Whatever happened to Neighbourhood Evangelism? R. Stanley Jesus was first a neighbourhood Evangelist before He became a frontier Missionary. Luke reports that after His wilderness experience He returned in the power of the Spirit and started teaching in His own hometown of Nazareth (Lk 4:13-16). Only afterwards He shifted His base to Capernaum to preach in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali (Mt 4:13). Frontier missionary work, to be strong and healthy, must be an extension of neighbourhood evan gelism. Jesus recruited “fishers of men” first for neighbourhood evangelism, and then challenged them to pray for a workforce for distant fields (Mt 4:19; 9:37,38).

land like India. At the same time, whenever neighbourhood evangelism was neglected such nations started turning pagan. Silent majority The shepherds in the Christmas story were the first neighbourhood evangelists. We read, “When they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marvelled at those which were told them by the shepherds” (Lk 2:17,18). In general, only “fulltimers” can go for frontier missionary work. But neighbourhood evangelism is for any Christian to directly involve in. A soul in the neighbourhood is no less precious than one in a distant field. “All souls are mine,” says the Lord (Ezek 18:4). He does not want “anyone” to perish, but desires “all men” to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (Jn 3:16; 1 Tim 2:3,4). Anyone who is without Christ is a mission field! The only way to stir up the silent majority in the Church for action is to challenge and involve them in neighbourhood evangelism. We spend too much of our time and energy in decorating our frontyard forgetting the backyard.

This does not mean that we cannot think of frontier missions until the neighbourhood is totally evangelised. On the other hand, sacrificing one for the other will be detrimental to Church growth. We come across four orders of Jesus to “GO!” 1. “GO home to your friends and tell them what great things God has done for you” (Mk 5:19) 2. “GO into the streets, highways and byways, and bring them in”(Lk 14:23)

Saturation Evangelism

3. “GO into the village opposite to you” (Lk 19:30) 4. “GO into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15)

The Resurrected Christ gave His disciples a blueprint for evangelism in Acts 1:8, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Jerusalem and all Judea were the neighbourhood for the disciples, whereas Samaria and the other parts of

Surprisingly, three out of these four orders refer to neighbourhood evangelism— “home... streets...villages.” The European and Western missionaries did not wait for their entire countries to be evangelised before they could come to a BLESSING/ November 2013

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Extract or Equip?

the world would involve cross-cultural frontier missionary work. The antiChristian religious leaders charged the disciples, “You have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine” (Acts 5:28). The Christians of each locality and Church must be challenged for this kind of saturation evangelism. Not all Pastors are evangelistic-minded. It is the responsibility of the members and workers and leaders of missionary or ga nisa tion s an d evangelistic agencies to pass on the passion for souls to the Christians of Churches they belong to.

The doctrine of the Priesthood of all Believers is more a theory than a practice in Christendom (1 Pet 2:5,9). All believers are called to be Priests not only to “praise” God (v5) but also to “proclaim” His message of grace (v9). The clergy-laity divide will only be further widened if neighbourhood evangelism is not sufficiently emphasised as equally important as frontier missionary work. The saintly Andrew Murray (1827-1917) observed: “There are only two groups of Christians: one soulwinners and the other backsliders!” With the mushrooming of missionary-sending agencies, we have too many supporters and too few soulwinners. Think of a hall filled with only pillars! Missionary organisations are apprehensive of motivating Christians for neighbourhood evangelism, perhaps because they are afraid that the people might spend too much of their time and energy in neighbourhood evangelism to spare time for the promotional works of these organisations. Missions periodicals are filled with reports and appeals leaving little space to challenge the readers for personal involvement in neighbourhood evangelism. In Missionary Conventions there’s hardly a full-length talk on personal soulwinning. The entire programme targets mobilisation of funds, prayer and candidates for fulltime work. This trend may help missionary societies to grow, but it’s unhealthy for the Body of Christ. The very purpose of the fivefold ministries in the Church is to “equip” the believers for the “ministry” (Eph 4:11-13).

Frontline Soldiers Fulltime Christian workers alone cannot complete the task of world evangelisation. I don’t grow tired of quoting missionary evangelist T.L. Osborn: “The laymen will write the last chapter of Church History...Restoration of the art of personal soulwinning will be the rediscovery of New Testament Christianity!” I would shout a loud “Amen” to this though I am a fulltime preacher myself ! Unless we raise an army of personal soulwinners we will not get enough of dynamic candidates for frontier evangelism. It is from among the active and prayerful disciples, Jesus chose twelve frontline missionaries (Mt 9:37-10:4). A young man appeared before a Mission Board which was interviewing candidates for frontier missions. One leader asked him, “What are you actually doing for God where you are?” The young man answered, “Not much.” The leader asked back, “Do you want to go to the mission field to repeat this?” A Tamil proverb says, “If you cannot catch a lizard in your own place, how can you catch an elephant elsewhere?” BLESSING/ November 2013

