Participants: Shelley Quinn (Host), Roger Stone
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY015049A
|
00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:29 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:07 Hello and welcome again to 3ABN today. 01:10 We are so thankful that you join us each and every day 01:14 and it's just a pleasure to have this opportunity 01:17 to introduce you to some of God's special people. 01:20 We are all special in the eyes of the Lord 01:22 but we have so many wonderful testimonies 01:24 and today is going to be a good one. 01:29 We just want to thank you for your prayers 01:31 and your financial support of 3ABN 01:33 because we couldn't be doing what we are doing without you. 01:37 I want to introduce you 01:39 to our very special guest today. 01:41 We have two gentlemen here 01:42 that I had the privilege of meeting 01:45 when I was speaking at the Eden Valley Annual Council 01:49 and it was a story-- the testimony was so wonderful 01:55 that we just knew we had to get them here 01:57 so that you could hear their story. 01:59 And first of all we have Pastor Elisha Rao Ganta. 02:04 And pastor, it's so wonderful to have you here. 02:08 I'm also very happy to be here. 02:10 Yes. 02:12 And you little bit-- 02:13 and this is your first time to be at 3ABN? 02:15 This is first time for me to be. 02:16 Yes. 02:18 Well, don't be nervous, you have a television ministry 02:20 so I know you are not nervous on television 02:22 but sometimes its intimidating when you don't know 02:24 what somebody is gonna ask you. 02:26 Yes. 02:27 Well, we are thrilled to have you here. 02:29 And we also have Roger Stone 02:32 and Roger is with the Stones Valley Foundation. 02:35 And Roger, you have an amazing ministry. 02:40 I think you started something like 81 churches 02:42 and you have 41 pastors on your payroll for your ministry. 02:48 And we will hear little from Roger as well 02:51 because God has been using him in a major way 02:54 to bless the Seventh-day Adventist Church 02:58 and the Indian people. 03:00 Well, first we have a treat for you. 03:02 We know how much you like music 03:04 and today's singer is no stranger 03:08 to any of you if you watch 3ABN. 03:11 This is a man who has sung for presidents. 03:15 He has quite the reputation out there 03:19 but he sings for the glory of the Lord and he is-- 03:23 I'm pleased to introduce Wintley Phipps 03:26 who is going to be singing "The Lord in Zion Reigneth." 03:54 The Lord in Zion reigneth 03:58 Let all the world rejoice 04:03 And come before His throne of grace 04:07 With tuneful heart and voice 04:11 The Lord in Zion reigneth 04:15 And there His praise shall ring 04:19 To Him shall princes bend the knee 04:23 And kings their glory bring 04:34 The Lord in Zion reigneth 04:38 And who so great as He? 04:42 The depths of earth are in His hands 04:47 He rules the mighty sea 04:51 O crown His Name with honor 04:55 And let His standard wave 04:59 Till distant isles beyond the deep 05:03 Shall own His power to save 05:14 The Lord in Zion reigneth 05:18 These hours to Him belong 05:22 O enter now His temple gates 05:27 And fill His courts with song 05:31 Beneath His royal banner 05:35 Let every creature fall 05:39 Exalt the King of heaven and earth 05:44 And crown Him Lord of all 05:50 Exalt the King of heaven and earth 05:54 And crown Him Lord of all 06:21 Mercy. 06:22 What a blessing it is to listen to Wintley sing. 06:25 We thank you, Wintley Phipps. 06:27 Well if you are joining us just a few minutes late 06:29 our special guest today are Pastor Elisha Rao Ganta 06:32 from India and Roger Stone 06:35 who is with the Stone's Valley Foundation in Colorado. 06:40 And we just want to jump right into this. 06:43 Elisha, when you told me your story 06:48 it was something that glorified God in a way that I-- 06:54 its rare to hear how fascinating 06:58 it is when God intervenes in someone's life 07:02 and turns it totally around. 07:04 I shouldn't say its rare but your's is a rare story. 07:07 So let's just get started. 07:09 You grew up in what part of India? 07:13 This is south central state of India 07:16 that called Andhra Pradesh. 07:17 Okay. 07:19 So... 07:20 And you grew up in a very poor and deprived environment. 07:24 Yes. 07:25 I lost my father when I was very, very young, 07:29 maybe between six and nine-years-old. 07:33 I was-- my mother was left alone 07:36 with four children in a slum in a hut in extreme poverty. 07:43 So that hunger drove me to the streets 07:47 and I went around begging for food, 07:52 slept in railway stations and bus stands 07:58 and I ate everything that was found like, 08:05 leftover rotten fruits, leftover food thrown off, 08:09 food before homes, before hotels, 08:15 before any places. 08:20 So I was-- 08:22 as I was going there I was going in rags, 08:29 torn clothes and looking for food. 08:33 Then you weren't living at home at all? 08:35 I mean, did your mother just allow you to be 08:38 on the streets or she had no choice? 08:40 She had no choice. 