The Great Commission: Proclaim The Gospel

After Jesus rose from the dead He spent several weeks with His disciples. Just before He ascended to heaven He gave them what we call the Great Commission. Mark 16:15 records a simple and straightforward version of it.

There are additional aspects of the Great Commission but this is the essence of it. Proclaim the Gospel! This is the most basic thing Jesus has commanded all of us to do.

[Tweet “I was delighted with an unexpected opportunity to proclaim the Gospel on my trip to India.”]

This trip had been planned for some time. From the moment we arrived everything was planned out for 19 days. We officially had four events, two Stand Firm Conferences in India and two in Egypt. I had one other unofficial opportunity to preach in an Indian Church. In many places in India the local authorities object to foreigners preaching so even though I planned for this, it wasn’t on the schedule. I want to tell you about another event that happened that I hadn’t planned!

We arrived in Kerala on October 19th for our first Stand Firm Pastor’s Conference in the Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu. It was late so Pastor Raja went to the conference center to make sure everything was set up. Caleb and I were still adjusting to the time change and went to bed early.

In the morning at breakfast Pastor Raja told me I was invited to speak that evening at a local businessman’s home. I was surprised and so was Raja. The businessman, Rabi, had heard I was coming for the Stand Firm Conference and invited his neighbors to come to his house that night to hear me speak. He hadn’t asked in advance. He didn’t know me or anything about me. I told Raja this had never happened to me before. He said it was a first for him, too. I’m always grateful for the opportunity to proclaim the Gospel so I agreed. That evening when we got to Rabi’s house we couldn’t believe what we found. There were 200-300 men, women and children crammed into a small covered area behind his house.

Raja told me that the Rabi built the roof and put up the lights just for this meeting! There was a time of worship and then I proclaimed the Gospel! Some of the people were his family and some from his church. Many were neighbors who were Hindus who don’t know the Lord! What a joy it was to proclaim the Gospel like this. I felt like the Apostle Paul on a missionary journey!

Raja is from that area and was my translator. The truth of Jesus’ sinless life, death, burial and resurrection for our sins was clearly proclaimed! Please thank God with me for Rabi who arranged this. Also pray for those who heard the Gospel that they might yet believe in Jesus.

What a wonderful and unexpected opportunity to proclaim the Gospel! Thank you for your prayers for us. This was clearly a “God thing!” It is something I will never forget.

The post An Unexpected Opportunity To Proclaim The Gospel In India appeared first on To Every Nation Ministries.

My Introduction to One Orphan Ministry

In February of 2014 I made my first missionary trip to the Andaman Nicobar Islands of India. A good friend, Ray Montonera, approached me about going with him and a small team to minister there. He planned a trip to visit an orphan ministry and do some community outreaches. I was in the process of starting To Every Nation Ministries and even though I knew it was a worthy mission, I was hesitant. I didn’t know how going there would fit with the ministry God called me to do. He was persuasive and I’m so glad he was. I had no idea that a wonderful friendship and bond and partnership of ministry would develop between me and Raja and Sheba. 

When we arrived our team met Pastor Raja and Sheba. Over ten years before God had called Raja as a missionary to the Andaman Nicobar Islands. God had blessed his ministry in many ways. He arrived knowing no one with the equivalent of $10 in his pocket. The early years were very hard. God honored his faithfulness. When we arrived he was pastoring a church with around 200 members and had an orphanage with 75 children.

It is both encouraging and amazing to talk to Raja and Sheba about how God has worked in their lives. They never planned to start an orphanage. The tsunami of 2004 changed all that. Weeks after the tsunami they saw children living on the streets. When they discovered their parents were missing, they took them in. Over the years, with no regular support from anyone other than God, they have seen their ministry grow. God raised up one man who has regularly raised funds for them. They have been able to purchase land and build an orphanage. It is amazing to speak with them and hear story after story of God’s miraculous provision.

Caleb and I were blessed to spend time with the children and see how God continues to provide. Since my first visit in 2014 God provided the funds for a security fence for the building, a well for clean water for bathing, the funds to finish off the boys dormitory and money to plant an orchard. Here is a collage of all 70 children now living there.

James 1:27 says,

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Would you pray for Raja and Sheba and their Orphan Ministry? They have many needs. An immediate need is 20 bunk beds. At the same time they have regular needs for food and living necessities. As I said, they do not have any regular monthly support. If you would like to help out in some way email me at wa**@***********on.com.

The post Orphan Ministry in the Andaman Islands of India appeared first on To Every Nation Ministries.

Day 13 Mission to Minister to the Persecuted Church

In Cairo, Egypt Preparing for our next Pastors Conference

Time: October 26 All Day

Pastoral Testimonials

Rather than try to tell you how the Stand Firm Seminar was received by the pastors in India, I decided to let them tell you themselves. I asked some of those who speak and write English if they would write a note for you to know what it meant to them. Below are a few of the notes I received.

I thank God for the opportunity to teach this material to these men and women! It’s a little hard to read their writing but trust me, it’s easier than reading Telugu!

Please continue to pray for effectiveness as we teach two Stand Firm Seminars in Egypt this week!

Thank you!

The post Pastoral Testimonials from Stand Firm Seminar in Nellore, India appeared first on To Every Nation Ministries.

Thanks You For Your Prayers

Day 12 Mission to Minister to the Persecuted Church

Travel from Chennai, India to Cairo, Egypt

Time: October 24 at 6:20 pm – October 25 6:10 am CDT (October 25 4:40 am – 4:50 pm Egypt)

Caleb and I are at Chennai Airport waiting to board a 4:40 am flight to Abu Dhabi and then transfer later today to a flight to Egypt. We are quite tired but rejoicing in God’s blessing and favor. The men and women in Nellore were grateful for our teaching. It is a joy to pour your life into those who are serving the Lord in such difficult circumstances.