Nazareth to Naphtali In every other missionary organisation there’s tension between the administrative leaders and the field workers. The cry of 3

the field missionaries is that the administrators don’t understand their problems. Here again the solution lies in neighbourhood evangelism. One who is not an ardent soulwinner is not qualified to oversee and lead soulwinners, harvesters and church-planters. Jesus not only “sent” missionaries; He also “went” forth preaching the Gospel (Lk 10:1). Apostle Paul followed the same example. The active and aggressive neighbourhood evangelism of the College Prayer group I started in 1963 in Karaikudi became the seedbed for the Blessing Youth Mission which was founded in 1970-71. Before ever coming across any handbook on evangelism, we learnt the principles of evangelism with hand-on-plough by applying whatever we had observed in the Scriptures. After coordinating the ministerial affairs of the BYM at the national level, from the central administrative office in Vellore for 17 years, my wife and I moved from State to State every two years, for about 10 years, to be a part of our field missionary teams in their neighbourhood evangelistic efforts. It is this experience which gave the cutting edge to our missionary challenge sermons, in print or from pulpit. Neighbourhood evangelism begets frontier missionary work.

for missionary work. They hardly involve themselves in any direct evangelism in their localities. But the case with the Thessalonian believers was different. Paul commended them, “From you the Word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out...” (1 Thess 1:8). Macedonia and Achaia were the neighbourhood for the Christians of the city of Thessalonica. I am convinced that when local Churches become aggressive in neighbourhood evangelism, the total evangelisation of the world will not be far off. No wonder Paul presented the Thessalonian Church as a model for others (v7) Training ground Neighbourhood evangelism will be a spontaneous outcome of a Christian who is genuinely converted and a Church which is gloriously revived. The immediate spillover of the flow of God’s love into the lives of Christians will first influence their neighbourhood. This is God’s promise: “I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing” (Ezek 34:26). This was pictoriously illustrated by Christ as “a city on a hill” (Mt 5:14). After serving this example and that of a lamp kept on a lampstand to benefit the residents, He said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may SEE your good works and glorify the Father in Heaven” (vv15,16). Only the neighbours can “SEE” you!

Model Church Thank God for the historical slogan, “Go or Send!”, coined by the Canadian missionary Statesman, Dr. Oswald J. Smith (1889-1986). This slogan had a specific reference to overseas missions. Since we cannot afford this luxury of an option in a country like India, we modified it as, “Go and Send!” Unfortunately, folks have chosen the easier alternative. Most of the missionary-minded Christians stop and are satisfied with praying and paying BLESSING/ November 2013

Following his conversion, Apostle Paul started off as a neighbourhood evangelist. He first evangelised Damascus where he was baptized (Acts 9:19-22). He moved to Jerusalem, about 200 kilometers away, mainly because the Jews in Damascus plotted to kill him (vv 23-26). He followed 4

the blueprint Jesus gave in Acts 1:8 (Acts 26:20). Those who are zealous in neighbourhood evangelism usually do very well if they step out for frontier ministries. In the early years of the ministry of the Blessing Youth Mission, most of the missionary candidates came out of the hundreds of lay outreach teams which were active in their respective localities in personal soulwinning, street preaching, visitation evangelism and rural outreach. On the average, the quality of such candidates has been class apart. Charity begins at home, isn’t it?

homes to communicate the message in person to the residents (Acts 20:20). While targeting the Greeks, he did not lose sight of the Jews (v21). In our context, the Greeks represent non-Christians and the Jews nominal Christians. Thousands and thousands of nominal Christians remain nominal for years, simply because the born-again Christians do not take pains to lead them one by one to repentance and faith. I am a fruit of personal soulwinning. My Chemistry Professor led me to Christ. Before sending out the twelve disciples for cross-cultural missionary evangelism, Jesus told them first to go to the “lost sheep of Israel” (Mt 10:5,6). Dear Christian friend, start praying for your nominal Christian neighbours regularly and win them one by one. There’s nothing like the joy of soulwinning! Fruitbearing means reproduction. It is not optional. “Every” branch that does not bear fruit will be cut off. These words of Jesus cannot be taken lightly (Jn 15:2).

Endtime Army Joel’s prophecy concerning the endtime outpouring of the Holy Spirit leading to an unprecedented ingathering of souls includes entire families as prophetic communities to proclaim God’s wonderful works. “Sons... daughters... young men... old men... men-servants... maidservants” (Acts 2:17,18). This definitely and primarily refers to neighbourhood evangelism. Otherwise, how can “old men” travel to distant lands, or, servants leave their domestic responsibilities for frontier missions? We see an immediate fulfillment of this prophecy in the life of the early Church. The cottages of Christians became the centres of evangelism. That’s how they could influence their neighbours and win “the favour of all the people.” The result was daily addition to the Church! (Acts 2:46,47). We normally pray, “Lord, do it again!” Instead we need to say, “Let’s do it again!”

Collection or Conversion? Paul did not go house to house to collect money for his missionary efforts. While addressing the Ephesian elders, he testified, “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel” (Acts 20:33). He worked with his own hands to earn for his ministerial expenses and to pay the bills of his team members (v34). He visited the folks to “give” them something rather than to “receive” something from them (v35). He operated on the teaching of Jesus: “It’s more blessed to give than to receive!” I am not against collecting contributions from Christians for God’s work. But that must not be the primary purpose in visiting homes. Go to minister to them— to exhort, edify and encourage. Gone are the days when Christians would carry Gospel

Every Home Crusade Apostle Paul never forgot the strategic importance of house-to-house neighbourhood evangelism. Besides his public proclamation of the Gospel, he visited BLESSING/ November 2013

5

tracts—in shoulder bags. Now they carry receipt books—in briefcases. In some places, the Church authorities have banned certain missionary organisations because the promotional workers of these organisations have gone to the extent of standing at Church gates to collect monthly contributions and issue receipts. The target set by missions for fund-raising has indirectly pressurised many zealous Christians to give up personal soulwinning efforts. Is this right? Is it God’s method? Have organisations grown beyond God’s plan for them? Some stocktaking is necessary at this stage.