08:43 She couldn't afford to take care of all four. 08:47 So she could take it off any two 08:49 and the other two are left on the street. 08:52 We go and come but mostly we are on the street 08:57 exposed to abuse, exploitation, 09:03 very dangerous diseases and experiences. 09:07 How does a child at the age of seven-years-old 09:11 basically you were six to seven-years-old, 09:14 how does a child know how to survive on the streets? 09:22 Are there gangs, are there people, 09:23 do you gang up with other children? 09:25 How do you learn the rules of the streets even? 09:29 When we go there we go alone to spend a day or two 09:33 but once we go there we find lot of other children, 09:39 the same background and situation. 09:43 So we gang up, gang up together, 09:45 we team up together and then live on the street on our own. 09:50 Learn to live on our own. 09:51 Some boys they polish shoes, they some pickup rags 09:57 and old plastic bottles and it's very dangerous 10:03 for girls of the same age. 10:06 They live there and expose to lot of abuse. 10:13 Including sexual abuse. 10:15 Including sexual abuse. 10:17 I know many girls who they just sleep along with the others 10:24 and they are raped many times and they get pregnant 10:26 and leave the children there. 10:28 And they are with diseases like HIV 10:33 and other sexually transmitted diseases and all. 10:39 So very pathetic situation and this constant exploitation, 10:44 harassment from people on the street and police 10:49 and other people on the street. 10:52 But the conditions there are such 10:54 that there are a lot of children on the street. 10:56 Lot of children. 10:58 It's estimated about 400,000 to 800,000 children 11:04 in India on the streets. 11:07 That's so amazing. 11:09 Yeah, that number fluctuates because it's a floating thing. 11:12 They move from one place to other. 11:14 They are not confined to any place. 11:18 You were on the streets for about seven years? 11:22 About six, seven years. 11:23 Okay. 11:24 Tell us how you never-- 11:28 you didn't know about Jesus Christ, 11:30 you didn't know anything about religion 11:33 and your family was Hindu? 11:35 Hindu. 11:36 My father was a Hindu, my mother was nobody. 11:39 She was just struggle for survival. 11:41 Okay. 11:43 She was after that. 11:44 Here you are on the streets and I guess within seven years 11:47 you are getting pretty street smart. 11:49 Yes. 11:50 Tell us how you happen to pass by our church 11:57 and the music attracted you. 11:58 Tell us what happened. 12:00 One day as I was walking along the street 12:03 not knowing where I was going in the morning 12:07 and as I was passing 12:10 through a building, church building. 12:12 I heard beautiful songs coming out of that. 12:15 And then I went there out of curiosity 12:17 what's going on there. 12:19 So I saw so many children and few adults sitting there 12:24 and singing songs. 12:26 I saw a woman telling them stories 12:29 with the help of pictures and all. 12:31 As I was peeping through the window that lady came 12:35 and said, asked me to come in but I was reluctant 12:39 because I was with torn clothes and dirty hair. 12:44 So she took me and wash me and gave me a lose shirt. 12:48 I went and sat inside there. 12:51 And within one or two weeks there are some teachers 12:55 who came from an Adventist school 12:57 and enrolled me under Christian Children Fund, CCF. 13:03 How did they find you again? 13:05 Where you-- had you been going 13:06 the whole two weeks there 13:07 or how did they find you to enroll you? 13:09 I was there first and then went back to the street 13:13 and the pastor came in search of me 13:17 and he found me sitting in a line begging for food. 13:21 So he handpicked me and then asked me, 13:25 brought me there and asked me 13:28 whether I wanted to go to school and get education. 13:33 I said, yes. 13:35 So he enrolled my name under Christian Children Fund 13:38 and then sent me to Narsapur Seventh-day Adventist School 13:44 and that was like heaven for me having good food 13:49 and place to sleep and school to go and then attend classes. 13:56 So here you are about 14 years old at the time 13:59 and had you had any education whatsoever? 14:03 I had some informal education 14:06 like I know some alphabets in my own language 14:11 but I didn't know anything about English. 14:13 Okay. 14:14 So I went there and learned from the beginning, from zero. 14:19 So I started with A-B-C-D there at the age of 14. 14:23 At 14 and here you are now in-- I mean, 14:27 God has literally plucked you up off the streets 14:30 because there were very few positions available. 14:32 Certainly. 14:34 And because you had been attracted 14:36 to a church by beautiful music 14:39 God opened the door for you to get this education. 14:43 Now tell us about those years of education. 14:46 You were evidently a pretty bright student 14:48 because you went on to college. 