Fully Committed to Jesus Christ (German) — K.P. Yohannan

It's very nice to be here with you this day. And a lot of people are praying for this evening, our meeting. And thank you, Pastor, for allowing me to be here. And although he said no time limit, I'm sure we will end sometime soon.

I'm deeply convinced that nothing happens in our life that is just an accident. God plans everything. Some of the most significant encounters we have, it's not organized that large, it is very insignificant.

When I was 16, I went to attend a missionary conference. That was the first time I left my home, as a matter of fact. And I grew up in a small village in the very extreme southern part of India. And I left my home to attend this meeting, which is a day's journey by train.

And it was during that meeting that I heard about North India, about people that never heard the name Jesus. And it was just one sentence I heard became the reason for my committing my entire life for serving the Lord.

I was 16 years old at that time. Now I'm 48, that's a long time ago.

Considering Jesus and Embracing the Cross

And the Lord will talk to us this evening, I believe. In the book of Hebrews, chapter 12, verse 3, we are asked to consider Jesus, who endured the cross. And so the reason is that we will not lose our heart, we don't get discouraged.

And always I should be considering, thinking about Jesus. And once I am able to do that, then all things become easy.

And the cross was not imposed upon Jesus. He chose it. He said, nobody is making me to lay my life down, but I choose it.

And he says, now you come after me, Jesus says, and then you take your cross also.

And nobody likes the cross much, because it is inconvenient and it is difficult. And my self-centeredness fights against the call to embrace the cross.

I do not know about Germany, but in America everybody wants microwave Christian life. An instant Christian.

You press the button and everything happens.

But the call of Christ is a daily taking the cross, paying the price and going on on a narrow road.

But the call of Christ is a daily taking the cross, paying the price and going on on a narrow road. I preach and speak for my Lord, especially in the point that I preach the lost world.

It is not building or money or programs that we lack. It is somehow we all are seeking always to protect our own selves. We are holding the bread in our pocket. We are taking care of ourselves. It is not given in the hands of Jesus.

If you give it, he will take it, he will break it and billions can be reached with the gospel. If you give it, he will take it, he will break it and billions can be reached with the gospel.

Using Resources to Reach the Unreached

Some time ago I got a telephone call from a man from a distant city. And I live in Texas and he is from a different state. And he said, Brother K .P., can I talk to you? I said, yes, yes. And he started crying.

I could hear him on the telephone. And then he said, I just finished reading your book. And he said, I am so deeply gripped. He said, Brother K .P., I am 60 some years old. And in a few years my life will be over.

In a few years my life will be over.

And as I read your book, I realized of multiplied millions of people all over the world, that never heard Jesus name, I am going to hell.

Then he cried again. I am holding on to my telephone.

And I said, I am glad he is making the call, not me. Otherwise I would have to pay. And he said, Brother K .P., I am thinking this thought. When I stand before the throne, I want to see millions of people from every tribe, every nation, every kindred.

And I want my life to be used to see them come to Jesus. He said, can you tell me how I can do it? I said, yes. At that time, in our mission headquarters, we were praying for God to provide funds to buy 100 films and projectors and generators.

And I told him about three, four hundred million people that don't read and write. And by showing the film, we can tell them about Jesus. He said, how much will it cost? I said, about a quarter of a million dollars.

He said, okay, I will pray. And he hung up the telephone. And I said to myself, why do you have to pray? If you got the money, you better send it. I said, fine. A week later, he called me again. He said, Brother K .P.

I said, yes. He said, I just sent a check for $235 ,000. Can you get those films in the hand? I said, yeah, we will do it. Within a couple of months, we had the films and projectors in the hands of all the missionaries.

Within a couple of months, we had the films and projectors in the hands of all the missionaries. A year went by. We did a study from the mission field.

Every month, around 100 ,000 people come to Christ just by watching these films on the mission field.

Every month, around 100 ,000 people come to Christ just by watching these films on the mission field.

What a tremendous privilege the Lord gave him. I know this man very well. Now, since that experience. He could have done thousands of things with it. New house, better car, all kinds of things. But he chose to do something different.

Sacrificial Giving Through a Simple Life

Let me tell you another story. I was in Victoria, Texas, a small town to speak. One old grandma began to support one missionary.

One old grandma began to support one missionary.

