Coming to India I had no idea what to expect. The culture is completely different from Africa or anything I have ever experienced. We had an intense schedule planned and used up every spare minute. John Nderitu from Ethiopia introduced us to our two new Ancient Promise team members – Sam and Tina. I have grown very fond of this young couple in a very short amount of time.
We have lived, served and traveled together for almost 2 weeks and it has been such a joy.
Ancient Promise conducted three Transformed by Truth conferences and one prayer conference in 13 days. We had a total of 520 people attend. We saw 31 people come to faith in Jesus Christ. It has truly been blessed time.
The sights and sounds of India are unsettling. The people are beautiful and welcoming. Those we have encountered in the church are starved for Truth. The church seems to be active in South India but there is a tremendous uprising of the miracle and deliverance gospel from Africa and it is extreme. However, when the people taste the truth the realization of their need can be seen in their eyes. There seems to be an innocents in the people that is being exploited by many rising false teachers.
You must know at this point that the Indian culture is full of idols. They have been brought in and modified from other countries. Sam says the Hinduism does not have any original gods. He also says there is a god for every possible fear one could have. Idols of all shapes and sizes are literally everywhere. They are painted in soft pastel colors that represent something I don’t know. The higher caste houses are painted in these same colors to honor the gods. Some idols tower high above the villages while others clutter the towns. Shrines to these gods are everywhere —The elephant/man god, the monkey/man god, earth goddess and one particularly fierce looking one that has eight arms holding weapons. Sam told us that in the past and even now in some remote areas, sacrifices of animals and even infant baby girls still happen during the festival honoring this god. All have multiple sets of arms. If it wasn’t so sad and evil it would seem comical.
The caste system is very real and obvious. Anger rises up in my heart because of our American sense of justice and fairness. It is so painful to see. It is even in the churches. Most will only be comprised of one caste. It is the opinion of those truth seekers we have found that the caste system is the biggest hinderance of the spread of the Gospel and the expansion of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. I have no doubt. At this point I must tell you Tina’s story.
Tina was born into a middle to upper caste Catholic family. Her father drank a lot but her mother at some point came to faith in Jesus Christ. She began to tell the children about Christ and sneak them off to an evangelical church when she could. However, when her father found out there were always serious consequences. Finally, after a particularly harsh moment in the home over the issue, Tina’s father left the home and was staying in a hotel. He had made some very serious ultimatums. While there he had a “road to Damascus” type encounter with Jesus Christ. He felt a presence in the room with him and became terrified. The presence spoke to him and told him to lead his children and family to Christ. When the presence left him, he saw a Gideon Bible on the table and began to devour the truth. He became a minister and had a heart for the village pastor to equip them to know God and lead their people but he kept struggling with the caste system issues. It became his passion to see unity between the castes and the village and he specifically worked in the village of Thachoor.
This is where we had the second Truth Conference. After struggling and working towards uniting the village churches across the caste system. Tina’s father died of a heart attack while speaking at the first united conference in that area ever. This was just two years ago.
So out to the village of Thachoor we went and the most amazing thing happened. We were in the largest little church in the area and it met upstairs in a two-story building. We stated with around 95 people originally from all the different caste churches. The place was packed and people were sitting on the stairs outside the meeting hall. The second day we had 180 and the people filled the building and the staircase and the lawn at the base of the building. The third and final night of the conference vans and buses came one after another to bring 320 people so they moved the whole thing outside. Which was fine with me since it is dreadfully hot and humid. Outdoors it was much better.
After each night there was a fellowship meal and one by one the pastors began to eat together and play with each other’s children. These people had never even spoken to each other. On this final night a most historic thing happened; thirteen people came to know Christ as Lord and Savior and 12 pastors from the different castes stood hand in hand before the people to pray and commit themselves to unity and combining their efforts to reach the community with the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I truly have never seen anything like this. God delivered a community of believers from the caste system! It was the realization of Tina’s fathers dream and the most amazing miracle. Tina quietly cried on the way home in the car tears of sorrow and joy. And God has bound us to the couple who hunger for people to know the Truth and for pastors to be equipped to lead their people. Sam and Tina have a heart for the north where there are many unreached people and where the church that is there is deeply persecuted. Plans are being made.
Please pray for Ancient Promise as we move to the next level in impact and in need for fellow workers to accomplish God’s call to expand and establish His kingdom. Maybe that fellow worker is you?!