14:50 Yeah, I worked very hard. 14:52 I realized that there was no shortcut 14:54 for success except hard work. 14:56 And worked day and night and learned English 14:59 and other subjects and went through high school 15:03 and from there I was sent to Spicer College 15:07 and did my education. 15:09 There also the Lord's hand was behind. 15:12 Many times I was trying to go away from there 15:16 because I couldn't pay fees and all 15:18 but the Lord somehow kept me there 15:23 and I finished college education 15:26 and came to the field and joined as a teacher 15:29 in one of the Seventh-day Adventist schools 15:32 in a town called Vijayawada. 15:34 How long did you teach then? 15:36 I taught there for five, six years. 15:41 And then something absolutely amazing happened 15:44 that was a turning point in his life that took you 15:48 from being a teaching and opening the door, 15:51 God plucked you up once again to have you follow 15:56 the path of becoming a pastor. 15:57 Tell us about the train? 16:01 Yes, as I was traveling one day in a train 16:06 from one place to a big city that was Mary festival day, 16:11 that was a pilgrimage day, the trains are all very full. 16:17 So I got in there because I had to go to school. 16:20 As I was there inside the school 16:23 some people had a fight and they-- 16:25 Inside the train? 16:26 Yeah, inside the train. 16:28 I was standing at the door along with other people. 16:30 So they pushed us out of the running train 16:33 so we fell from a running train and a couple of women 16:40 and three, four people were dead on the stop 16:45 and then I was struggling for life. 16:48 I was not able to breathe properly. 16:49 So then it's true that we understand. 16:50 So the train is running, its going and it was just 16:53 so crowded that they pushed a number of you out the door 16:58 just for room and several people were killed? 17:01 Killed. 17:02 And then there you lay-- 17:04 Lay there unconscious. 17:08 By the time I regained conscience 17:10 I thought that I remembered 17:13 that I got on to train and then fell 17:16 and I was not able to breathe properly. 17:19 So I very fervently prayed to the Lord. 17:22 Lord, if I'm dying forgive my sins 17:25 and take me to heaven otherwise if I live, 17:29 I live to proclaim your gospel in India and do Your work, 17:36 gospel ministry, work as a pastor 17:39 and then evangelize India, parts in India. 17:43 Praise the Lord. 17:44 So that's how the Lord led. 17:46 I convinced that it was Lord's hand behind His plan 17:50 that led me through and then saved me 17:53 from that terrible accident. 17:55 So God saved you miraculously when everyone else, 17:58 you were the only one who survived at those? 18:01 I was the only one. 18:02 That those that were pushed off. 18:03 Now God opened the door for you 18:06 to be able to go again to college? 18:09 You went to Spicer? 18:10 Yes, I went to school and resigned my job 18:15 and planned to go to Spicer and then I was sent to Spicer 18:19 and studied M.A. theology from Andrews Extension 18:24 at Spicer Memorial College. 18:26 Having completed that I came back to field 18:31 and joined as a pastor and started working 18:36 moving from one place to the other. 18:38 So at last I came to a place called 18:42 a coastal town called Chirala. 18:45 So there I found-- again the Lord intervening 18:51 and doing His purpose in my life. 18:55 So now that you've become a pastor 19:00 and because you promised the Lord you would evangelize. 19:05 You still had a soft spot 19:08 in your heart though for the orphans. 19:10 By all means. 19:12 And so tell us how you 19:14 actually became involved with Stone's Valley. 19:17 I was there in Chirala and then that was a famous place 19:22 for robbers and criminals. 19:24 There are criminal villages all around 19:27 and I found many children as we went around, 19:32 I and my wife and my daughter as we went around the huts 19:35 and the slum areas we found children on the streets. 19:39 I remembered my childhood and my heart was drawn 19:45 towards them and I was touched terribly 19:48 by that situation and understood their situation 19:51 and then the Lord led me to do something about them. 19:56 So I-- we gathered 19:58 some children there, children whose father's died of AIDS 20:04 and accident or addiction or police encounter. 20:10 So they were left on the streets. 20:11 So we went and handpicked them, gathered them, 20:15 put them in school with faith, stepped out in faith 20:18 that the Lord would take care of them. 20:21 So the Lord led me 20:25 through a friend a colporteur friend 20:27 by name Mr. Judson Rao and introduced me to Mr. Roger. 20:32 Okay, so Roger Stone the Stone Valley Foundation. 20:37 Roger, when you first met Pastor Elisha 20:41 what did he say to you? 20:45 He just introduced himself 20:47 and it was a couple of weeks later 20:50 that he gave me a phone call and said sir, 20:56 I have about 35 children here that live on the street. 