India than in North India. We must not equate economic and social backwardness to Gospel ignorance. It’s commonplace to see the educated and civilized among us holding stupid superstitious beliefs. Gossip the Gospel! If Christians are the “light of the world,” every Chr istian h ome must b e a lighthouse. If we are not responsible to lead our neighbours to the Light of Life, who else is? When the shepherd found out his lost sheep, and the woman her lost silver coin, the first thing both of them did was to call their friends and neighbours and share the joy with them (Lk 15: 6,9). It is written, “There will be shouts of salvation in the tabernacle of the righteous” (Psa 118:15). Let the neighbours hear it first! Each Christian is like a “leaven” in the “lump” of his neighbourhood. Let it all be leavened up! In His parable of the leaven, Jesus spoke of this as the work of a woman! (Mt 13:33). Apostle Paul warned against womenfolk becoming “idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not” (1 Tim 5:13). Why not gossip the Gospel? Use your talking talent for God!

Paganism next door I urge Christians everywhere to plan a regular neighbourhood evangelistic programme. The activities can include distribution of Gospel tracts in street corners and marketplaces, open-air preaching, house-to-house visitation, ministry to the inmates of hospitals, prisons, rehabilitation centres and the like, rural outreach, weekend evangelistic campaigns and so on. Form a local team and work out the details. Gather atleast once a week for about two hours to pray exclusively for your activities suggested above. Besides giving to your local Church and supporting missionary organisations and evangelistic agencies from the amount you set aside each month for the Lord, keep a portion for your own direct expenses for neighbourhood evangelism. One need not go to the tribes in jungles and mountains to see paganism. Right on the main streets of our cities and towns we come across torturous practices of devotees to appease their deities. Heathenism is right there everywhere. At times we see more of North India in South BLESSING/ November 2013

Let’s talk about Jesus, the King of kings is He; The Lord of lords supreme, through all eternity; The great I am the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Door; Let’s talk about Jesus more and more!

Who is our Lazarus? The second commandment, equal to the first and the greatest commandment, given by Jesus, is that one should love his “neighbour” as himself (Mt 22:39). We are experiencing the joy of forgiveness. Do our 6

this city for Silas and Timothy to come and join him. See what he was doing during those few days: “He reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshippers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there” (Acts 17:16,17). Throw him into a prison and here’s what he would testify: “I want you to know, brothers, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the Gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and all the rest, that my chains are in Christ !” (Phil 1:12,13). Let a shipwreck land him in an unknown island. He would conduct a 3-day healing campaign there! (Acts 28:7-9).

neighbours have that joy? We have found the only Way to Heaven. Do our neighbours know that? We have peace that passes all understanding. Do our neighbours enjoy that peace? If salvation is so great, how can we neglect to share its message with our neighbours? To point out who our neighbour is, Jesus presented the story of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:29-37). It is when we help anyone in need whom we meet as we go about with our routine we become a good “neighbour” to that person. We send support to the havenots in distant places, but we ignore the Lazarus at our doorstep! Who cares for the platform-dwellers and ragpickers in our own towns and cities? Following Pentecost the believers shared their possessions first with the poor and the needy among themselves. We read that there was not anyone “among them” who lacked. This was the secret of their strength as a community (Acts 4:34,35). Vision for faroff places must not make us blind to the needs in our vicinity. He who does not love his brother whom he has “seen,” how can he love someone somewhere whom he has not seen? Jesus said, The poor are always “with you!” (Jn 12:8). The first resurrection miracle in the early Church was performed on a woman named Dorcas who was “full of good works and charitable deeds” towards the widows who were her neighbours (Acts 9:36-41).

Slogan or Action? Most of our Churches have only adopted the missionaries of mission agencies, not birthed them. Even when, say, 10 missionaries are sent from and supported by a 1000 member congregation, the Church has mobilized only 1% of its force for direct evangelism. But if it can challenge every member of the congregation to win just one other person in the neighbourhood for Christ in a matter of one year’s time, every year its strength will be doubled! It’s mind-boggling. But this is how the early Church grew. Only when this happens, we can say, “The whole Church is carrying the whole Gospel to the whole World!” Otherwise, this will remain merely as a slogan to decorate the brochures and banners of our international missions conferences! 

Anywhere, anytime! One who knows the power and possibility of neighbourhood evangelism will never run out of job. He will be instantly employed wherever he is placed. Look at Paul. God put him in Athens, a city of idols. He had to wait for a while in BLESSING/ November 2013

(www.StanleyOnBible.com) 7

Modesty for His Majesty Anne Abraham Stephen

Author George Barna in one of his books,

produced shame, and shame required a covering.

observes the following analogy:

After Adam and Eve sinned, they made coverings

“You put a frog in boiling water, he will

for themselves. The word “covering” comes from

immediately jump out. But if you put a frog in

the Hebrew word, “chagorah” meaning a

cold water and you ever

garment which covers the mid-section of the

so slowly turn up the

body. Despite the coverings, they still felt naked.

heat, he won’t realize

2. God was not pleased with the coverings Adam

what’s happening and

and Eve made: The Lord made tunics for them

he will stay there until he

(Gen 3:21). The word “tunic” comes from the

boils to death.”

word, “kethoneth” meaning a garment reaching

In the same way,

to either below the knee or up to the ankle.

immodesty has crept

II. Patriarchal Age

into our churches so

3. Any time a gender organ is exposed it is

subtly and so gradually that all of a sudden

regarded as naked. Job 22:6 Here it talks about

modesty is boiling to death in our churches.

stripping the naked of their clothing. In other

“I also want women to dress modestly, with

words it is possible to be naked and clothed at

decency and propriety…..” 1 Timothy 2:9

the same time. The phrase implies a person who

(NIV).

is thinly clad (wearing clothing that is transparent).

