Participants: Jon Wood
Series Code: IFF
Program Code: IFF000004
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00:18 Trying to get in shape for my trip to India.
00:20 Christ said to go into all the world and preach the gospel 00:25 to every creature. 00:26 The problem is we have no idea who they are. 00:32 How are we supposed to effectively communicate the 00:34 gospel to a people we know nothing about: how they think, 00:38 what kind of pressures they have in their daily lives. 00:41 Come with me and let's meet India Face to Face. 01:18 I had avoided coming to this beach. 01:24 I was afraid at what I'd find. 01:27 It's hard enough to see the rising death toll on TV. 01:32 But to meet the people face to face; the ones who have gone 01:35 through such an ordeal makes it much more personal. 01:42 It challenges us and forces us to move out of our own 01:45 comfort zone. 01:50 A long time ago I read this book called The Hunted. 01:52 It told of people escaping the killing fields in Cambodia. 01:56 Yet they said they were actually thankful for the experience 01:59 because it had made them aware of their need for Jesus. 02:03 But the extreme conditions made them open for something real; 02:07 open for a change. 02:09 And would we meet these people at the beach, I wondered? 02:14 Were they just looking for a handout? 02:19 Or were they looking for something more? 03:12 So what used to be here? 03:23 Where are they now? 03:41 Was this boy here when it happened? 06:24 What did she say? 07:02 Hey, Samuel, here's the rest of that boat. 07:15 That's crazy, man. 07:16 Hello, small brother. 07:18 Did you see it? 07:19 Si. 07:20 Did you watch the wave? 07:21 Yeah. 07:23 How big was it? 07:24 Big? 07:25 How large? 07:26 How tall was the wave? 07:27 Twelve feet. 07:29 Did it come over this wall? 07:31 This building. 07:33 Boat. 07:36 See, Sir, standing boat? 07:37 Yeah, did that boat come through here or did it come over? 07:41 No, over top of the building. 07:43 That blue boat? 07:47 Came over the building? 07:48 That's insane man. 07:51 I'm glad you're alive. 07:53 Uh huh. 07:54 I bet you're glad you're alive. 07:55 Uh huh. 09:17 I only gave them $10.00, but that was enough to feed that 09:22 whole family for a week. 09:23 These shelters were erected by local concerned citizens who are 09:28 also sending in food and water. 09:29 However, the supplies were coming less and less frequently 09:32 as the days went by. 09:33 The Indian government had refused foreign aid on the basis 09:36 that this was a relatively small disaster: only 10 09:39 or 12,000 deaths. 09:40 Not like the earthquake a few years before that had 09:42 killed 26,000. 09:43 So claimed they could handle it. 09:45 The problem was it would take them four to six months 09:47 to initiate a program to bring in supplies, and by that time 09:50 the people would starve. 09:51 Praise God some concerned Christians donated funds to help 09:54 alleviate the immediate need. 09:56 Yet the real need was deeper than food for the body. 10:02 These people long for the bread of life; something that would 10:04 give them hope and security. 10:06 And if we didn't give that to them also, we'd be neglecting 10:09 the gospel commission because just feeding people 10:12 is not evangelism. 10:13 It's just making them more comfortable for this life, 10:15 but denying them eternal life. 10:17 It may open the door to Jesus, but Jesus must be shared through 10:21 that open door, or the opportunity will be lost 10:24 and souls will perish. 12:13 You're witnessing the fruit of a widow working with five of her 12:16 friends; all volunteers. 12:18 They would come in the morning to Pastor Samuel's house 12:21 and collect enough money for bus and food, and head out to this 12:24 beach to do in home Bible studies all day long, 12:27 and then go home in the evening. 12:29 This is their life passion; winning precious 12:32 souls to Jesus Christ. 12:34 They did this even without a salary. 12:36 The little bit of funding given to them merely enables them 12:39 to do this soul winning and Bible study on a 12:41 full time basis. 12:42 And now there is a new group of believers worshipping on the 12:45 same beach where the few hundred huts had been washed away 12:48 just a few months before. 12:50 Truly God can bring good out of evil. 12:53 As the scripture says, there is no difference between the 12:57 Westerner and the Asian. 12:59 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord 13:01 shall be saved. 13:02 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? 13:06 And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have 13:09 never heard? 13:10 And how are they to hear without a preacher? 13:13 And how shall they preach unless they be sent? 13:16 I believe that God has blessed the Western countries for such a 13:20 time as this to enable a huge army of national workers to 13:24 go into God's vineyard and to partner with them to finish 13:27 this work quickly. 13:28 Some of us are called to go, others are called to send. 13:32 There is a potential army of workers in India and in other 13:35 countries that are just waiting to be sent. 13:38 Many of us cannot go easily, but almost all of us can send. 13:42 We each need to do something in worship for the Lord. 13:45 So ask yourself this question, will I go or will I send? |
Revised 2014-12-17