21:00 They only get something to eat every second or third day. 21:03 He said, do you have enough money 21:05 so we could give these children one meal a day? 21:09 And I was short on money then. 21:12 I said, well, this sounds like something 21:14 that God would want us to do. 21:16 You organize it and get it going. 21:19 So he called me back two days later and he says, 21:21 I've got everything organized but I don't have 35 children. 21:24 I have 50 children. He says, I can't get any less. 21:28 And I said, well, if God can give us the money 21:30 to feed 35 children 21:32 He can give us the money to feed 50 children. 21:34 Amen. 21:35 So that's how it started. 21:37 And then he called me one day a short time later and said, 21:41 you know, if you could pay for some uniforms 21:44 and school fees and books we could bring these children 21:48 all to the Adventist school 21:50 which was getting ready to close 21:52 because of lack of children, 21:55 lack of children paying school fees. 21:57 So I had to furnish school fees, plus uniforms, 22:02 books and the school is going real strong today 22:05 which we are very thankful for. 22:06 Praise God. 22:07 Now how did you start Stone's Valley Foundation? 22:09 Let's talk-- how did you get 22:11 interested in the work in India? 22:15 Well, originally in 1999 I went to India with Amazing Facts 22:20 and held a series of meetings South of Chennai 22:23 and started a little church 22:24 which is still going very strong. 22:26 They bought land a build a new church. 22:28 And it's a blessing when I go there. 22:31 Okay, probably with that series of evangelist meetings 22:34 I said Lord, please send me back to India 22:37 and let me do this again. 22:38 And I didn't hear a voice but I knew assuredly 22:41 as if I had heard a voice 22:43 that I was told you are coming back. 22:45 And took me few months to get back 22:47 and I took my wife back with me. 22:48 By now its was 2000 and I was asked to go up 22:53 to the state of Andhra Pradesh where 30 non-Adventist pastors 22:57 had asked Doug Batchelor to send a teacher. 23:00 And so I fulfilled that, filled that spot 23:04 and held classes for these 30 men. 23:07 They are all baptized as Adventists. 23:09 It took me two years to hold evangelistic meetings 23:12 in everybody's church 23:14 and turn the whole church into an Adventist church. 23:17 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 23:18 So Stone's Valley, you've got what now, 81 churches? 23:22 I've started 81 churches, 23:24 56 are in the close area where I live. 23:27 A lot of in a range of mountains 23:30 that are controlled by communist terrorists 23:33 and it used to be very, very dangerous 23:35 to go in there but I would pray about 23:37 when I felt impressed and then I would go 23:40 even though I had a hard time 23:42 sometimes getting a translator to go with me. 23:44 I had the full assurance God would protect me 23:46 and He did and now the communist 23:49 become our friends and kind of our protectors. 23:52 When we will come back we will get some more stories 23:54 that we would like you to share just a moment if we have time. 23:57 But Roger and his wife Barbara 23:59 are doing an amazing work in India 24:01 and it's just so exciting to see that no matter, 24:07 you know, in Psalms it talks about that 24:11 as we grow older that we can still be 24:14 a walking memorial to the grace of God 24:16 and that we can still be blooming 24:20 with fervent for the Lord and that's what you are doing. 24:27 All right, I just want to come back here 24:30 because we have in you Elisha a child who is-- 24:38 whose mother is unable to care for her, for him, 24:42 she had to actually just leave you 24:44 and one of your siblings on the streets 24:47 because your father was dead and must have been, 24:49 you know, we think about this poor mothers 24:51 how difficult that must be for a mother. 24:54 Now on the streets for seven years just-- 24:58 and you were kind 24:59 of what they call an untouchable, weren't you? 25:02 Yes. 25:03 You were someone that was looked down upon. 25:06 Yeah. 25:07 You were someone who had no motherly love or affection. 25:12 Yeah. 25:13 And then you hear the music, you go into a church 25:18 and this pastor comes and seeks you out to put you in school. 25:22 So you go from school to college to get a degree 25:25 an education and then earn. 25:28 After the train accident you go back for degree in theology. 25:32 What is God doing? Now, you started the orphanage. 25:36 I think you got what 90 now? About 90 kids in the orphanage. 25:40 Kids, yeah. 25:41 Yeah. What is He doing though? 25:44 How are you fulfilling your promise to the Lord 25:47 that if you lived after that train accident 25:50 that you were going to speak to all the world. 25:56 I'm very strongly convinced 25:58 that its not by accident or by chance 26:00 but its by God's plan and God's hand behind 26:04 that He led me through all these experiences 26:07 otherwise I would have died like a dog on the street. 26:11 It is Jesus Christ who pick me up 26:15 and then using me in all this. 26:17 So that conviction keep me going. 