India
April 2019
INDIA Where Two or More Are Gathered The India Church in Kitchens, Under Awnings and on the Street by Erick Todd
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efore I went to India, I thought I knew what church was. My mental image included a building, an eloquent speaker and a sound system. It included announcements and an offering. It included Christians — if I’m honest, only Christians. Then I went to Tamil Nadu, and my entire concept of church was disrupted. In one day, I visited four Christ Groups — small churches founded by Every Home missionaries and volunteers in areas where no local church exists. Some of them had no ceiling. Some had pots and pans hanging on the walls. Not one of them matched my preconceived notion of what a church looks like. Christ Groups start small. Often they don’t even have access to a building. It would be a mistake, however, to view these congregations as some kind of stepping stone toward “real church.” The richness of these Christ Groups’ worship is remarkable; it is raw and passionate, unhindered by size or location. So what is church? We worship together. We break bread. We celebrate life’s victories and mourn its tragedies. We take care of widows and orphans, the poor and the social outcast. We shine a light in our communities and create space for people to walk out their personal journeys of salvation. In everything, we proclaim Jesus. The following pages offer a glimpse into four churches I visited in Tamil Nadu, India. They meet in non-traditional locations and hold services that are extremely minimalist by Western standards. Yet, they are among the most powerful representations of the Church I have ever seen.
India Church Under the Awning James 1:27 Meeting on floor mats beneath a thatched roof, this church has become a haven for people in need. In India, orphans and widows (like the woman on the left) are often shunned. This local fellowship takes care of the outcasts in their community, providing much-needed shelter.
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India Church in the Kitchen 1 Corinthians 16:19 Joined by their neighbours — mostly Hindus and spiritual seekers — this church meets in the shadow of pots and pans. These worshippers invite the Holy Spirit’s presence in their midst, and they invite God to work in the hearts of those who have not yet committed their lives to Him.
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India Church in the Empty Room Romans 14:17 In a concrete room with no furniture or decorations — let alone instruments or microphones — this church is marked by its joy. Here is the Church pared down to its most essential elements. Through song, dance, prayer and Scripture-reading, these worshippers make an empty room seem full.
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India Church on the Street Philippians 2:15 Meeting in a small neighbourhood just outside Chennai, this church has a strong reputation in its community. Impossible to ignore, these believers meet on a sidewalk in the middle of town. As they worship and testify to all that God has done in their lives, the whole community benefits.
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NICARAGUA
by Joshua Skaggs
I love hero stories as much as the next guy, but honestly, I find it hard to relate. I've never lived among refugees in Iraq or desert tribes in Namibia, and chances are I never will. So does that mean I'm demoted? In the mission to bring God's Kingdom to Earth, have I been benched? I recently had the chance to interview a married Nicaraguan couple who described themselves as "amateur evangelists". Leyla is a seamstress. Juan is a construction worker. Neither of them is "in the ministry," as we call it. They went through some basic evangelism training and then started volunteering with Every Home for Christ in their spare time. They were sharing the Gospel in Sebaco, Nicaragua, when they came to a home that made them pause. Through the closed door, they could hear a woman wailing uncontrollably. Now, I have to admit, this is when I would have backed away and slowly tiptoed to the next home. But Leyla and Juan, amateur evangelists, knocked. When a woman invited the couple inside, they found a man lying on a couch, trembling uncontrollably and - I'm sorry to be graphic here, but this is how they described it "vomiting blood and foam." "That scene was indescribably sad," Juan recalls. "Jose's body was constantly shaking. Blanca and the kids were crying, and Jose's friends were trying to keep him awake by saying, "Please don't leave us." In the middle of that chaos were two amateur evangelists who didn't know whether to run away from that place or stay and wait for a miracle from God." Jose, a farmer, had gotten drunk that morning and mistaken a bottle of highly toxic fertiliser for alcohol. He'd downed the whole bottle! When Blanca took him to the doctor, the doctor informed them that it was already too late to do anything. Jose would die within a matter of hours. Imagine for a moment what Juan and Leyla felt when they walked in on this scene. Here they were, volunteering on their day off. They wanted to pray with people and tell them about Jesus. But this was something different altogether. "We really did not know what to do," Leyla says.