“... And the parts that are unpresentable are

III. Mosaic Age

treated with special modesty.” 1 Cor. 12:23

4. Priests were supposed to wear short

(NIV).

trousers from waist to thigh: Exodus 20:26 When

When putting on clothes, a couple of questions to ask yourself, whether you are a man or a woman are: 1. Is it Modest? 2. Is it Proper for one professing Godliness? Modesty throughout the Ages: The Word of God tells us the following: I. In the Beginning 1. It is shameful to expose nakedness : In Genesis 3:7-10, we read that sin produced guilt, guilt BLESSING/ November 2013

8

priests climbed the steps of the altar, there would

Facts and Characteristics of Modesty: 1

be the possibility of the worshippers seeing

Peter 3:1-6

underneath their garments, so they were to wear

1. Modesty stays away from extravagance.

trousers.

(vs. 3)

IV. Prophetic Age

2. Modesty concentrates on internal character.

5. It is shameful to expose or overdraw

(vs.4)

attention to the private parts of your body:

3. Modesty possesses imperishable quality.

Exposure of such parts often brings a form of

(vs. 4)

judgment to shame the wicked. Isa. 47:1-3.

4. Modesty is precious in God’s sight. (vs. 4)

V. New Testament Age

5. Modesty has a Biblical heritage. (vss. 5-6)

6. Unpresentable parts should be covered:

6. Modesty has evangelistic (witnessing) power.

Apostle Paul states this in 1 Corinthians

(vss. 1,2)

12:23,24.

In verse 4, of the above passage, Peter

7. We must not provide opportunity for fleshly

describes the inner beauty of a woman as “gentle

lusts:

and quiet spirit.” This might be paraphrased as

a. This is clearly condemned in the Scripture.

“a gentle tranquility.” This is a woman’s most

Romans 13:13,14

powerful quality.... her true character.

b. Jesus warned about committing adultery in Thoughts from Proverbs 31:30

the heart. Matthew 5: 28

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

Three Words from 1 Timothy 2:9-10

but a woman who fears the LORD is to be

“…..women adorn themselves in modest

praised.”

apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety…..”

¨ External beauty is ephemeral(lasting for only

Modest: Greek word is “kosmious” meaning

a brief time).

orderly, well-arranged. In other words, one should dress neatly and appropriately for the

¨ Internal beauty is eternal.

occasion.

¨ The former is attractive to the world. ¨ The latter is pleasing to God.

Shamefacedness: “aidos” means having a sense of shame and reverence. A shamefaced

Goals of Modesty

person would blush when faced with things that

1. Our goal should be to glorify God. 1 Cor.

are irreverent and immodest.

10:31 “….whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Sobriety: “sophrosuna” means a person of sound mind, good judgment and self-control.

2. We should please God. 2 Cor. 5:9 “So we

Such a person is moderate in all that he/she does.

make it our goal to please Him.”

BLESSING/ November 2013

9

Our goal should be to make reasonable

“enticing clothing”; that is, they stopped

accommodation for the current fashions without

appearing in shorts and halter-tops and quit

compromising Biblical principles. We should

swimming in the ship’s pool. If the “women of

examine our wardrobe on a continuous basis.

the world” know what stimulates the lust of the flesh, why not the “daughters of God?”

Rules to follow by asking and

Nancy DeMoss had this to say, “What a

remembering the following:

man’s touch is to a woman, the sight of a woman

1. Does it expose? Remember the “tunic”

is to a man.”

covers from below the neck to below the knee

“For everything in the world.... the cravings

or ankle. Good rule to follow. 2. Does it emphasize? Are you dressing to

of sinful man, the lust of his eyes…comes not

accentuate or highlight a certain physical feature?

from the Father but from the world.” 1 John 2:16 (NIV).

3. Is it too short? In Western countries this

We should not dress like “the attire of a harlot”

applies to dresses and skirts for women and

Proverbs 7:10.

shorts for men.

The way a woman dresses should draw

4. Is it too tight? This includes men’s pants.

attention to her face, to her countenance, not to

One should not wear clothing made out of

her body. Joshua Harris in his book, “Not even

spandex. Don’t wear undergarments that are too

a Hint” made this observation: “There is a

tight.

difference between dressing attractively and

5. Is it too low? No cleavage (this includes

dressing to attract.”

apparel for weddings). Don’t expose the back

Don’t go to the other extreme and have a lack

of your body, your belly button etc. Underwear

of concern for the way you dress to let others

should not become outerwear.

think you are more spiritual. It is another form of

6. Be careful when wearing white... white

pride and self-righteousness.

clothes are transparent and shows even

Someone aptly said, “Your character is the

undergarments .... this should not be.

picture and your appearance is the frame.” The

7. Do you buy expensive clothes and

frame should complement the picture, not distract

accessories to draw attention to yourself.?

from it.