26:20 So the Holy Spirit moves, moved upon my heart very strongly 26:26 and reminded me about my covenant 26:29 and my promise with the Lord telling me 26:35 that heavenly Father is a father of Indian people 26:40 and the Lord died for them. 26:43 And 87 percent of Indians are Hindus. 26:47 Eighty seven percent? 26:49 Percent and 10 percent of Muslims. 26:51 And Sikhs and Buddhist are one percent 26:53 and all Christian put together are hardly two percent. 26:57 So a land filled with casteism and so many other barriers 27:04 and millions of Gods and Goddesses and idols 27:09 and ignorance, superstition I see darkness coverning 27:14 the whole continent and the Lord is giving me 27:19 the passion and commitment 27:21 to put out the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ 27:25 to these people and the Lord is coming and time is short. 27:30 So I'm using every opportunity and praying very fervently 27:35 that God would open someway to put out 27:38 especially the end time message 27:40 the three angels message to India. 27:43 1.27 billion people 27:46 and the second most populous country in the world. 27:49 Yes. Now the Lord did open the door. 27:52 Did open. 27:53 Tell us about the charismatic televisions network. 28:01 I was praying about it without any penny in my hand 28:06 with sheer faith in the Lord 28:08 that He would intervene and then do this work. 28:12 I was solely depend upon the Lord Jesus Christ. 28:15 I was day and night I was whispering this desire 28:21 in His ears and the Lord unexpectedly open 28:27 a way through Elder Roger. 28:32 When I see him I don't know my father's love, 28:35 I don't have elder brother 28:37 and God gave that love of a father and a elder brother 28:40 through him and express my desire to him. 28:44 And he didn't accept it immediately. 28:47 And what was your desire specifically? 28:49 Specifically the time is short the Lord is coming 28:55 so we have to proclaim 28:59 the ever lasting gospel to India. 29:03 I told him that as I was reading the Bible 29:06 after having prayed that I came to Revelation 14:6 29:10 in which it says that, 29:12 there is angel flying in the midst of the sky. 29:16 And I told him that angel flying in the midst of the sky 29:20 should be satellite TV ministry. 29:25 So I told him that door to door ministry 29:28 and church planting and public ministry in India 29:34 won't yield much fruit 29:36 because Hindus they have their own barriers, 29:39 Muslims they have their own barriers around them. 29:42 They don't come to our meetings, 29:44 they don't come to our church, they don't read Bible. 29:48 And then they treat as outcaste. 29:51 So there is no way to reach them 29:54 with the everlasting gospel. 29:55 So when you say the Hindus treat Christians as outcaste? 29:59 Yeah, because it was Christians who accepted the outcaste 30:03 that accepted the Christianity in India. 30:06 Okay. Okay. 30:07 So they-- 30:09 it is offensive for them than we-- 30:12 when the living preachers go and then teach them. 30:14 So you approached Roger about a television ministry 30:17 and after sometime you actually 30:19 began this television ministry. 30:20 Tell us about the owner of the network there. 30:24 It was Goodnews Channel. 30:27 It's called in Telugu Subhavaartha channel. 30:32 There used to me one medical network, 30:34 only one Christian network that was closed 30:38 for no reason but it started all of a sudden in 2007. 30:43 So we got this idea in 2009 30:47 and it actually materialized in 2010. 30:50 So we had able to get into this net-- 30:55 channel that's covering 90 percent of Andhra 30:58 and Andhra Pradesh 31:00 that's a central state and much of India 31:05 and its satellite TV covering about 120 countries. 31:09 And in the beginning they had a very hard time. 31:11 They were actually on the street 31:15 but later on God intervened 31:16 and then carried on this satellite TV. 31:21 Virtually most of the homes who have the TV 31:25 they watch this TV in India, Christian TV, 31:29 only most popular Christian TV in India. 31:32 There are others now recently 31:35 they are open but they are not as-- 31:37 Popular. 31:38 All right, so you are on the most popular network, 31:40 how did the other pastors because this is basically 31:46 Sunday keeping network if you will. 31:48 All the pastors, all the Protestants 31:51 that are Sunday keepers how did they accept you 31:56 when you came out with a voice 31:58 talking about the Sabbath the Seventh-day Adventist 32:01 and giving this in time Revelation. 32:03 Yeah, in the beginning it really offended them 32:07 about 10-15 of them they came and protested 32:12 and then complained to the channel director 32:16 that when Seventh-day Adventist 32:18 speak all these false teachings about the law of God 32:21 and Sabbath and anti-Christ and three angels message 32:26 and all so we will not accept that, we will drop out. 32:30 So the director-- 32:31 So they are threatening the director 32:33 that they are gonna cancel their programming, 32:35 their paid programming 32:37 if he leaves you on the network? 