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They decided to stay with the family and pray, more as a sign of solidarity with Blanca than trusting that things would turn out okay. "Honestly, we thought that he would definitely die," Juan says. "We prayed and prayed, and nothing happened. On the contrary, he was getting worse. We felt ashamed. We felt that our prayers were not making any difference." Pause. Take note. For me, this is the moment of true heroism. It's also the moment when Juan and Leyla felt the last heroic. Helpless. Unprepared. And yet they pressed on. They stayed for over an hour, praying with this family in their darkest moment. Without warning, Jose sat up and cried out for water. When he'd had a drink, he wanted to know what happened and who these two strangers were. Juan and Leyla introduced themselves, and thus began a conversation that would continue for many weeks. Juan and Leyla kept returning to that house. They introduced that family to a new world, a world in which God Himself had reached out and healed Jose. (While the inside of Jose's mouth was left permanently scarred, evidence of the fertiliser's potency, a return visit to the doctor showed that his internal organs were miraculously unscathed.)
Honestly, we thought that he would definitely die! Jose calls himself a new man. He says, "When I gave my life to Jesus, I felt a kind of joy and peace I had never felt before." All of this, because two amateur evangelists knocked at his door. It reminds me of all the other biblical amateurs: Moses, the amateur deliverer. Esther, the amateur queen. Not to mention those amateur disciples. A hero is rarely recognised in real time. The title is applied in hindsight, and usually by someone else. In our moments of true heroism, we usually feel inept and uncomfortable - even ashamed. But that's when we get to make a difficult choice. Fight or flight. In or out. Those are the moments when heroes are made. Australia: PO Box 168 Penshurst NSW 2222 Telephone: (02) 9570 8211 Facsimile: (02) 9570 4738 ABN: 88001276240 www.everyhome.org.au E-mail: ehc@everyhome.org.au New Zealand: PO Box 31-260 Milford North Shore City 0741 NZBN: 9429043322862 Telephone: Free call 0800 900 200 Facsimile: 0061 2 9570 4738 www.everyhomeforchrist.org.nz
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Welcome Home. We are messengers of hope to a broken world. Our tongues speak the languages of a thousand homelands. Our skin is black, white and every shade in between. Our feet walk deserts, climb mountains and cross tundra — all to reach one place. It’s the place at the heart of every people and nation, the place where people laugh and cry and spend their days. In a word, home. We believe that the Great Commission is for all of us. We believe that prayer changes everything. We lose sleep over those without Christ and celebrate with the one who returns. Some of us influence leaders, while others are beaten and thrown in prison. Together, whether we live or die, we look to the coming day when a thunderous crowd from every tribe, tongue, people and nation will worship Jesus. We won’t stop until every home is reached and every ear has heard His wonderful name — because ... Jesus is worthy. If there is any way you can financially help with this incredible work your gift will be greatly appreciated.
APRIL 2019
Bible Readings: This month the daily text will be taken from the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon and Isaiah. For those wanting to do the one-year Bible reading program these chapters are in brackets.