8. Looking at the way you dress, can

The Word of God forbids one to dress like

someone differentiate you from a non-believer?

the opposite gender. Deut. 22:5.

During the hijacking of Santa Maria in 1961,

You are not to cut your bodies for the dead

the women on board were concerned the rebels

or put tattoo marks on your selves. Leviticus

might have lustful desires, so they left off wearing

19:28 (NIV).

BLESSING/ November 2013

10

We should not adorn our bodies with glittering

Nevertheless, the declaration of the Scripture

jewelry or dazzling and luxurious clothes. In

is this, “Do you not know that your body is the

Isaiah we read, such adornment seduced leaders

temple of the Holy Spirit?”

who eventually led the whole nation into

Modesty for Our Majesty

disobedience. Isa. 3:16-28.

Christ was clothed with a mocking purple robe and crown of thorns, so that we might wear His

We should concentrate on having a God-

righteousness (Mark 15:17).

centered personality. Our outward appearance

Christ was undressed, uncovered and

is an important index of our Christian character

exposed on the cross so that our sin and

and maturity.

shame might be covered (Luke 23:34).

Dress in a modest and decent way showing

God dressed His Son in wickedness, so that

respect to God, others and you.

we might be in His righteousness.

Prayerfully Consider the Following

God stripped His Son of His glory so that we

1. Why do I want to purchase this or wear this?

might be brought into the freedom of the glory of

Am I willing to say no to this?

the children of God.

2. How will my appearance affect others? Will I

Christ paid in blood for my clothing.

bring undue attention to myself? Will I be a

The righteousness of Christ has covered us and

distraction or worse, a stumbling block?

we are to dress as those who desire to make

3. What does my appearance say about me?

people notice that righteousness.

What are my priorities? How much money do I

Gospel is the ultimate solution for

spend on clothes, footwear, accessories etc.?

our immodesty. It is also the ultimate

4. What kind of example am I setting for others?

solution for our modesty. So next time you

Are you a role model in the way you dress

browse through your clothing to see what to wear,

especially to those younger than you?

remember you are wearing Christ. Do it

Follow 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

beautifully! Adorn the Gospel!

Cry of the Satanist is, “Do what you want

(Anne is the Granddaughter of pastor K.E.

shall be the whole of the law.”

Abraham. She is part of Good Samaritan

Cry of the 60’s was “Do your own thing.”

Ministries started by her parents Pastor & Mrs

Cry of the feminist is “It’s my body, and I’ll

Oommen Abraham. Earned a degree in

do what I want.”

Economics from Bangalore University and

The cry of the Modern Evangelical is, “It’s

Masters in Christian Leadership from

my liberty and I’ll do what I want.” BLESSING/ November 2013

Criswell College, Dallas) 11

A GEM.... A SEED...! (A Tribute to Missionary, late J.J. Devanesan)

Brother J.J. Devanesan lived a useful

then moved to needy areas like Sihora and

and fruitful life like the ‘Forgotten Hero’, Ananias (Acts 9:10-18). He was an unassuming servant-

Deori. He never wanted to get settled in a comfort zone. As a pioneer, he surveyed the Bundhelkhand area, the neglected border region of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. He identified the responsive Ahirwar people group and moved to Banda from where he then built a base in Shahgarh, a churchless taluk and spent twelve years there pouring out his life for church planting ministry. He could not participate in important events of his family because of the long distance.

leader, a caring husband, affectionate father, trust worthy friend, kindhearted humanitarian, fellow soldier and a committed missionary. Even though he lived for only fifty years, he has made a deep impact in the annals of mission history of India.

He went to the grassroot level and labored with all simplicity. He excelled in team work, pastoral care and counselling and mentored many disciples. He was good in networking and efficiently served as the State Coordinator of Madhya Pradesh and then Regional Coordinator of North India. He travelled far and wide to promote the missionary cause. He was regular in his spiritual exercises and proved himself to be a seasoned Bible teacher, prayer warrior and active soulwinner.

Born as the second son of godly parentsMr. Vincent Lazar and Mrs. Jesammal in Budalur, Thanjavur Dt. (TN), he had his university education in Rajah Serfoji College, Thanjavur and proved himself to be a bright student in Mathematics. He attended BLESSO’85 and had a personal encounter with Christ. In obedience to the divine call, which he received while he was in his final year Post Graduation he marched towards North India to fulfil Christ’s Great Commission in regions beyond.