32:39 Yes. All right. 32:41 So he called us and then told us about the problem 32:45 and then we told him that you gather us 32:50 and then we will give-- we will answer their questions 32:54 if they have any objection. 32:55 And then let us see if this is Bible based 32:59 and then let them accept if it is biblical. 33:02 So he called us and then we had Bible study, 33:04 very serious Bible study 33:06 on the law of God and the Sabbath. 33:08 At the end I was thrilled when the director came 33:12 and hugged and then said, Elisha, this is the truth, 33:16 we never knew this and you have courage to proclaim this. 33:19 So you go ahead. 33:21 Though these people dropout 33:22 I think you need to carry on this program 33:26 because we have about 150 pastors on TV 33:29 they just tell stories and then some topics 33:32 without head and tail and some faith healing and all 33:34 but you are giving solid message 33:36 and we feel that this is the message 33:39 that has to go to the people before Jesus coming. 33:42 I felt like it was the voice of God. 33:44 Oh, absolutely. 33:46 And that was another miracle to think 33:49 that someone who was of his background, 33:53 religious background just through a study 33:57 even though I'm sure it was an intense study 33:59 but that he could be convinced immediately of the truth 34:03 and actually have the boldness to say, 34:07 it has got to go forward. 34:09 This is a true message. 34:10 Even if the rest of these-- I mean, 34:12 he was putting his business in jeopardy actually 34:14 because the other people were threatening to quit. 34:18 Yeah, I told them and then demote 34:20 some of his misunderstandings. 34:23 I told him that how this church came up 34:27 in the reformation time and middle ages and all 34:32 and how God brought this church out of mini churches. 34:38 Now we have about 3,000 churches in India 34:42 and according to Christian encyclopedia 34:45 there are 9,000 churches in the world 34:47 and this is the only church that is completely Bible based 34:53 and God brought it out from Baptist church, 34:57 Methodist church, Congregational, 34:58 Presbyterian in 1800s 35:01 and then gave the end time final warning to this church. 35:08 Just like He gave it Noah and Elijah, 35:12 John the Baptist, Martin Luther, William Miller, 35:15 so He gave this church, so this church needs to be 35:21 His end time witness for Him 35:25 proclaiming the final warning message to India. 35:28 So the good news is I'm just gonna cut to the chase here 35:32 is that the chairman of this 35:36 or president of this network is now, 35:39 he has become a Sabbath keeper. 35:41 Oh, secretly. 35:42 He said, you go ahead we will support. 35:44 You bring as many Seventh-day Adventist 35:46 as possible and then put out 35:48 this three angels message through our network. 35:51 Otherwise-- 35:52 So what kind of programs do you put on? 35:55 I give Bible study on Revelation 35:59 and three angels message and all 36:02 and then through and our 27 or 28 Adventist doctrines 36:08 we make these programs with the help of pictures 36:13 and graphics so that even the most illiterate people 36:17 in the villages in India-- 36:18 around 72 percent are illiterate in India 36:21 they can understand the end time message to the people. 36:24 So when we preach through Hindi, 36:27 Telugu and English in these, 36:30 in this channel we will have covered 36:33 this 1.27 billion people in India 36:38 with the everlasting gospel. 36:40 Yes. 36:41 But now this has had-- your teaching has got worsen 36:46 just trying to get you to teach to people in their homes, 36:51 He actually opened the door to attract the attention 36:55 of so many pastors now that are Sunday keeping pastors 37:01 who want to know the truth about Revelation. 37:04 Tell us what-- how God has opened the door 37:07 for you to train them? 37:08 Yeah, by God's grace our program 37:10 is one of the top five programs, 37:14 program that has most response and-- 37:17 This is your TV program? Yeah. 37:18 Many pastors started enquiring 37:21 that we understand all the books of the Bible 37:24 but we had been praying that God would give us 37:27 some understanding on this last book, 37:32 Revelation, Book of Revelation. 37:33 So here is a pastor who teaches about Revelation. 37:38 So they invite us every month about hundreds of them, 37:43 at least 60 to 70 non-Adventist pastors every month, 37:48 a new group invite me to teach them about Revelation 37:53 and three angels message and all the end time message 37:57 in Revelation as a sort of three angels message seminar 38:01 or Revelation seminar. 38:03 And you do this on a monthly base? 38:05 Yeah, monthly base. 38:06 We have at least two groups every month of these pastors. 38:11 We stay there from morning nine to evening four-five 38:16 and then we study the Bible together 38:18 and then many are convinced about this. 38:21 If I preach I preach to only 200-300 people 38:24 but if I educate these pastors 38:26 with the end time message they will put it out 38:29 to millions of other people in India. 