And I didn't know much about her.

After a few years, a letter came to our office. Brother K .P.

I am very sorry, I cannot support my missionary anymore. The electric bill and the water bill increased.

The electric bill and the water bill increased. I live alone in my house.

And I cannot send the 10 dollars anymore, which I was sending every month.

But I will pray for the missionary.

And someone from the office brought the letter to me. I was so touched by that. I called her on the telephone. And I said, this is Brother K .P. calling. And she said, oh Brother K .P., so nice to hear your voice.

And I said, thank you for your letter. Be happy. And I said, we want to send you some money if you ever need any help. And I didn't know that grandma was living alone. A few weeks went by. Another letter comes.

Dear Brother K .P. I was praying. And I realized soon I will go and be with Jesus. And I am so sad that I cannot support my missionary anymore. And now I have decided to cancel my telephone so I can continue to support that missionary.

And now I am crying. I didn't want her to do that. But you know what? A few months from the time she wrote that card, she died and went to be with the Lord.

I am not just talking about money.

It is a choice you make daily, deliberately, to embrace the cross. There was a time, nearly 20 years ago, I lived for myself. I was preaching, I was pastoring a church in America and going to seminary and doing good things.

And I was preaching four times a week to my congregation. I was studying so deep Greek, Hebrew, the whole, it was really nice.

I preached about missions and all these different things. But it was all knowledge.

Living for Eternity Rather Than Self

And in the end the Lord began to deal with my heart. And I said, Lord, change my heart.

Take eternity and stamp on my eyes.

I wanted to live my life in the light of eternity. And I now saw Bible verses like this where Jesus said, come, take up your cross. It became practical. And He said, love me more than your own very life.

I have a wife and two children. I love them. I care about them.

I love the ministry. And Jesus said, love me more than your wife, your son, your daughter. That will be okay. But more than my life, there is a little problem. Because I care about myself.

And the Lord began to change my heart. Then I used to buy a deodorant soap made in England that was sold in the United States. It cost $1 .50 per bar, each bar. It's nice. I was using it all the time.

I like nice things. But when the Lord changed my heart, now I'm thinking about 500 ,000 villages of India that never heard the name Jesus. And I realized hell is real. Hell is real. Hell is real. And you know, I remember with that understanding, I decided not to buy that deodorant soap anymore, but buy a $0 .35, a cheaper brand name called Ivory.

It doesn't make me spiritual. It has nothing to do with that. Poverty and having less material things never make anybody spiritual. It was a choice I made. The rest of the money could go to print gospel tracts.

A Gospel Tract and a Village Transformed

We have some 10 ,000 missionaries on the field. These are native missionaries in different countries. In the northwest of India, one of our evangelistic team was working on the streets. A Hindu man came and got a gospel tract.

It's like a little booklet, like four spiritual laws. And this man is in his 50s. From a Hindu Brahmin family, also a landlord.

Very, very rich.

He had cancer in his body and he was running away from his house to commit suicide. It was on the way to kill himself. That he got this gospel tract from our missionaries. On the street he began to read this.

God came into this world to die for me. Jesus loves me. My sins can be forgiven. He can make me well. For the first time in this man's life, he is reading about a God he never heard about before. And there was a prayer he could pray in the end of the booklet.

And he prayed to Jesus. He felt something happening in his body. Such peace came into his heart. He didn't commit suicide. He went back home. Went to the hospital. And said, doctor, please check me. Baba, I want to check you.

You got cancer. You got cancer. There is nothing we can do for you.

He said, no, no, no, doctor, you please check me. So they checked him up. That's it.

You are totally cured. You are not sick anymore. And he pulled the booklet out of his pocket.

Doctor, this one healed me. They thought he went cuckoo. He was so overjoyed.

With the address on the booklet, he contacted our mission station. He explained to our brothers what happened to him. And they opened the Bible and told him more about Jesus. And he started to weep. And then he said, Oh, I know, this Jesus is my God.

And then he responded. He said, I am a landlord. I am the head of my village. Can you come and make all my people Christians? How little he understood. So innocent, so naive. Two of our Bible school graduates went to his village.

They began to preach the Gospel. First week, 25, 30 people gave their life to Christ. Today there is a good,.

Strong church in that village.