With a missionary dream, he was instrumental in buying an acre of land in Shahgarh, where a multipurpose hall and Missionary Quarters were constructed, which paved the way for the furtherance of

First he was based in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh involving in Students Ministry where he learned Hindi grammatically which brightened his missionary career. He BLESSING/ November 2013

Contn. in page 14

12

Tween Tweet

The ‘F’ Word Dr. Mrs. Lilian Stanley

How strange it is that Foul Words flow

you must rid yourself of all such things

like a stream out of the mouth of even civi-

as these... filthy language from your lips”

lized people! It is an

(Col 3:7,8). May be before coming to

irksome fact that

Christ you used obscene language. It might

parents rain foul

have become your habit and kicking the

words on their chil-

ticking habit may not be all that easy. May

dren and spouses on

be your friends speak profanity and you are

one another. Turn

tempted to think it is O.K. It is not O.K.

the TV on to watch

You have to learn a new language, a clean

some comedy and

language. Paul says we must watch our lan-

relax, and your ears tingle at the vulgar

guage. “Let no corrupt word proceed out

jokes and crude language. What word is not

of your mouth” (Eph 4:29) Your con-

allowed in the family conversation, repeat-

science will point its finger at the word.

edly jumps off the TV with the entire house-

“In matters of conscience, the law of ma-

hold watching and howling with laughter.

jority has no place,” said Gandhiji. So don’t

School children use language that cannot

let anyone dictate your conscience. Under-

be tolerated at home. A child gets an abu-

stand that it is possible to get your point

sive tongue-lashing from the teacher. Have

across without using bad language.

we lost our conscience? Have we failed to

Saul was a very gentle man with a de-

examine our hearts each day? Have we con-

cent language (1 Sam 9,10). But when he

sidered coarse language a minor thing?

gave place to the evil spirit his language

Have we thought we can get away with it on

turned foul (1 Sam 20:30). The men of

the Great Day of enquiry? Where have we

Sodom and Gomorrah were filthy (2 Pet

failed? I am sick of the foul word.

2:7). And we know the language they spoke.

I owe a debt of gratitude to my mother

That’s akin to Revelation 16:13: “Then I

who would bring a live coal in tongs to

saw three evil spirits that looked like

threaten us if we ever uttered a bad word.

frogs; they came out of the mouth of the

The Bible says, “You used to walk in these

dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and

ways, in the life you once lived. But now

out of the mouth of the false prophet.”

BLESSING/ November 2013

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Contd. from page 12

How do you like it? Every foul word you speak is like a frog coming out of your mouth. Wake up and clean up your vocabulary.

the gospel. Like Jesus, he was compassionate and gave top priority for Social Concerns projects like women empowerment through self employment and uplift of poor children through

We are living in a world of bad manners. You must be an example to others in your language. “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech...” (1 Tim 4:12). Praise and swearing cannot come out of the same mouth just as fresh water and salt water from the same spring (Js 3:10). Language pollution has gone too far. Lack of family role models need not stop you. By training your tongue you can become an example to them. It is never too late to turn around your language. Try the following — 1. Eschew friends who speak bad language. 2. Each time you feel a pang of guilt, go to God in confession and make a decision to speak only clean language. Turn to the higher power for help. 3. Get a friend who can point out your sin of filthy language whenever you violate your decision. 4. Pray for lips anointed with grace (Ps 45:2) and be off foul words for good! “All spoke well of Him and were

education. The Blessing Children Home at Katni stands as a classic example. As a true leader, he developed younger leaders and local evangelists. It’s no wonder, now we have local churches in remote villages as a reward for his tears, sweat and blood. After a hectic mission field visit to West Bengal, Delhi and Rajasthan in 2008, he suddenly had a brain stem stroke due to high blood pressure. In spite of fervent prayers and good medical care, the Lord allowed him to pass through the blessing of suffering for four years and have his Home call on 4 October 2012. His funeral service which was largely attended, became a Missionary Challenge Service. A big appreciation to his brave parents, supportive wife and understanding children - Davidson (22) and Jesvin (19)! His wife Ida continues to serve the Lord with the BYM, Hq team in the ardent path of her beloved husband, who was a gem, a seed and a priceless treasure of BYM and the Church of India.

amazed at the gracious words that came from His lips” (Lk 4:22).

— E.L. Mathansingh

U

www.lilianstanley.com BLESSING/ November 2013

(Mob:9444217616) 14

Church Profile - 7

Kottapatti Church started. 20-40 k.m. of cycling a day was rewarded with many souls. Demons fled. The childless were blessed with children, those bound by the chains of witchcraft were delivered by the power of the gospel. Miracles abounded and people flocked. A thatched hut was erected in government land which was packed to overflowing. Believers started asking God for a bigger place.

The scenic slope behind the Sitheri Hills is the Chitling valley. There are many villages here. That these people should hear about the living God, missionaries from Sitheri walked three hours to proclaim the Goodnews here. Many miracles followed and many turned to the Lord. A mud hut was erected for these people to gather and worship the Lord in Chitling..

Mr. Jeyakumar who was then working in the State Bank of Kottappati was God’s answer. He is the son of late Mr. Devaraj from whom we bought the land for the Sitheri Church. He helped us buy 11 cents. Missionary Jacob Iyyathurai and believers sweated to put up a building, carrying brick and mortar on their head. Nazareth partners supplied all the materials for the roof. The balance amount was collected by Bro. Shanthakumar and the construction was completed and dedicated on 23.12.2001. A member of this congregation is now a missionary in Uttar Pradesh. Eighty people gather here to worship, from the surrounding ten villages. Missionaries Simon Peter and wife Mercy are in charge of this church now.