38:31 Glory to God. 38:32 So I see God's hand behind. 38:35 Oh, absolutely. Are you kidding? 38:37 I mean, it's like you are sending 38:39 all of these Sunday keeping pastors 38:43 are now coming and being trained and-- 38:45 you know, if you understand Revelation, 38:47 I understand that Daniel 38:49 unlocks Revelation that's the key. 38:51 You can't help begin to understand 38:54 the permanency of the law of God. 38:57 You understand the sanctuary. 38:59 You just understand God's grace better and what an opportunity. 39:04 I mean, that's as exciting to me 39:07 as it is that you are on television, 39:09 is that you are teaching, 39:11 God's opened the doors to train all these pastors. 39:15 Yeah. 39:16 Though they get angry in the beginning 39:18 and get agitated when we touch 39:20 about the law of God and the Sabbath 39:22 but later on when they actually see in the Bible, 39:25 we see the Holy Spirit giving them 39:28 the conviction of the truth. 39:30 They accept and then we ask 39:32 the local Adventist conferences and union 39:36 to accommodate them to take care of our churches. 39:40 That is amazing. 39:42 I think this is-- you know, 39:45 could you ever have imagined, the stupid tried question, 39:51 there is no way where you could have imagined 39:53 as a seven-year-old child on street 39:56 that you are going to come to know the true God 39:59 who loved you, the true God 40:02 who would give you the fathering you never had, 40:05 the love you never had, who would lead you 40:09 and preserve your life from the many times 40:14 that you could have been killed 40:15 on the street or in this train accident, 40:18 take you to school not for one degree 40:21 but for two and then have you preaching 40:24 into hundreds of thousands of homes 40:28 and teaching non-Adventist pastors. 40:32 I mean, that's amazing to me. 40:36 That's giving me the highest joy to do this. 40:39 I have no other aim in my life, beside in my life 40:43 than to tell about Jesus Christ who risked eternity 40:47 and everything to save even Indians 40:51 or all the people in the world 40:54 to save them from sin and death and give them 40:56 great future, eternal life. 40:58 So that passion keeps me 41:00 going to give out this gospel to them 41:04 because many of the Hindus in India 41:07 they accept Jesus as one of the Gods. 41:10 They don't believe that the blood of Jesus 41:14 cleanses them from sin and saves them and in heaven. 41:18 So I have-- 41:22 I preach to millions of people in India 41:26 through TV that Jesus is not one of the gods 41:30 but and He is the one and the only God 41:32 and His blood cleanses us from sin 41:36 and his atoning sacrifice saves us from sin. 41:39 And then Sabbath is going to be 41:40 the end time test to receive God's seal 41:44 and be saved into His kingdom. 41:47 Amen. Amen. 41:48 Well, I just thank, it is amazing. 41:50 Now tell us the-- 41:52 you still running the orphanage, 41:54 you have about 90 children what are your needs? 41:57 What is going in the future? 41:59 Right now we don't have our orphanage building 42:04 to care for these kids. 42:08 They come and then eat and study and then go back-- 42:13 To the streets. 42:14 Some of them we don't know where they stay, 42:16 they stay with one of their parents, 42:19 some with some neighbors and all. 42:20 So we are very afraid about some girls 42:23 who stay with other people. 42:25 That so-- 42:27 that's our one of the greatest need to have a orphanage 42:30 and a Bible training center 42:32 so that we can invite all these non-Adventist pastors 42:36 and then train them and then send them out. 42:40 And then Andhra-- 42:41 this Hyderabad is a central state 42:43 connecting North India, South India. 42:45 Whatever happens there 42:46 the ripples are felt everywhere. 42:48 So if we have a Bible training center 42:51 and then train up as many as possible 42:54 they will meet our need in the mission 42:56 at the same time we can send them out 42:58 as missionaries throughout India 43:00 Amen. Amen. 43:01 And Roger, that is one of the problems, isn't it? 43:03 You started these 81 churches 43:06 but keep Adventist pastors or you got Adventist pastors 43:10 on staff that finding enough pastors to get the message out. 43:14 Yes. Yeah. 43:16 One thing I'd like to interject we figured it out last year 43:19 that the TV station did a survey, 43:21 we are getting into twelve and half homes 43:24 for every penny we spend in India sponsor of course. 43:28 For every penny if sponsorship on this, 43:32 twelve and half homes, that's amazing. 43:34 That's a real burden. 43:36 Well, I want you before-- we only got a couple of minutes 43:39 but I want you to share a story that you shared with me 43:43 when we were at Eden Valley about the communist and-- 43:47 let's talk about the monkeys for just a couple of minutes. 43:50 Tell us that story. 43:51 Okay, it took us four years 43:53 to get the gospel into this one village. 