Choose to Serve, Part One — K.P. Yohannan

Making the choice to serve Jesus, next on The Road to Reality with Brother KP Yohannan. Welcome to The Road to Reality with Brother KP Yohannan, the President of Gospel for Asia. Today we're going to bring you a message entitled Choose to Serve Jesus.

Now Brother KP is showing us that living with an eternal perspective will help us to, well, understand what a blessing it is to serve the Lord Jesus. So if you have your Bible, please join us here in Ezekiel chapter 22 and then Matthew chapter 25.

And by the way, coming up in Dallas, June 30th through July 2nd, we're having the second Renewing Your Passion Conference. Brother KP and Native mission leaders will bring the mission field to you. You'll hear firsthand accounts about God's grace and the realities of missions work.

Now, it would be easy to consider Gospel for Asia's Renewing Your Passion Missions Conference to be, well, just another meeting. We don't have any celebrity speakers or singers signed up, but some of our dynamic leaders from across Asia to share with you the miracles he is performing every day.

To let you know how strongly Brother KP feels about the Renewing Your Passion Conference, if it's not a blessing to you, he'll give you back the cost of your conference registration and Gaylord Hotel Room.

No questions asked. So come and join us in Dallas. Complete information and registration is available through our website at gospelforasia .org. And that's gospelforasia .org. Or call us 866-WIN-ASIA.

That's 866-WIN-ASIA.

An Eternal Perspective on Serving Jesus

And now, here's Brother KP. You know, everything makes sense when we look at things from eternal perspective. In my journey with the Lord, a lot of decisions I've made, which was painfully hard. It's like somebody asking you to take a razor blade and go over your own body.

I think nobody in the right mind would do things like that. But I have come to this absolute conclusion. This is absolute. No gray areas. You know, there are some things absolute, like Bible is God's Word.

Jesus is unique. There's no other God. And the conviction I have in serving God, when you especially talk about missions, here it is. You and I will never accomplish one thing that will survive in eternity without suffering.

I'm not talking about physical suffering or bleeding and somebody get beating up and, you know, like bones get broken and things like that. I'm talking about choices we make that make us uncomfortable and hurts our ego and our flesh.

Intercession and Standing in the Gap

For example, if you want to make a real difference in your family, in the community, around the world, one of the most important factor is the invitation the almighty God gave, saying, come and intercede, stand in the gap on the behalf of those people or need whatever.

Ezekiel chapter 22 talks about that. Verse 30, God says, and I looked, I searched for a man, for a woman to make up the head and stand in the gap on the behalf of the land that I may not destroy it, but I found none.

And they are destroyed. Some things don't make sense in my head. I just can't figure this out. Why? Almighty God who created the whole universe and billions of stars and galaxies says to little puny man, I'm looking for you so that I will not destroy India.

I will not wipe out Bangladesh, that I will not destroy the United States. God, what are you talking about me? He says, yes. I mean, you don't know how weak I am and I fail all the time. I make a mess of my life.

I mean, I get mad and angry. Yeah, I'm looking for you. But he says, it costs you something. See, Jesus couldn't save us without suffering. I hate alarm clocks. You know the little thing that goes off?

On my cell phone also I have one of those dumb, stupid alarm. Do I like this thing? No. I killed a whole bunch of alarm clocks because I pound on it when it rings. You say, something's wrong with your head or something?

You see, when I see something on television or Newsweek magazine or Time magazine or report comes to me from around the world, I simply almost live on the telephone. Call some many, many nations continually of what's going on.

And sometime middle of the night, you know, I have an exclusive line they can call and say, our brother just got arrested and they beat him up. And one brother's eyes plucked out and the church is burned and things like this.

It's a common news almost. What do I do? I have a choice, say, well, you know, what to do, you know, what to do, what to do. Or I can say, this calls for prayer, fasting and intercession. And how many times I turn my alarm clock on so it will ring about 2 .30, 3 in the morning.

I don't do that every week. I don't. But numerous times I had to do that. Why? Because the rest of the days my phone rings and so many things. And when it goes off, I already went to bed late. And here this stupid thing just makes me.

And I get up. I don't like it. I wash my face in cold water. And I kneel by the bedside. With those reports, with the world map. And how many times my tears fell on that map, those reports, and stained it.

You say, wow, that sounds very spiritual. You don't understand it. No, that sounds dumb for the flesh. But I must choose by my own choice. For God never make me do it. He will never do it. He says, I offer you the opportunity to die daily.

Fasting and Dying to the Flesh

Do I like fasting? You're kidding. Everything in me rebels when I have to take the commitment to fast a day or two or three. Or whatever. If I saw what? If Jesus fasted 40 days, set this example before me.

I must choose to accept death to my flesh for the sake to see a world that is going to hell come into the kingdom. Brothers and sisters, may I share this with you in the name of our Lord. There's an interesting quotation from C .S. Lewis.

We have a tendency to think and not to act. We may even write a book and not act. The more we feel without acting, the less we will ever be able to act. And in the long run, the less we will ever be able to feel.