From there missionaries travelled through the roadless forests by bicycles and reached Kottappati, 10 k.m. from Chitling. When they enquired for any Christians they came up with three families belonging to CSI, CPM and TELC. Missionaries gathered them in the verandah of a house and started Sunday Worship. Though they had to cross two rivers, this was continued without fail and house visiting was

— Missionary I. Pushparaj

How can we be good citizens of India? Write your ideas in one or two pages and send to us before the end of November. [email protected] BLESSING/ November 2013

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FIELD FRAGRANCE! GUJARAT Praise ¨ 16 were newly added to the Kingdom. ¨ Jolly Meet was a blessing to 35 young boys and girls. ¨ Soul Winners’ Camp at Motipokhadi was a blessing. 45 believers participated. Missionary Kailash brought the Word. ¨ 30 people were blessed in a one-day Believers Retreat in Kothadiya village. Missionary Lourdhu Xavier brought the Word. ¨ Leela was delivered from demon possession. ¨ Missionary Royal shared the Word in Tamil Christian Fellowship at Vadodara. ¨ The Revival Meeting at Vadodara conducted at Kanan Methodist Church. Pray for ¨ Mrs. Jeethaben, who is recovering from brain surgery. KARNATAKA Praise ¨ Staff Retreat for the Karnataka missionaries was conducted in the month of September. Missionaries were encouraged by the Word brought by Pastor Nirmal from Chennai. ¨ The Believers Retreat at Ramdurg was a blessing to 72 believers. Missionary Mohanakrishnan brought the Word. ¨ 52 young people were blessed in a Youth Retreat at Ramdurg. Missionary Nalavade shared the Word of God. ¨ 16 families were blessed in a Family Retreat at Ramdurg through the encouraging messages by Mrs. & Mr. Regunathan. ¨ Missionary Vasanthi Regunathan ministered at Alpha Church and in a Ladies Retreat in Hubli. ¨ Missionary Manivannan preached in a 3-day

The Blessing Youth Mission has stationed 322 missionaries in 14 States of India, namely Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamilnadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal for reviving churches and missionary evangelism leading to church planting in churchless places. We have gleaned a few points from the reports we received from the fields for your PRAISE and PRAYER. ANDHRA PRADESH Praise ¨ The Staff Retreat for the Andhra Staff was a blessed one. Mrs. Ruth Manivannan brought the Word of God and encouraged the missionaries. ¨ 260 Jail inmates heard the Good News through Pastor Mathews. 4 Carom boards were gifted to them. ¨ 20 people listened to the messages of Mr. R. Stanley in a Video Bible Study at Guntur. ¨ The Gospel Video Show in Guntur, where the Good News was shared to 120 young boys. ¨ The Family Seminar at Ongole was a blessing to many families. Mrs. & Mr. Ponnusamy were the resource persons. ¨ Missionary N.K. Kusha shared God’s Word in the United Christian Fellowship Church at Vizag. Rs.20,000 was given as an offering to the Mission. Pray ¨ New Believers – Sneha, Aruna, Sravanthi, Bhavani, Uma and Sumalatha. ¨ The complete healing of missionary Saroj Apat who had an attack of Malaria and also an infection in blood. BLESSING/ November 2013

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MADHYA PRADESH Praise ¨ The miraculous escape of our missionary George Allemby from a major accident. He still has an injury in the knee area. Pray for complete recovery. ¨ 9 people were added to the Kingdom. ¨ Missionary Mohanraj had an opportunity to preach in Gateway Hosanna Church at Indore and Missionary Jeyaraj at ECI Church at Bhopal. ¨ The newly started prayer cell at Jabalpur and Indore. ¨ The fasting prayers in Shahgarh field. 445 people attended in 6 places. ¨ Bhajan Mandali was a blessing in Rodha village. 27 people heard the Gospel. ¨ 50 boys were blessed in a one-day Youth Retreat at Shahgarh. Pray ¨ Healing – Shoba Lal, Chotta Lal (T.B) ; Chuttu (Stomach Pain) ; Sachin (Fracture); Bitti, Tulsi (Cancer) and Benson Lal (Bed sores).

Revival Meeting at St. Paul’s Church at Bangalore. He also preached in a Pastors Meeting. ¨ 100 believers were blessed in a Believers Retreat at Jhamkandi. ¨The deliverance of Yellavva, Ratna, Kavitha, Renuka and Hosakoti from demon possession. ¨ 350 people were blessed in the Sunday Service through the Word brought by our missionary Ramanathan. ¨ 60 young people were blessed in a Youth Retreat at Alnavar. Pastor Charles brought the Word. ¨ The miraculous healing of Achalamma from skin disease. She is now regular to prayer. ¨ One day Retreat at Kalmad village was a blessing to 24 Banjaras. Pray ¨ The children class among the Banjaras. 30-35 of them attend regularly. ¨ The deliverance of Ashok from evil spirit. ¨ The believers of Uppleshwar and Manchkeri, as they are facing lot of problems because of their faith.

MAHARASHTRA Praise ¨ 8 were added to His Kingdom in Jath field and 47 in Vasai field. ¨ 80 believers were revived in the Revelation Bible Study conducted by missionary R.Paul. ¨ 40 believers were blessed in the Soul Winners’ Training Program at Vaduj. Missionary Samuel Jothiraj brought the Word of God. ¨ The Mission Sunday at Thane and Kailash Nagar were a blessing. Missionary Dhanraj challenged the congregation for active missionary work. ¨ Ladies Meeting in Vasai and Talasri field was attended by 220 women. ¨ 43 Suvarthiks were trained in a special program at Goreygaon. ¨ Missionary Ruth Manivannan and Jeya Jothiraj shared the Word of God in the Ladies Retreat at Vasai.

