The Impact One Life Can Have, Part One — K.P. Yohannan

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How is it that some are willing to die for Christ? Well, the answer is surrender. That's next on The Road to Reality with Brother K .P. Yohannan. Hello and welcome to The Road to Reality with Brother K .P. Yohannan, the founder and director of Gospel for Asia.

Today, we bring you a message delivered by Brother K .P. in Canada. It took place after he visited the tsunami-struck areas of southern India. And along with an update, Brother K .P. will bring us the story of one young missionary and God's faithfulness in the face of death threats.

Before we go to Brother K .P., I'd like to encourage you to stop by our website, gospelforasia .org, and look through our Christmas catalog. You'll find some unique ways to make this Christmas especially meaningful for a poor family in India.

Again, our web address is gospelforasia .org. I'll give you the contact information again, but now let's listen in to Brother K .P. Yohannan.

Compassion Amid the Tsunami's Devastation

I spent over two weeks among the tsunami victims in Southeast Asia. Before I left for these countries, I saw on BBC and CNN and all these other media what was going on. But I was not quite prepared to encounter the pain, the anguish, and it broke my heart again and again and again.

In Nagpattanam, my colleagues, coworkers, introduced me to a man. He must be in his early 40s, looked so sad and totally broken. His wife died and his two children died and two other children remained with him.

And the day before I got there, there was a rumor another tsunami is coming. And they found this man running toward the sea along with his two little kids. And people stopped him and said, where are you going?

He said, oh, I heard another tsunami coming and I'm going to the place where my house stood and I want to die with my children. I have no reason to live. We maintain over 15 camps with thousands of children.

Those who lost both parents or one parent and some of our workers are telling me in the middle of the night, some kids will wake up just screaming, mummy, mummy, daddy, daddy, and they're running all over the place.

But they are not to be found. Some 6 million people have been displaced. In one part, in southern India, 72 villages have been completely wiped out. Average 4 ,000 to 6 ,000 homes in each village. I tell you, I didn't know I had so much tears.

But then I realized that was an answer to my prayer, saying, Lord, please don't let my heart become hard and cynical as I see so much pain and loss and tragedy in these nations. Matthew's Gospel, chapter 9, we read the nature of Jesus.

As he saw these multitudes beaten, harassed. In NIV says the last word in verse 36, helpless, just don't know what to do. He was moved with compassion. And he said, they are lost like sheep without shepherd.

Jesus' Compassion and the Call to Go

Then chapter 10, he says, I want you to go and be willing to pay the price. My brothers and sisters, as we sit here these days and enjoy the worship, the presence of God, may we never forget over 2 billion people live on planet Earth, plunging toward eternity, not knowing the name Jesus that we proclaim and worship tonight.

And we are his body to whom he said, I want you to go. As the Father sent me, I sent you. Let us incarnate the heart of our Lord in our generation. If you and I will not do it, then I ask you, who will?

It is not my brother, it is not my sister, it is not my father, my son, my daughter. Oh Lord, it is me that may be our prayer and commitment in the end. After finishing my high school in southern part of India, I left my home traveling 2 ,000 miles to north with one intention to serve Jesus and see other people that do not know the Lord come to know him.

Leaving Home to Reach the Unreached

I did not know going to north India will mean beatings and persecution and rejection. No, I didn't know that. I was born and raised in a community where in AD 52, Thomas, Christ's disciple, came and preached the gospel and planted seven churches.

And one of the churches, Thomas, Christ's disciple, happened to be three kilometers from my village where I was born and raised. That makes me a better Christian, I think. And I had this wonderful privilege to be born in a home where my parents knew the Lord.

But as I went to north India, I will discover there are multitudes, which means millions, that never had a chance to hear Jesus' name. And we would go from village to village and ask, have you heard of Jesus?

Have you heard about Jesus? The typical answer they gave, oh, I've been living here for the last 50 years. No one by that name lives in our community. But you go to the next village, you may find him there.

And I realized all of a sudden I'm among people that do not know his name. But then as we began to preach the gospel, persecution became a way of life. One of the first place I was beaten and abused, along with seven other coworkers, the name of the place called Boondi in northwest of India.

Persecution in Boondi

Half a dozen times, other teams went there with the gospel, and every time they were beaten, Bibles burned, kicked out of the community. And we happened to be the next team. Thank God nobody told us how bad that place is until we got there.

Two by two, we carried our book bags and went to homes, and gave gospel tracts and witnessed the people. But within less than an hour's time, I found myself laying in the dirt. A tall Rajput, strong man, just kicking me like you kick a football.