You got it? I hope. We are called to be doers of the word. Am I right? Not to be just people gathering information, memorizing all the books and running around with the knowledge. But do something. But doing something for the Lord makes us uncomfortable.

Because our flesh, the world, and the devil, three enemies are fighting against us all the time. And the worst of all enemy is my own self. What to do? Yet I have to deal with it. Now, that is introduction.

Matthew 25 and Serving Christ in the Least

Now, turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew. This is a missions month, so it's an exciting time. Matthew's Gospel, chapter 25, verse 40. Matthew's Gospel, chapter 25, verse 40. The king will reply, I tell you the truth.

Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. What is mission work? What is serving God? It is a life that is spent continually doing things for Jesus, not for others.

Did you get it? On the streets of Calcutta, Mother Teresa, who was known very well throughout the world. As a young girl, she left Albania, went to India to serve the poor. And she and her coworkers would go and pick up these little babies that are thrown in the trash can overnight by people that didn't want them.

They would pick them up. There are hospitals established with a basket called the night basket. Babies are delivered, especially if they are baby girls. The mother don't want it. Instead of killing it, they put it in the basket.

Just been born, and they collect them. Then she would go with her coworkers to the lepers who lost their nose, their fingers, their ears, and wash their wounds and clean them up and bandage them and give them a shelter and all those things.

One day, from England, one of the newspaper reporter happened to be in Calcutta to interview Mother Teresa. And as he was trying to do the reporting, it so happened she was on the street corner, kneeling down, cleaning the pus and the blood oozing out of the wound of a leper with her hand and bandaging it.

And this man was shocked. He said, Mother, I won't do this thing for nothing. I won't do it for anything, even if they give me a whole bunch of money. I won't do it. She said, I won't do it either for a million dollars.

Why do we do it then? He replied, I do this for Jesus. This is not a leper. This is Jesus. These are not his wounds. These are Jesus' wounds. I'm cleaning his wounds and bandaging his pain and his hurt.

This is Jesus. My brothers and sisters, serving God and mission work, this and that, has become now a business, a job, something we have to do. The church said it. No, it is eagerness to serve my Lord.

Wow, the heartbeat of missions and really anything we do in life as believers should be out of eagerness to serve the Lord. Well, you're listening to The Road to Reality with Brother K .P. Yohanan, the founder of Gospel for Asia.

K .P. will be back in just a moment. He's been sharing how the Lord has impressed on him this great need in India. And that's why Gospel for Asia has begun a new children's outreach program called Bridge of Hope.

Brother K .P. feels that this not only helps rescue thousands of children from a wasted life, but it's an important part of Bridge of Hope that the gospel is shared with those children. And in many cases, other family members come to faith in Christ as well.

You can learn more about Bridge of Hope at our website. The address is gospelforasia .org or call us toll free 866-WIN-ASIA. And now back to Brother K .P. with more about this exciting outreach called Bridge of Hope.

Recognizing Jesus in the Needy

I have many sad stories about my failures. Some years ago, this is back in India. I went to bed very, very late because I do a radio broadcast, daily broadcasting. And I take programs in the radio studio and sometime in the night, it just get late.

And I was tired and worn out and I went to bed late. And I was hoping that nobody would bother me. And next morning, I mean, before even the sun began to wake up, there was a knock at the door, pounding on the door.

Knock means more gentle. And I got up, I was angry. I said, what, who knocked the door like that? You don't think preachers can be mad. You got to see them. And I went to the, and I opened the door. And here stands a little young fellow.

I looked and said, what is wrong with this fellow? I mean, he just stands there with a long donkey side face. And a totally wrinkled shirt. Trousers that's completely wrinkled and dirty. And sandals he wears that is so dirty looking thing.

And he just stands there. I said, I mean, don't you see the sun is not up yet? He won't answer. I said, what do you want? I'm still, you know, I'm upset about his whole situation. He says nothing. I said, I mean, can't you talk?

What do you want? And he speaks very soft. I traveled by train several hours. And somebody told me if I come to you, you will help me. I said, who send you? Why they can't help you? My voice again. His voice again soft.

He didn't answer that question. He said, I want to go to school. But I have no money to buy books and some clothes. I thought you could help me. I said, I mean, could you not have at least come a few hours later?

I mean, I'm not talking to him like I'm talking to you. It was still harsh. Then finally get rid of him. I said, this is where I sleep in the night. This is not a bank. Why don't you go to the Gospel of Asia headquarters?

It is about half a kilometer from here. And he tell them to help you. They will help you. He said, okay. He turned. He began to walk. Because there's a gate. And I shut the door and walked back to my bedroom.

I said, I can't believe this. And all of a sudden, it was as though I could hear somebody saying, you just turned Jesus away. I ran back and opened the door. And he was just walking out of the gate. I said, come back.

He came back and said, don't you have any other clothes? He said, no, sir. Where do you live? He told me the place. I said, wait. So I had him sit down in the veranda and went back and got a trousers and a nice shirt, a sandal.