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PRAY FOR DICK AND DEE EASTMAN. Dick is the International President of Every Home for Christ with a large responsibility for EHC ministries across the world. Proverbs 27 (Leviticus 8-10) PRAY FOR DIPLAVE POKHREL Please continue to pray urgently for the Immigration Department to approve Every Home for Christ's application for a Labour Agreement so that we can sponsor Diplave to continue working with Every Home for Christ. He needs permanent residency and without the granting of a Labour Agreement he cannot continue in his application for permanent residency. Pray for favour on Every Home for Christ's application which was submitted in 2017 and still hasn't been approved. Proverbs 28 (Leviticus 11-14) PRAY FOR YOUR FAMILY Sons, daughters and grandchildren, plus others to come to Christ. Get a piece of paper and write down their names. Get their photos and pray every day for their salvation; eternity without Christ is a long time! Proverbs 29 (Leviticus 15-16)
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INDIA Pop. 1,400,000,000 Map. 129 Please pray for one of our missionaries as he tries to reach the village of P. with the Gospel. He has faced opposition from Buddhists who have harassed him and chased him out of the village. Pray for God to soften their hearts to His love and to embolden our brother to persevere. Proverbs 30 (Leviticus 17-22) LIBERIA Pop. 4,700,000 Map. 42 An Islamic scholar's wife gave her life to Christ, and in response, he has badly abused her. Despite this treatment, she says that Jesus is giving her grace to forgive her husband. Please pray for her safety and that she will continue to grow in the Lord and be a witness to her family. Proverbs 31 (Leviticus 23-27)
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MEXICO Pop. 129,200,000 Map. 178 EHC Mexico needs five more coordinators to guide the work of sharing the Gospel in their nation. Pray for God to lead our team to the men and women He has chosen for these positions, people who are right for the job and share a passion for souls and the Great Commission. Ecclesiastes 1 (Numbers 1-4)
PRAY FOR ISRAEL
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CREATIVE ACCESS Believers in this nation are hopeful as they see their government taking small steps toward freedom of religion. Pray that they will soon have the liberty to worship the Lord openly and to share the Gospel of His love with others without fear. Ecclesiastes 2 (Numbers 5-7) BURKINA FASO Pop. 19,200,000 Map. 40 Many people have been killed in violence between ethnic groups, and survivors have fled to refugee camps. Please pray for a worker named Edmund as he works with authorities to gain access to two of these camps in the hope of leading teams there to share the Ecclesiastes 3 (Numbers 8-10) Gospel. BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA Pop. 3,500,000 Map. 70 Our team in this nation reports that, following outreach, they have received many more responses to the Gospel than anticipated. "Praise God!" they share. "The Lord showed us that no effort in Him is in vain". Please pray for the spiritual growth of those who responded. Ecclesiastes 4 (Numbers 11-15) MYANMAR Pop. 53,400,000 Map. 135 Please pray for our EHC workers and their families. Workers often have to leave home for extended periods of time, being separated from spouses and children, in order to take the Gospel to new homes. Pray that God will show Himself to be their protector and provider. Ecclesiastes 5 (Numbers 16-19) CREATIVE ACCESS One of our leaders in this nation asks for prayer for his wife. She had a malignant tumor removed in 2014, and is now experiencing symptoms again. "Pray for God's healing and power to come upon her and heal her completely," he asks. Ecclesiastes 6 (Numbers 20-24) ESTONIA Pop. 1,30,000 Map. 97 Like all our teams around the globe, EHC Estonia is currently planning its Easter outreaches. Please pray that they will find churches eager to join in delivering the Gospel home-to-home and that labourers will rise up to reach the nation for Jesus throughout the entire year. Ecclesiastes 7 (Numbers 25-27) NAMIBIA Pop. 2,500,000 Map. 11 After not receiving adequate rainfall over the past year, Namibia is experiencing serious drought. Crops and livestock are dying, and everyone is affected, including our workers. "Please pray for God to send His rain in great mercy and kindness," our team there asks. Ecclesiastes 8 (Numbers 28-31) VENEZUELA Pop. 32,000,000 Map. 214 As Venezuela continues to suffer political and economic turmoil, some pastors have fled the country, leaving their churches behind without leadership. Please pray for believers in these churches to rise up and fill these vacancies, providing Spirit-led direction for these churches. Ecclesiastes 9 (Numbers 32-36)