And my coworkers beaten, some even couldn't stand on their legs. They were dragging them like you drag a dead animal. There was a mob. The leader spoke, Get out of this place, you dogs. We don't need your God.

We got plenty. We give you five minutes. If you don't, we will kill you. With great struggle, we left the place. Boondi by now became synonym for martyrdom. You want to get killed, you go there. A few years will go by.

A Young Missionary Answers the Call

A 19-year-old, barely 20 years, a young man having gone to the Bible school, we have 54 Bible colleges scattered throughout 10 Asian nations, with some 8 ,000 young people study there, three long years of training before they go to the mission field.

This young man, as he graduated, said to the leaders, the Lord was leading him to go to Boondi. This guy is a skinny little chap. Not tall, but short. So when he said that, the senior elder said, You are joking, aren't you?

He said, No. The whole year I prayed, the Lord burned my heart to go to Boondi. They said, You don't know what you are talking about. Boondi is not the place for you to go. You are young, you are skinny, you are weak, you don't know much.

They were right, but he insisted. They said, All right. They prayed for him. He went to Boondi, got a small place, about $5 a month rent, with all the literature he carried. He began to witness to people here and there.

But he'd never been to Boondi before, only heard the horror stories from people like us. One night while he was sleeping, a group of men came and busted his door open. And he found himself surrounded by these men, and a tall man pulled him up by his leg like you hold up a chicken.

And this is what he said, in the native Hindi language. You young fellow, we were watching you during these past days. You came here to convert us to Christianity. Who sent you here? We can tear you apart like we do with a chicken.

This is not the place for you. But tonight we will not kill you. First thing in the morning, you leave our community, never to come back. And they dropped him. He got scared. I would too. He went back to the mission station from where he was sent, and reported what happened.

Trembling. And they said, well, that's what we told you will happen. While this conversation was going on, the senior most pastor elder walked into the conversation and learning what was going on said, son, I just want to ask you one question.

Did Jesus ask you to go to Boondi? Did he really tell you to do that? He said, I know he did. Because my heart was burning for a whole year. And that's the place he told me to go. But I don't know how I can face it.

I'm scared. The leader said, son, go back to Boondi. Silence. They couldn't believe he would do that to this young fellow. They will come back. They will harass you. They will beat you. It happened before.

Then he said, there's a slight possibility they will kill you also. But son, remember this. If that is the place, you must lay down your life for his sake, who gave himself for you. Son, remember, heaven is a much better place than Boondi, and you wait in heaven for us, and we will come and see you later.

He knelt down. They laid hand on him, prayed for him. He got on the bus, actually believing that he will never see them again face to face, as it was the case of Paul when he went to Jerusalem from Ephesus.

They wept. He wept, saying goodbye, on the way to Boondi.

A gripping story, to say the least. We'll get back to the conclusion in just a moment. You're listening to The Road to Reality with Brother K .P. Yohannan, founder and director of Gospel for Asia. If you're not familiar with the missions work the Lord is doing through Gospel for Asia, please stop by our website.

It's found at gospelforasia .org. You'll find resources to inspire you in your walk with the Lord, like K .P.'s personal story. It's a free book called Revolution in World Missions. And with the Christian season here, please look through the Christmas catalog.

It's filled with practical gift ideas, things like tool kits, chickens, or blankets. As I said, practical items that you and your family can give to bless a Dalit family with a tangible expression of Christ's love.

Again, our web address is gospelforasia .org. Or, to reach us by phone, call toll-free 800-WIN-ASIA. Now, let's return to Brother K .P. for the rest of the story about this young man who went to a dangerous part of India to share Christ.

The Missionary's Courage Under Threat

Within a few days,.

The same group of men, now more angry and upset, came back to him and said, Now, you have come back to make us murderers. Why did you do it? Who told you to come here? Who is behind you? This young man listened to their threats, their sharp, murderous words, their anger with soberness and calmness and a gentle spirit.

Finally, he looked straight into the eyes of the leader and said, Paisaab, Sir, the sooner you do your job, it is better for me. Heaven is a much better place than Boondi anyway. Go ahead. These men's eyes popped out.

What you do with someone who actually want to die? They were totally confused. A few years will go by. I get a telephone call in the United States. Hello? I said, Yes, this is me speaking. This is Brother K .P. Brother, I am calling you, asking you, would you come to Boondi?