And I said, I will give you the money that you need. But I tell you what, you will not only need to get in the school, but you need money to keep you going. So you can finish your school. This is what you must do.

You must go to our office and give them your name and address and all the details and tell them I send you. So I gave him some private money from me to him and let him go. A few hours later, I went to the office and said, did this young fellow came by?

He said, no, sir. Nobody came here. I had his address in my hand, what he told me where he's from, all these things. I said, this is funny. This is strange. So I sent one of our missionaries to check.

He came back and said, nobody ever heard even the name on the street here. Forget about somebody living there. I said to myself, this is funny. No, it is not funny. I wonder if what I heard was the Lord saying to me, you just turned Jesus away.

Responding to Christ's Call in the Poor

This morning I read words of one of these songs from Stephen Curtis Chapman called What Now? And I just, I never heard this before. I never heard the song, but the lyrics and I got a CD of this. If you heard it, listen to this again because I like to hear it.

I saw the face of Jesus in a little orphan girl. She was standing in the corner on the other side of the world. And I heard the voice of Jesus gently whisper in my heart. Didn't you say you wanted to find me?

Well, here I am. Here you are. So what now? What will you do now that you have found me? What now? What will you do with this treasure you have found? I know I may not look like what you expected. But if you will remember, this is right where I said I would be.

You found me. What now? My brothers and sisters, the poor, the downtrodden, the helpless, the rejected always followed the Lord. The rich man who came to Jesus, he walked away sad because he didn't want to exchange everything for something Jesus offered.

Living for Eternity and the Lost

We are living in the most incredible time in history where when it comes to missions, the word harvest becomes the key word and the most amazing possibility for us to grab millions of souls with us and step into eternity and dance forever.

I began my talk this evening saying everything makes sense when you begin to look at things from eternal perspective. For example, now, I carry a driver's license like you do. If you want to know how old I am, you can look at it.

But some of you hide your driver's license. Keep hiding it because you are 60 but you look 16. But I tell you a secret. 100 years from now, you will not be sitting here. 100 years from now, you will not be driving that car.

You will not be sleeping on that nice comfortable bed. You will not be going to the closet to find the best of clothes and do the color coordination and look so beautiful and handsome. You will not be searching for the right color jewelry to match whatever.

You will not be worrying about the checkbook and the deposit, all those things. Some of you look like you don't believe me. Oh, okay, okay. You wait, you wait. You'll find out. What am I saying to you?

We must live our life for the same thing Jesus lived for. What did he live for? Luke 19, son of man came to seek and save that which was lost. And today we have the opportunity to touch a world that is absolutely wide open before us.

Especially the suffering, needy children of the world. And particularly the most amazing thing that we have today is as we reach the suffering children, we are able to touch their parents and community and see churches planted everywhere and on a continuous basis.

You've been listening to Brother KP Yohanan from Gospel for Asia. Brother KP has been sharing how the Lord impressed on him this great need in India. That's why Gospel for Asia has begun a new children's outreach program called Bridge of Hope.

It's designed to rescue thousands of children in Asia from a life of poverty and hopelessness by giving them an education and introducing them to the love of God in Christ. Your support continues to be a concrete expression of the love of God throughout the year.

A sponsorship of just $28 a month will cover the cost of one child's tuition, books, uniforms, one or two meals a day and a yearly medical checkup. 100 of your sponsorship is sent to the mission field.

Nothing is taken out for administration or fundraising. To sponsor a child today or just learn more about Bridge of Hope, visit our website gospelforasia .org. Also, Brother KP is concerned about stewardship, so if you're being ministered to by this radio program, would you please send us a quick email or make a short call just to tell us you're listening?

Brother KP would be very encouraged. And don't miss the Renewing Your Passion mission conference taking place in Dallas June 30th through the 2nd. I know that's a lot of information, but you can find it all at our website, that's gospelforasia .org or call us toll free for more information, 866-WIN-ASIA.

That's 866-WIN-ASIA. And by the way, coming up in Dallas June 30th through July 2nd, we're having the second Renewing Your Passion conference. Brother KP and Native mission leaders will bring the mission field to you.

You'll hear firsthand accounts about God's grace and the realities of missions work. Now, it would be easy to consider Gospel for Asia's Renewing Your Passion missions conference to be, well, just another meeting.

We don't have any celebrity speakers or singers signed up, but some of our dynamic leaders from across Asia to share with you the miracles he is performing every day. To let you know how strongly Brother KP feels about the Renewing Your Passion conference, if it's not a blessing to you, he'll give you back the cost of your conference registration and Gaylord Hotel Room.

No questions asked. So come and join us in Dallas. Complete information and registration is available through our website at gospelforasia .org. That's gospelforasia .org. Or call us, 866-WIN-ASIA. That's 866-WIN-ASIA.

The Road to Reality is sponsored by Gospel for Asia. On Brother KP's behalf and all of us here at Gospel for Asia, may the Lord richly bless you.