Whilst browsing a Christian website a few months ago, an ad popped up advertising a free book ... of course I was sceptical, GIVING away a book for free? Yes, - that's right, no charge, not even postage. I was intrigued and downloaded it to my Kindle - to put it simply I was blown away by this book and the message it contained ....
Every so often you come across a book that literally changes the way you think, rearranges and challenges your preconceived ideas about how a certain aspect of your Church's functionality should work ...on these rare occasions, you emerge the other side with a fresher, clearer view of how what has necessarily worked in the past can be improved on in the future!
'Revolution in World Missions' is one such read. Despite the title, this is a powerful 'story' and reads as such - riveting, engaging, thoroughly enjoyable and it literally revolutionised the way I now look at the concept and practice of 'missions'.
This powerful testimony of one man's journey to and with Christ, starts with a faithful mothers pray for her boys "Oh God, let just one of my boys preach".... like Hannah in the Bible, this mother dedicated her children to the Lord, and in return the Lord was faithful to her prayer. Every Friday this mother fasted for the next three and a half years ... her prayer always the same.
Finally, one day, her youngest son dramatically gives his life to the Lord ... never to be the same. 'Revolution in World Missions' is his story - KP Yahannan, KP for short. Born the poorest of poor in South India, KP goes on to become a missionary statesman who has impacted the world of missions and whose unbending message has touched hearts on every continent.
KP has traipsed around India villages mile upon mile, learning, teaching and preaching the Gospel. After a few years, he had the opportunity to travel to the USA where he ASTOUNDED at the surplus, luxury and abundant way of living ... in particular the way they (we!) eat:
"And I was amazed to learn that European and North American families routinely eat enough meat at ONE meal
to feed an Asian family for a WEEK".
He cites an example, whilst he was preaching over in the USA of how the food that was served after each Church service could have fed families for weeks back in India.
Another example he cites, is the overwhelming advertising of services and products in Christian magazines describing it as "spiritual luxury while millions were dying without hearing the Gospel even once".
I was convicted of how we love luxury in the west - we rely on it, gloat in it, dare I say 'depend on it' and revel in it whilst thousands of children die every day around the world from lack of mosquito nets or food or the Gospel being heard.
One guest on a podcast I recently listened to told the host that he buys a new Bible every year for himself! KP quotes the following his his book:
"Eighty Five percent of all Bibles printed today are in English for the
nine percent of the world who read English.
Eighty percent of the world's people have never owned a Bible while the Americans
have an average of four in every household."
This statement really rang true for me:
"The saddest observation I can make about the religious communication activity of the Western world is this:
Little, if any, of this media is designed to reach unbelievers.
Almost all is entertainment for the saints."
How many of our Churches have prostituted themselves to embrace the worldly culture and are more 'entertainment' centres for the masses rather than sound Gospel based services.
Of course, one of the biggest differences between east and west is religious freedom - KP and others like him experienced and still do to this day, persecution for being a Christian - starvation, stoning, excommunication from families, beatings, imprisonment, homelessness ... the list goes on ... not too unlike what Paul and the others in the Bible experienced. You can read about all of these horrific persecutions in 'Revolution in World Missions'.
KP's framework and model for Missions is a lot different to what modern Western Churches implement. He believes in raising up missionaries within a community and planting them back in that community - not planting foreigners into a community totally foreign to them. Locals, know the language, the culture, the people the 'lay of the land' so to speak ... they are best equipped to preach the gospel to those in his midst.
This is a book of adventure, heart ache, eye opening and heart revealing truth .... I highly recommend it. You can get hold of a copy here for free.
My favourite quotes from the book:
- 'God's Plan A for the redemption of the world is the Church, and He has no Plan B.'
- 'The secret of following God's will, I discovered, usually is wrapped up in rejecting the good for God's best.'
- 'Humility is the place where all Christian service begins.'
Further resources:
- Get Gospel For Asia's weekly email digest and emails: www.gfa.org/email
- Free e-books and messages: gfa.org/FreeDownloads
- GFA's School of Discipleship - encounter God and know him more: www.gfa.org
- Maximise the impact of national missions: gfa.org/involved
- Support missionaries eager to be planted in villages in Asia needing to know God's love: gfa.org/missionaries.
Be blessed.
Post a Comment