I said, What? I wanted to put the phone down. The name Boondi is a nightmare. Flashback. He said, No, no, no. I know. We want you to come and inaugurate the church that we just finished constructing in Boondi.

The Church Established in Boondi

Now, the story changes. I flew to Delhi, took a train to Kota, Rajasthan, then went on to Boondi. Tonight, worship was great. But do you really want to see people's face glow with the love and the grace lost in the wonder of the grace of Jesus come to Boondi?

Some 150 adults and children, their wives, just worshipping the Lord. The first generation Christians. I taught God's word. Cried through the whole worship service. Dedicated to the church. When it was all over, this young brother said, This is the fellow who said he'll tear me like a chicken.

And his wife, his friends. What made the difference? The whole world is talking about Canada. It is becoming more difficult to preach and read the Bible in your country. Things you do here, the most heathen nations will not practice.

This is a nation that send missionaries all over the world that died on the mission field, and you still can read the names on their tombs. You are the sons and daughters and grandchildren of those people.

Jeremiah's Burden for a Lost Generation

There is a verse in the book of Lamentations, chapter 1, verse 12. This man is weeping. He's nicknamed the weeping prophet, named Jeremiah. He's asking question, Is it nothing to you, all you that pass by?

He continues, Can't you see the calamity, the pain, the burden I've been inflicted with? Don't you care? Well, if you are a Bible student, you know Jeremiah cannot describe the pain, the agony, emotionally or physically about himself.

The description cannot be about him, but it is very subjective the way he says it. You see what has happened to me? You know what happened? As he looked around and saw the darkness, the sin, the idolatry, and the lostness of his generation rejecting God and the judgment hanging over them, he was broken and wounded within himself with the burden for others.

And then he takes the pain of the lost world upon himself and says, I am hurting so deep. You who profess to know God, don't you care? Can't you see what is happening? Nehemiah was quite comfortable in the palace.

Most trusted individual by the king. But then one day as he was having a good time and enjoying his life, a couple of fellows came and said, oh, we just want to tell you what is happening back in Jerusalem.

They told of the broken down walls, the hopelessness and the lostness of the people. And all of a sudden he began to weep. He lost his appetite. He couldn't find any rest. He knew to walk into the king's presence with such a dongy long face, that means death.

Yet he could not conceal it. When the king saw it, he said, Nehemiah, what or not is going on with you? Then he tells, oh king, how can I laugh? How can I be happy when this is happening to my people?

One Person's Surrender and Spiritual Impact

The church today seems to be laughing their way to heaven. They imagine while multitudes and millions are dying and perishing without knowing the fear of the living God. I confess to you, my brothers and sisters, I am not talking about this whole crowd.

I am not talking about your husband and your wife. I am not talking about your congregation or your pastor. I am not talking about your son and daughter. I am talking about you and you alone, one person.

It only takes one individual, one person, I believe, to rout out the forces of darkness and establish a testimony for the glory of Jesus. Ask this young dear brother that went to Boonti, why? How come you can do something like this?

Is it the three and a half years of theology, a bachelor's degree in Bible, experience in deep worship, ability to preach and communicate about deeper life? What is it that makes you do something like this to shake the foundation of Boonti and establish a church?

The answer is very simple. I am no more mine. I died that day when I knelt down and decided to go back to Boonti. How much more information my brothers and sisters do you need before you come clean and totally all His and His alone?

Wow. So what is it going to take? We may not have to face death as we share Christ like this young man, but we do need this reminder, don't we, that as Christians, we're not our own. We've been bought with a price in the blood of Christ.

What does He want from us today? You're listening to The Road to Reality with Brother K .P. O 'Hanlon. There are other stories like the one you've heard today, and you can find them at our website or receive an updated story from the mission field by email.

The web address is gospelforasia .org. And with the Christmas season here, please look through the Christmas catalog. It's filled with practical gift ideas. Things like toolkits, chickens, blankets. As I said, practical items that you and your family can give to bless a doll at family with a tangible expression of Christ's love.

But there are also some items you can get for yourself. Things like a genuine Indian shoulder bag for just $10 or the 2007 Gospel for Asia calendar. It's filled with incredible full color pictures that serve as reminders to pray for the GFA missionaries.

It's all found on our website, gospelforasia .org. Or, you can call us toll free to find out more. The number 800-WIN-ASIA. That's 800-WIN-ASIA. We look forward to hearing from you. The Road to Reality is sponsored by Gospel for Asia.

Please join us next time for more updates and Bible studies. Until then, may the Lord richly bless you.