the DAY of SALVATION.” (2 Cor. 5:17-21, 6:1-2)
In just two days we fly off to Zambia for the last leg of the WR. I want to dedicate this blog as a recap of all the miracles, and freedom that Jesus has brought to the lives of many children, teens and adults in India through us, His AMBASSADORS to the world, as He makes His appeal through us. Where we walk, Jesus walks, where we go Jesus goes, HE works in us and through us. And this is what Jesus Himself has been doing in India.
Month 1 India, we were in a small Christian village called Saiphai. We taught in the school, teaching students about Jesus, the Bible, and what it means to have a relationship with God. You see no matter where you go in the world or any time in history, humanity has always been the same, there’s nothing new under the sun. These kids had parents who left and walked out of their families, parents who died, they struggled with their image, with loneliness, depression, literally everything you can image, because no matter where you go, and when you go, it’s always the same. Sin is real, pain is real, but thank the LORD Jesus, He has overcome all things! That through Him we are more than conquers!
We built many relationships with these kids, taught them and showed them the love of Jesus. It was during this time that many students (such as class 7 and class 9) asked Jesus to come into their hearts, as they made the choice for themselves to live for Him. WE ARE CHRIST’S AMBASSADORS.
Leaving Saiphai we had a week debrief, it was here that we were able to pour out the love and kindess of Jesus to the Hindu workers who hosted us. There was a man named Bopi, who was Hindu and believed in all gods, he was providing our meals. From the day we got their I knew I needed to talk with him and share the gospel with him. Many of us did, and you could absolutely tell God was working in his heart. A day after we left and went to our next ministry, he gave his life to Jesus! Also less than a week ago he shared his testimony at the church, where some of our squad was! We ARE CHRIST”S AMBASSADORS TO THE WORLD.
Month 2 we were in Darchawi. Here I preached a few times in churches, taught for Sunday schools, invested in the teens and children at the hostal. We did home visits, heard their stories, their struggles, prayed for them and encouraged them. I was able to pour out the lessons God has taught me in my life, and the last night with those tenth graders at the hostal, freedom was brought into one of the girls life. She surrendered her burden of heartache and depression to the LORD and forgave the boy who broke here heart and cased her to fall into depression and attempting suicide. “Where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is freedom.” The Spirit of the LORD is everywhere we go, therefore where we go, chains are broken, God tells us to set the captives free.
After Darchawi we went to a place in Haflong, for the Bibles for the World conference. And God had purpose for us being there as well. I constantly hung out and played with the kids. Got to teach at the school, the difference of head and heart knowledge, and three students in 10th grade accepted Jesus into their hearts. I befriended three hindu young woman, who came and wanted to meet us, and we were able to share the love of Jesus with them. I literally met them and talked with them over the course of two days for maybe 3 hours. Their names are, Mina, Sirita, and Sangita and they said that we were all so sweet and kind. I explained to them that it is the love that we have for Jesus that we are able to love them. That we literally came to India to share with them the truth and show them who God is. You see everyone here knows who Jesus is, these three Hindu women went to a Christian school, sang to Jesus, prayed to Jesus, went to church, but they don’t live for Him, they believe in all gods as one.I know that God will reveal Himself to them.
Praise be to God that this is what He says, “ The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” ( Acts 17: 24-27).
God has placed us here at this time in history, where we were born, the circumstances of our lives, why, so that we would know Him.
WE have spent our last week of ministry in Saiphai, again! It was good to go back and see a lot of the students, to specifically pour into those that the LORD brought everyday. We had bonfires every night for a week, we were able to teach Sunday school, do a VBS for a couple of hours,and do a little bit of home visits. We specifically went across the river to the Hindu and Muslim community, their families in the past had been refugees from Bangladesh. Though we didn’t speak much of their language, we were able to go their and shine the love of Jesus to them. We went their twice. Jesus Himself was making His appeal to them, through us. Monday night, according to God’s divine purpose, I met a young woman who is about to become a tenth grader. Within moments of talking with her, she began to share with me her struggles and her doubts. I was able to encourage her in her walk with Jesus and continue to pray for her. WE ARE CHRIST’s AMBASSADORS TO THE WORLD.
NOW please pay attention. I don’t want you to think that all these opportunities are literally placed upon our laps, no, God tells us to make the most out of every opportunity. That we have the choice to invest into people, or to go and do whatever we want. We have the choice to be intentional with our time and the conversations we have or not to be. We have the choice to go out and be lead by the Spirit, where He wants to take us, show us, the people He would direct us to, or we can choose to indulge in our flesh. Literally life is what you make it. Your relationship with Jesus and with anybody is what you choose to make it. How bad do you actually want it. It’s easy for us to leave the task of sharing the gospel to those we think are called, like missionaries, pastors, evangelists. But God has given us His Word in our hearts, and a mouth to speak.
It’s by the power of the Holy Spirit, that He opens up people’s hearts to know Him. That by the power of the Spirit, chains are broken, people are healed from their illnesses, their diseases. The same power that raised Lazarus from the dead, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is inside of us. Never limit the power of God, never put the Holy Spirit of God in a box. Jesus says this as He sends out His twelve disciples, “ As you go, proclaim this message: ‘the kingdom of God has come near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.” (Matthew 10:7-8). Jesus even says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. [“Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit”] If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever- The Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor nor knows him. But you know Him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14: 12-17)
Be encouraged, and remember you are CHRIST’S AMBASSADORS, AS THOUGH GOD WERE MAKING HIS APPEAL THROUGH US.
Goodbye India! Up next Zambia, Africa!