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CREATIVE ACCESS Please pray for all the believers who volunteer their time - and risk much - to share the Gospel in this difficult context. Pray for the Spirit to guide and protect them as they go, and pray that they will experience the joy of the Lord as they share the message of His love with others. Ecclesiastes 10 (Deuteronomy 1-4) MALI Pop. 18,500,000 Map. 49 Due to terrorist attacks in remote villages, many schools have been closed. Please pray for those who have lost loved ones to find comfort in the Lord, and for our workers as they share Christ with grief - stricken people in these dangerous areas. Ecclesiastes 11 (Deuteronomy 5-8 ) ARMENIA Pop. 2,900,000 Map. 104 A married couple has made the sacrificial decision to move to a distant village in order to share the Gospel with the people there. Already, they have earned their neighbour's respect and shared gospel literature. Please pray for their witness to be fruitful to this community. Ecclesiastes 12 (Deutoronomy 9 -11) CREATIVE ACCESS Pastor Y. asks for wisdom, strength and safety as he prepares to travel. He will be inviting believers from multiple churches into the effort to share the Gospel with every home in the nation. Pray that the Spirit will speak through him and inspire many to join the Great Commission. Song of Solomon 1 (Deutoronomy 12 - 18) LITHUANIA Pop. 2,800,000 Map. 99 In May, Lithuania will hold its next presidential election. Please join with believers as they pray for their leaders in the government. Pray that the newly elected president will seek the Lord and work to protect religious liberty for the churches there. Song of Solomon 2 (Deutoronomy 19-26) CAMEROON Pop. 24,000,000 Map. 24 Pray for 72 new believers who have left Islam to follow Jesus. They are now experiencing violent persecution from their friends and families. Please pray that they will know peace, strength and joy in the midst of their suffering, and that the Lord will make Himself known to their persecutors. Song of Songs 3 (Deutoronomy 27 -30) HONDURAS Pop. 9,300,000 Map. 182 Praise the Lord that, following recent home-to-home outreaches, 180 people have given their lives to the Lord. Please pray that they will find church communities to nurture and encourage them as they grow in their faith and share the Good News with friends and family. Song of Solomon 4 (Deutoronomy 31-34) CREATIVE ACCESS EHC staff members hold discipleship training in the early morning and late evening in order to avoid government authorities. Pray for God's protection as they disciple new believers in the faith. May God surround them with His angels. Song of Solomon 5 (Psalm 91)
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NIGER Pop. 21,500,000 Map. 36 The government in Tchimoumoun is hostile to the Gospel. Please pray for believers in this area as they strive to share the Good News of Jesus regardless. And pray that the Lord will touch the hearts and lives of the government leaders to change their policies on religion. Song of Solomon 6 (Joshua 1-5) MOLDOVA Pop. 3,600,000 Map. 102 Please pray for gospel outreaches in the villages of Popovca, Natalievca, Tapoc and Camarovca. Pray that believers in these areas will be inspired to participate, that they will have good weather and that the hearts of those they meet will be open to receive the love of Jesus. Song of Solomon 7 (Joshua 6 -8) THAILAND Pop. 69,000,000 Map. 136 Our team in Thailand shared the Gospel with 1,572 prisoners - and they have plans to visit four more prisons soon. Please pray that the Word of God will run swiftly, reaching the hearts of the inmates, and that many will put their faith in Jesus Christ as a result. Song of Solomon 8 (Joshua 9 -12) CREATIVE ACCESS Mr. E. was devoted to his traditional religion - until he found a New Testament at a bus stop. After reading it, he gave his life to Jesus. His wife, however, does not share his faith and is seeking a divorce. Please pray that he will remain faithful and that she will meet Jesus herself . Isaiah 1 (Joshua 13 - 17) CROATIA Pop. 4,200,000 Map. 69 Praise the Lord that over 50 people responded following an outreach. They are now awaiting New Testaments so they can grow in their newfound faith in Jesus. Please pray that God will speak to them through His Word and that their families will also come to know Jesus as their Saviour. Isaiah 2 (Joshua 18 - 21) MAURITIUS Pop. 1,300,000 Map. 6 Please pray for the Church in Mauritius. Pray that God will raise up steadfast leaders and that congregations will be united in the truth of God's Word. And pray that believers will be mobilised to share the Good News of Jesus with their families and friends. Isaiah 3 (Joshua 22 -24)
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PERU Pop. 32,200,000 Map. 217 Pray for our team in Peru as it takes the Gospel to every home in the cities of Barranca, Pativilca and Lima. They are mobilisng leaders in 50 churches as part of this campaign. Pray for God to prepare the way for them and to touch the hearts of those they will reach. Isaiah 4 (Judges 1- 3) BURUNDI Pop. 10,900,000 Map. 18 Our administrator in Burundi is suffering from malaria. Please pray for God to heal his body and strengthen his spirit at this time. Pray also for his team as they continue the work in his absence. Pray that the mission will not slow and that many will come to know Jesus as Saviour. Isaiah 5 (Judges 4 - 5)
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