Please pray for us to be able to get rested before our next conference. We have a time change so there will be some adjustment to that.

Thank you for your prayers. There have been many answers to prayer. I will write more later, our plane is boarding.

The post Thank You For Your Prayers For India Stand Firm Conferences appeared first on To Every Nation Ministries.

Day 11 Mission to Minister to the Persecuted Church

Teach Stand Firm in Nellore, Andra Pradesh

Time: October 23 at 10:30 pm – October 24 4:30 am CDT (October 24 9:00 am – 3:00 pm India)

Nellore Stand Firm Pastors Conference

We had a great day of ministry in Nellore, Andra Pradesh today. There were about 160 pastors present today. They were very receptive to the teaching of the Word. We expect more tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers. God has graciously given me the physical strength to teach all day in 90 degree heat with no air conditioning. Caleb has been a great blessing and help. Pray for him as he has developed a cold. Raja and Sheeba are the glue that holds this all together working with the local pastors who have coordinated and organized it.

Here are a few photos of the day.

Please continue to pray for good communication between me and Pastor John my interpreter. I try to have a lot of crowd interaction and he often thinks my questions are rhetorical. Even with that it is clear the pastors are understanding the truths even though I am challenging them to think in new, biblically based, categories.

Thanks so much for your prayers. Tomorrow after the seminar we drive back to Chennai to spend the night before Caleb and I fly to Egypt for two more Stand Firm Conferences there.

The post Nellore Stand Firm Pastors Conference appeared first on To Every Nation Ministries.

Lessons Learned from Indian Christians

I just got back from my third trip to India, which is exactly three more than I ever thought I’d make. God had different plans. India is a vast and diverse country of over 1.3 billion people in an area roughly the size of the Midwest. It would take a lifetime to get to know it well. I want to share with you five things that this trip taught me. The lessons weren’t exactly new to me and probably won’t be to you either. It was how I was reminded of these that is still etched in my mind.

5 Lessons From Indian Christians

1. We can get by with less. We were honored to have lunch in a village pastor’s home. They have no running water and electricity for only 8 hours a day. No computer, no TV or even radio. Do all of our many possessions and comforts make us happier than these Indian Christians? I think not. Matthew 6:28-33
2. Walking by faith works. The custom among Indian Christians is pastors get paid only what comes in the offering after the church bills are paid, often less than $100 per month. Somehow it is enough to buy food, pay for housing, clothes and school expenses for their children. The Lord provides. Hebrews 11:6
3. Caring for widows and orphans isn’t optional. The estimates as to the number of orphans in India range from 25 to 30 million. There are approximately 120,000 orphans in the USA. Widows are treated as social outcasts by even the higher castes. There are approximately 40 million widows in India, rejected by their society. James 1:27 prompts those who are Christ followers to do something about this and Indian Christians are.
4. [inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=”@wardcushman”]The consequences of our actions will outlive us.[/inlinetweet] India is officially a secular country while being pro-Hindu and anti-Christian. The Indian hostility to Christianity can be traced to the brutality India suffered from the English Christians who ruled them. The hypocrisy of those in power continues to negatively influence the work of the true Indian Christians over 50 years later. Galatians 6:7-8
5. The western Church can still impact India. I was there to teach and equip pastors in the area of spiritual warfare. In the areas where we met this was the first pastors conference of its kind ever held there. Some pastors traveled 4 to 6 hours for the Stand Firm Conference. Some had Bible College training. However a large number of pastors had no formal Bible training at all. As the pastors take what they learned back to their churches 10 to 20 thousand Indian Christians will benefit from this training. Ephesians 4:11-16

I have returned feeling greatly blessed for all I have and thankful that God has given me the opportunity to rethink how I use all He has entrusted to me. I pray that you also may see how blessed you are and determine to use what God has given you in the best way for Him.

What has God taught you or reminded you about the great blessings you have? Please leave a question or comment below.

The post 5 Lessons Learned from Indian Christians appeared first on To Every Nation Ministries.

Pastors Conference Orissa India

Last week I had the privilege of teaching 200 Indian pastors and wives the biblical principles of how to Stand Firm in the face of spiritual warfare.

We were blessed with an excellent translator who took my message in English and improved it in Oria, the language of Orissa.  We had many breakout sessions where the pastors enthusiastically engaged with each other in working through the discussion questions. I had the opportunity to meet pastors who lived in the area where intense persecution against Christians raged six years ago. Today the church has rebounded and is much stronger there!

At the end we gave each one a certificate of completion.  It was a delight to see how much they enjoyed getting this acknowledgement of attending the first Stand Firm Conference in India.

The contrast of our time there could not be more clear than this photo of me and the Hindu man who owns the conference hall. He was glad we could meet there and wanted to know if we could come back next month.As Hindus have 33 million gods, they are fine with believing in Jesus, as long as you don’t say He is the only God.  Their are many pastors who are strong on that point and see many Hindus come to faith in Christ alone.

On the last night as I watched the tribal pastors lead the group in a very lively tribal worship song, the Lord brought to mind the verse, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28 Here in the heart of India I am with men and women that have the same joy when they worship God as you and I do. What a wonderful and mysterious thing it is that we are part of the body of Christ.  How great is our God that those of us who have trusted in Jesus are all equally His children, none better and none worse than any other.

As you read this I will be finishing the first day of my second conference in Uttar Pradesh, an area that seems even more remote than where I was in Orissa.  Please pray for God’s blessing upon my teaching and upon those who receive it. Thanks for your prayers.

The post Pastors Conference Orissa India appeared first on To Every Nation Ministries.