43:56 A lot of hard work, I've got a good pastor there. 43:58 We got a group then Baptized after a while. 44:02 There hadn't been Baptized too long 44:04 when one day on Friday afternoon we heard, 44:07 they heard the monkeys were coming. 44:09 Now these aren't some cute little things. 44:10 These are big monkeys, there are fears 44:13 if you have something they want they will attack you 44:16 and they will take it away from you, bite, scratch, 44:18 whatever and you-- they come into some fields 44:22 where they are growing crops they will destroy them 44:24 just like children tearing up something. 44:27 And so you have to be out there 44:28 with clubs to fight them, all right. 44:31 So we hear on Friday afternoon that the monkeys are coming. 44:35 Okay, the Hindus start getting things, 44:37 right they say, okay, now you Adventist 44:38 you better not be taken off tomorrow, 44:40 you better be here fighting monkeys. 44:42 And so the Adventist had their usual 44:44 Friday night meeting and they thought about it. 44:46 I remember these are new Adventist and they say, 44:48 now what would God wants to do? 44:49 Are we supposed to go out 44:51 and protect our fields on Sabbath 44:52 or should we come to church and let God protect them? 44:55 And they talked about it. 44:57 They knew that as Hindus before they became Adventist 45:00 the Hindu God's didn't protect them any, 45:02 now is the Christian God gonna protect us. 45:04 After praying hard and long Friday night 45:06 then he said we are gonna trust it to God. 45:09 Okay, the next morning 45:10 the Hindus are up getting their big sticks ready 45:12 and everything and they found out 45:13 the Adventist are going to church. 45:15 Oh, you Adventists, next winter 45:17 when you are out of food don't come and ask us 45:19 because we are not gonna help you. 45:21 Well, the Adventist took their food to church, 45:24 they spent the day together fellowshipping, 45:26 strengthening each other 45:27 hoping they had made the right decision. 45:30 And remember they are very new Adventist 45:32 and this here's the church to where they go to now. 45:35 Okay. 45:36 Well, toward the evening one big ran back out the fields 45:39 that he just couldn't wait to see what happened. 45:41 And he came back to the church and said 45:43 not one Adventist field has been touched. 45:46 The whole church went out, there was sun down by now 45:49 and they met the other people coming in, 45:51 their hair hanging down, their clothes torn, 45:54 butt bitten and everything else. 45:55 They had saved their fields 45:57 most of them but not all of them. 45:58 The Adventist got out there, 46:00 no Adventist field had been touched, 46:01 no Adventist home had been touched. 46:03 So God kept His protective. 46:05 God kept the protection. 46:06 And over them, that is such a precious for them. 46:08 Now we have a very nice church there 46:10 and a nice congregation. 46:11 That is wonderful story. 46:14 And if we had time we would tell you 46:15 this is a communist nation that actually, 46:20 the communist leaders are now studying 46:22 and learning about the Lord and have prevented other, 46:27 they are keeping other Christian groups out 46:30 saying this is an Adventist village. 46:32 So it's amazing. 46:33 Well, we are just-- we are gonna come back 46:36 in just a moment for a closing word 46:38 but we have such an incredible wonderful time 46:45 listening to your story and it was a great story 46:48 for what God has done. 46:50 But we do have another song for you 46:52 so we want to get that song in with Wintley Phipps 46:55 and then we are gonna come back for some closing words. 46:59 Wintley is going to sing for us now, "He Hideth My Soul." 47:36 A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord 47:45 A wonderful Savior to me 47:52 He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock 48:00 Where rivers of pleasure I see 48:09 He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock 48:18 That shadows a dry, thirsty land 48:26 He hideth my life in the depths of His love 48:34 And covers me there with His hand 48:43 And covers me there with His hand 48:56 A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord 49:05 He taketh my burden away 49:12 He holdeth me up and I shall not be moved 49:20 He giveth me strength as my day 49:29 He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock 49:38 That shadows a dry, thirsty land 49:46 He hideth my life in the depths of His love 49:54 And covers me there with His hand 50:03 And covers me there with His hand 50:28 When clothed in His brightness transported I rise 50:37 To meet Him in clouds of the sky 50:49 His perfect salvation, His wonderful love 50:58 I'll shout with the millions on high 51:06 He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock 51:15 That shadows a dry, thirsty land 51:24 He hideth my life in the depths of His love 51:32 And covers me there with His hand 51:40 And covers me there 51:51 He covers me there 52:00 with His hand 52:21 With His hand |
Revised 2015-09-10