The man gave the land, the money, everything to build the church. His entire family worshiping Jesus. How did that all start? One Gospel tract. Costs less than the money you and I pay for a chewing gum.

Living by Faith in a Short Life

So small. A church planted in a village. See, even as spirit filled, born again believers, unless you are careful, you live so easily. Earth bound.

You live like anybody else. By sight.

But we are called to live by faith. Seeing Jesus, the one who goes before us. That is a kind of life not my will, but Father what you want me to do. It is a daily choice. My brothers and sisters. You know, one of the things that motivates me to live for Jesus and to walk in this road.

Say not to so many things I want. It is the understanding my life is very short. There is a nice Bible verse in Psalm 90 verse 12. In German language, in the Bible it is much better than in English. So teach us to number our days that we may present to thee a heart of wisdom.

Do you want me to have the translation? Yes, you got a good German Bible there. I was asking Ruth today that Bible verse in German. Help us to remember that we must die. That we may know how to live. Do we remember that?

And Psalm 103 it says our life is like a glass that comes up in the morning and evening like a flower, it goes like that. And we must live daily knowing that someday we will see Jesus face to face. And I encourage you to make every decision you make in the light of eternity.

And that decision will involve in saying no to my own desires. In the northeast of India we have a school where we train Islam converts to do ministry among the Muslims. We don't publicize about the school.

Missionary Sacrifice in Muslim Communities

Two young people finished their training and went to work among Muslims. Hussein and Salsal. Hussein was married with two little children. And they started preaching the Gospel among the Muslims. Quite a few people they led to Jesus.

During the night they would call these converts and teach them from the Bible. And one day Hussein and Salsal they were going to their ministry in the morning. A group of men met them on the road. And the leader said.

Oh, you are Hussein and Salsal. You came to tell us about your God Jesus. And they said Yeah, yeah. We love you and we love Jesus and we want you to know about Jesus. And he cut long from his clothes and stabbed in the heart of Hussein.

And he fell in a pool of blood. And his co-worker Salsal was weeping and grabbing hold of him. They stabbed him six times believing they both are dead. These men fled. But Hussein died on the spot. And somebody found Salsal and took him to the hospital.

It took many months for him to recover. Hearing about the incident Hussein's father-in-law his wise father a Muslim himself from a distant village came to see his daughter. He hated them because she became a Christian.

And this is what the father said.

Thank God my daughter the devil is dead now he can come home with me. Come home with my grandchildren. And the daughter said Father you don't understand. The Jesus my husband loved I love him also. The people he loved and died for I love them.

I cannot come home. I must stay here to continue to tell them about Jesus. He couldn't figure this out. It makes no sense. He stayed on with her.

You were in her shoes. What would you do? Let us not make it a preaching some information this evening.

Loving him more than life itself. This world is not our home. We are just passing through here. And we must continue to shake off everything that makes us to become earth bound like others.

And one of the key is to keep our hearts focused on the lost and dying millions around us.

Reaching Bhutan Through Fasting and Prayer

And just recently as a matter of fact I left India two days ago to come to Germany. And I was talking to one of our leaders who went to Bhutan. And we have a school in the Bhutan border training Bhutanese to go and preach the gospel in Bhutan.

They don't allow any churches officially in Bhutan. It's a closed country. And our leader is a Bhutani.

Last year he walked continually more than three weeks visiting places. And his feet began to bleed. But his longing is to see the country come to Christ. And we have 14 house churches established in Bhutan now.

And he was telling me about one church. And this young Bhutani went to our school. And then he married this young girl who also became a Christian. They went to a place where absolutely no Christian at all.

They never heard that name. And there's a powerful witch doctor who controlled the entire region. And he felt Jesus sent him to preach there. But tremendous opposition. Jesus, I don't know what to do.

And the only thing he knew what to do is to pray. So he and his wife began to fast and pray. Eating one day of the week. Now you need to process this in your head. Because you eat breakfast. You eat lunch.

Then you have cake. Then you have coffee. Three o 'clock cake.

And coffee. And evening sausage and bread. Wurst und Brot. That's German, eh? I like all those things. None of you look really suffering here. And they, my leader told me, Brother KP, for them, fasting and prayer became kind of a normal thinking in their life.

