Friday 9 March 2012

Stotram from Beach Centre in Chennai!

I am happy to report all is well this side of the Indian Ocean. Sanchia is beautiful, glowing and growing. Baby is doing star jumps on her bladder and I am loving life with our Indescribable Creator.

Veiw of Chennai city from St Thomas mount

The apostle Thomas was martyred here after bringing the Gospel to India

This week we had a speaker named Fernando de Silva. He is from Brazil and currently working as a missionary in Spain. Spain...?  Why Spain? Why not Africa or Asia or South America? Well the sad fact is only about 1% of Spaniards are evangelical Christians. The history of the Spanish inquisition has left such a stigma surrounding Christianity that most people regard Christians with the same distain as Jihad bombers...

He spoke about us working at the YWAM base in Madrid as staff which got Sanchia quite excited, but we won’t go anywhere without the Lord’s instruction. It’s really good to see that the plan to network is really bearing some fruit. We have met so many people walking in obedience, filled with the Holy Spirit and pioneering new projects for the expansion of God’s Kingdom. It’s really encouraging. 

Fernando taught on evangelism and missions and posed some tough questions. I have been asking The Lord for some answers.  I am so thankful for the time God made us spend waiting for Him to reveal what He wanted us to do next. He used that time to do exactly the right work in us, that was necessary for us to understand some of the truths He has revealed, over the past few weeks.

...spot the child playing..

We had some good conversation with Fernando, especially about discipleship. My argument was can you give someone the message of Salvation and Lordship if you can’t show them how to apply it, in other words, if you can’t disciple them. Is that irresponsible? Giving someone a measure of truth and expecting someone else to fill in the blanks? For instance a Pastor that has a million legalistic teachings about this ritual and that ritual, if you don’t do this you won’t go to heaven, if you don’t give here you’ll be cursed, if you don’t say this prayer God won’t hear you and if you leave the covering of my leadership you will be lost to the world. Respect authority, obey me, I hear God and I know the bible and I teach you, not the other way around.

Beach where we went prayer walking

I have been asking God for some clarity and better understanding regarding the issue and today He showed me a glimpse. While prayer walking on outreach, a man by the name Rajesh approached me. He struggled to understand what I was saying to him, so my friend Reuben began to speak to him in Tamil. After some conversation, Reuben asked my friend Len and I to pray, as he was about to share the gospel with Rajesh. Reuben then told me that Rajesh wanted to accept Jesus as his Lord and Saviour. Rajesh asked if the three of us could pray over him, he wanted to kneel in the beach sand at the edge of the water and receive the Holy Spirit. While walking to the edge of the water he proceeded to tear off the Hindu bangle around His wrist without any prompting from us. There he knelt and prayed and another name was written in the book of life.  Afterward he broke off an additional necklace he was wearing and threw away some papers. I could see the joy in his heart .I could see the new freedom in his eyes. He thanked us and thanked God for bringing us to him. Then he bought us each a cucumber from a passing vender! Shortly after Rajesh left for home, I had another encounter with Amul. In brief I was in a temple courtyard declaring the Power of God over it when Amul and Soji walked over to me to talk. It was a very similar outcome.

From left to right Nisha, Reuben, Rajesh as mentioned above, Len

So then discipleship is not so cut and dry. Right now my perspective is, if we share the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, we must disciple. However God is in control and when the Holy Spirit moves, we better follow. He will do the rest. He makes all things work to the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Peace and Blessing, Jared