As we rode in our own personal tuk-tuk through winding, bumpy roads with our trusted driver and new friend, I admired the silhouette of the trees and the reflection of the moon on watered rice farms. The coolness of an Indian winter is a nice reprieve from the heat of Africa.
We were heading home after preaching day 3 out of 18 days in a row. Our setting was inside a cozy home where the living room also served as a kitchen. The congregation of about 11 people sat on worn out straw mats with big curious eyes and attentive ears. As I spoke, I witnessed a hunger for the word that I don’t usually see living in the states.
Here in a country where Christians are persecuted, it’s not safe to sing worship songs out loud while we’re in our tuk-tuk. We can’t openly carry our Bibles or openly pray for a man limping down the street, We can’t go up to a person whose eyes look hopeless and ask, “do you know Jesus?”
So while being in this home preaching to what seemed like a “small church with a few members” the Lord revealed to me that this church and the other churches I’ll be visiting in India was bigger than any church I’d ever seen.
Why? Because, the people are hungry for truth. They have faith so big that even through their trials the hope that lives inside of them cannot be confined by four walls. They live a life of victory that overcomes the persecution and abandonment that comes with becoming a Christian. They are walking their Christian faith and they are doing so with joy.
After service we ate and laughed together in their home. They prepared a feast of rice and spicy chicken curry. They served 7up and Mango Slice juice. We spoke maybe 10 words in their language and they spoke even less in English.
But there we were laughing about our accents, the way we ate with our hands, and the sweat dripping down our noses from the spice. It felt as if we have been friends for years.
We are different in many ways, but we are one in Christ therefore we can speak the same language. It’s a language in which love overcomes, hope leads to passion, and faith changes souls.
This language has a name — Jesus.
I thought of my relationships back in the states. I’ve had countless conversations in English yet so many that led to miscommunication. I’ve had countless of dinners with people yet so many were spent sitting in silence.
How can people of the same tongue get it so wrong? I’ve come to learn that if I’m not speaking Jesus I’ll always get it wrong. If my words don’t reflect Christ it will always lack grace. If my actions don’t display His love then it’ll always be pointless.
It’s not just here in India. It’s everywhere. Jesus is a universal language that as believers we can speak. We can break boundaries and connect people to the Kingdom. We can build bridges. We can speak life. We can use our words for His glory and fill the world with laughter. We can all speak the same language — Jesus.