Now just out of seven days a week, just one day they eat and the other days fast. That was the beginning of the ministry. The first convert was the witch doctor. And he was baptized publicly. Then those who were believers in the witchcraft.

And you should see the faces of these new converts. Such glow on their face.

Such incredible joy that lights beaming out. In Germany, even a place like this, you have thousands of people who do not know Jesus. Your neighbors, people who work with you, your family members, people from other countries coming here.

What are you doing with it? When was the last time you made a list of twenty, thirty people? And you said, I'm going to give up one week or two days or three days meals and I'm going to fast and pray.

It takes someone to stand in the gap.

And pay the price. Anything you accomplish will never come without a price. And with that kind of agony, and commitment, you will see people come into Christ. And my brother said to me, this Bhutani brother and his wife, and when all the opposition came, husband, wife made a decision.

We will never leave this place. We must be killed. Our bodies must be buried here. And out of our life a church will come up. That was a commitment they made. My brothers and sisters, I pray that somehow you will start taking this into your own heart.

The Cost of Unreached People Remaining Unreached

I want to give you a few practical applications. You know, some years ago my wife came to me with a letter and this came from the mission field and she said, please read this. And then she said, but please don't speed read it.

You sit down and read it slow. And so I went in my office and shut the door and sat on my nice chair and began reading. When I finished reading the letter I was not sitting on my chair anymore.

I was kneeling on the carpet by my chair and I was weeping.

And this letter came from one of our missionaries. He was working.

In Hardwar by Ganges River. That particular time 35 million people came from all over India to go into River Ganges for holy wash. Hindus believe that sins can be forgiven if they wash in the River Ganges.

They believe River Ganges came from heaven.

It is the most dirty, polluted most horrible waters I think in any river in the world. They cremate thousands of bodies every month and they dump the ashes and the half cremated bodies into the river.

And this our native missionary was witnessing for Jesus during that festival. And all these people, Hindus they are very sincere.

They don't know Jesus. Nobody ever told them. So one evening as he was coming home he saw a young woman sitting by the bank of the river. She was weeping and pounding upon her chest. By the culture of India when someone is doing that it must tell you something happened worse than death itself in the family.

So our missionary went to her and asked what happened? Why are you weeping? And this is what she said we are very poor people. My husband is sick. He can't work anymore. And my sins are so much and for the forgiveness of sin and for the solution of my family I have given the best offering I can give to God of Ganges.

My only child my six month old baby boy I threw him into the river and she began to weep and then our missionary explained to her but your sins are forgiven. Two thousand years ago Jesus died on the cross.

God is not mad at you. God is not mad at you. He didn't make you poor. He is a devil against you. And he explained her the bible verses in the letter he wrote. After I explained her the gospel she wiped her tears looked straight in my eyes and said but why didn't you come to me half hour sooner?

I didn't have to kill my child. It is too late. It is too late. The last sentence and the KP she went back crying again and then I prayed said Jesus.

Even if no one go with me even if no one help me no one understand me. I offer my life to you once again every fiber of my being everything I have and I will walk with you to the last minute that more people like her will hear about you.

And today we have dozens of missionaries working in that area churches planted but that is the reality of more than 2 billion people living in this generation. What keeps us? It is our own service and deadness.

My house my clothes my children my wife my future my bank account my health my exercise my vitamin pills.

And all this stuff. And I must choose I must choose no to the things that I am grabbing hold of. Keith Green was a close friend of mine.

He is an American he is known as a radical Christian and he got in a small airplane and had an accident. He went to heaven. And he was known for the incredible words he wrote in the songs. One of the songs is called sleeping in the light.

It's about the church it's about us about this church your life. And a few words goes like this. All I hear anymore is lord bless me bless me bless me. No one aches no one hurts no one even shed one tear.

All I hear is lord bless me bless me. When I went to China those Chinese brothers showed me one time a stack of color photographs in the icy waters in the middle of the night with flashlights. People have been baptized.

They said if we baptize that time we will go to prison. Then they said something to me brother KP. We have thousands of congregations all over China underground church with 800 and 1000 members and they said.

They are lucky if these congregations have two bibles to the name of the entire congregation. I said what do you do. They said the bibles we get we take it. We tear 20 pages and give it to one family 10 pages next family and they copy the bible.

And we hear bible read over the short wave and we copy it. What right. I am asking you what right you have. I have to have so many bibles when half of the world have never seen the bibles. One page of the bible.

Someday when we stand before the lord we look back for the wasted life so self centered even spiritual things. We are so self centered. Jesus came to save us from our sin. But that is not the end of it.

His greatest job is to set us free from our self centeredness. This is how we can reach the lost world. May the lord give you the grace to make right decisions. These are the practical applications. One you get a world map and put it in your house.

Praying for the Nations

Put nice borders around it color coordination. Whatever stuff you do for god so love the world. When you hear radio tv newspaper whatever news around the world make that prayer letter for you. When our children were so little i used to teach them at the dining table because we have a map.

I said son that is afghanistan. 17 million people live there. No church in the entire country. Danny would you like to pray for afghanistan. And next day we talk about another country. They grew up with the world in their heart.

And i have a shower curtain in our house in dallas. It's made a world map. You take a shower pray for burma buddha and afghanistan. Whatever. And i encourage you to get a world map and take one day of the week to pray for some country of the world.

Simplifying Life for the Mission Field

Secondly i recommend you to simplify your life as jesus direct you. I cannot dictate to you what you should have what you should not have. None of those things. But all i can tell you is this 100 years from now nothing really matters.

Nothing really today. Pastor wolfgang was driving me around and showing me old farm houses 100 year old 200 year old 400 year old people who built it worked so hard. Where are they. Somewhere a tree is growing somewhere some nails are being made somewhere the materials are being made for the coffin.

And that's for you. And that's for me. How stupid we are that we live just for now. And our christianity is just for us. We don't understand what jesus is about. Half of the world go to bed with empty stomach every single day.

And we must become authentic simplify your life and let jesus tell you what you should do for me. It was a different story for you it will be a different story. I used to get a haircut 20 years ago. It cost me 12 dollars in dallas texas.

And when jesus touched my heart i went to a place and paid 3 dollars. They butchered my hair. It looked terrible. But who cares about my hair. Why. Because i wanted to make sure that every penny i can save will go to mission field.

And some people that came through 2nd world war in germany they are grabbing and holding everything they can. You will not take it with you. Young people learn from this life is not forever here. Don't let materialism destroy your life live simple 3rd practical thing to do.

Becoming a Sender of Missionaries

The people that never heard the name jesus live in india bhutan bengal the muslims the buddhist. You may never go there to live. But if you are unselfish in your lifestyle you can go. How jesus said i am sending you to a mighty harvest.

Romans 10 says how will they hear the gospel unless a missionary go. How can they go unless someone send them so someone to go others to send that mission. And today we have 4000 plus young people studying in 31 schools and soon they will be out on the mission field right now there are hundreds waiting to go to the mission field.

And they give all they have like the missionary in bhutan like the team that witnessed the hindu man. And you know what you can become a sender of one of those missionaries. And by faith you say but kp i cannot go and live in bhutan or india.

But i will pray for one or more of those missionaries and i will stand with them as they go and preach the gospel. And we have a few missionaries like this with us on the back is the name the testimony the whole details.

And there is a card here you can fill out. And when you say i want to pray and be a sender of one of those missionaries. We will give this to you tonight. Take home with you. You can start praying for the missionary today.

Put the refrigerator in the bible wherever. And you give about one hundred marks a month that will go for the support of the missionary. And when they plant the church it becomes self-supporting.

Like that man who said i want to stand before jesus with so many people you can do the same. It is a life of faith. And there are people in united states i know they support fifty even eighty hundred missionaries.

Maybe you can support two or three missionaries. Very practical but real. And every penny you give go to the mission field nobody take anything out here. And fourth application if the lord is calling you to go yourself somewhere obey him obey him its a one way ticket.

Obeying the Call to Go

But heaven is a much better place than earth. Anyway one of our missionary who went to the mission field he was so scared. This is the same place i was beaten up when i was a young man and the hindu fanatics said they are going to kill him.

He told our leaders and our senior mosque leader told this young brother son heaven is a much better place. If they kill you you wait in heaven for us we will come later. That is true and tonight.

I pray that what you heard you will take it and say lord what must i do with my life.

And the cross is never imposed upon you. Consider jesus for the joy that was set before him beyond the cross the joy. It is worth paying the price it is worth the price it is not a sin it is not a sin.

I am not.