KERALA Praise ¨ 46 people were blessed in a Partners Meet at Trivandrum and 250 young people in a Youth Retreat at Manacaud. Missionary Mohanakrishnan shared the Word of God. ¨ Rs.30, 000/- worth of literature was distributed in Trivandrum and Manacaud. ¨ For the newly started prayer cell for the students at LMS School at Amaravilla. 150 students attended. Missionary Esther Robin shared the Word of God. ¨ Newly started ladies prayer cell at Ernakulam. Pray ¨ The planned one-day youth meeting at Kalakad. ¨ One of our partners, Mrs. Deepa Sirus met with an accident and lost her leg. BLESSING/ November 2013

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¨ Francis Deep (4) s/o our missionary Ashish Deep suffered brain malaria and is now unable to recognise his parents. Pray for the reversal of brain damage.

¨ Mumbai Mission Camp was a blessing to the Christians at Dharavi. 450 believers attended the meeting with much enthusiasm. Mr. Lionel brought the Word of God.

RAJASTHAN Praise and Pray ¨ On the eve of Friendship Day, 55 youth heard a talk on the topic, True Friend. There were exhilarating ice breakers and meaningful choreography. Mr. Darryl Belloni was the resource person. ¨ One of the youth leaders, Leynold has cracked the SSB interview in spite of his average performance in academics.

Pledge collectors of Mumbai

¨ In a one-day retreat arranged at the Methodist Church in Phulera, our team ministered to 20 youth.

Pray ¨ The opposition at Thiller field to die out and the Good News to spread.

¨ For Judey Raho, a youth program conducted for the first time in the city of Jodhpur. 55 young people from 6 Churches attended.

ODISHA Praise ¨ 20 new people who join the Kochrapara Prayer Cell. ¨ Suresh, Shanthi and Santho who newly attend the Kadichapur Prayer Cell. ¨ Mongo and Jango who newly attend the Raighar church. ¨ Seven obeyed the Lord and made a covenant with Him from Kornamuthi family in Rani Chachra village. ¨ Puthu newly attends the Kapatpani Cell. Pray for the numbness in his hands and feet to disappear. Pray ¨ Krupa, whose arms and legs are swollen. He attends prayer in the hope of healing. ¨ Seema opposes our work and prevents believers from taking water from the common tap. ¨ Beema couple join the worship service at Tippapani. All the children born to them were dead. Now God has blessed them with a child. ¨ Priya in Ramagiri clinic has treated 430 patients in the past two months. Mercy takes tuition for the hostel children. BLESSING/ November 2013

¨ The counseling ministry of Missionary Monica Allan who is meeting girls every fortnight in the Jaipur nursing hostel. ¨ The complete healing of Missionary Monica Allan who is suffering from infection in lymph nodes. UTTAR PRADESH Praise ¨ Missionary Anandaraj shared God’s Word to the local Pastors at Birdaiya village. ¨ New villages visited – Ramsinghpur, Paddumpur, Rampur, Alipur, Mandara, Goura and Chota Raipur. ¨ Kalpati Kumari and Rekha Devi have come to the Lord. ¨ The good response in Goura and Alipur villages. ¨ In Bhadewar village, Ramsevak’s family was disturbed by snakes and scorpions. He testified that when he opened his house for prayer, there were no more disturbances. 18

¨ Missionary Esther Samidoss is very sick due to jaundice (Hepatitis B). Investigations are being done. ¨ Missionary Jesuragavan took the initiative to arrange Literature sales in many places in Chennai and our books worth 67,389.00 went into the hands of people. ¨ Missionary Ida Devanesan is a heart patient. She has developed some problems and is undergoing investigations. GENERAL ¨ SIST (Staff In Service Training) Program was conducted in Alnavar, Karnataka. 24 Missionaries were equipped and encouraged. ¨ SIT (Station In-charges’ Training) Program was conducted in Umerkote, Odisha. 27 Missionaries were equipped and trained. ¨ Partners Meet at Salem and Chennai were a blessing to many. Around 500 attended these meetings. ¨ Missionary R. Elisha met with an accident while trying to get down from the train. He suffered four rib fractures and a deep cut in the right thigh. Praise God for the healing and also pray for his complete recovery. ¨ Our service staff Mr. Jeyasingh (47) died after a period of illness on 29 August 2013. Pray for his wife Sheila who is working as a teacher, elder daughter who is doing nursing and the younger daughter in 10th. ¨ Nehemiah Wesley, s/o late Dr. Jaishankar and Florence got gold medals in Shot-put and Longjump in the ICSE and ISC Schools State Level Sports Meet held in Coimbatore.

Pray ¨ Healing — Pancham (Depression); Nirmala Devi (T.B) and Keelan (Kidney Problem). ¨ Mrs. & Mr. Sallins have joined the Mission at Allahabad. They will focus on the youth work in this city. Please uphold this family in your prayers. ¨ Boldness among the seekers, to take a decision for Christ. They are held by various societal pressures. TAMIL NADU Praise ¨ 20 believers from Keeraipatti, Achalwadi, Vachathi and Kalasapadi churches joined our missionaries to reach out to the surrounding villages, conduct 3 night meetings and distribute tracts. ¨ Four made a covenant with the Lord in Achalvadi. Pray ¨ Asokan to be delivered from evil spirit. ¨ Jawaharlal has spent lakhs for his healing in vain. Now he comes to our church. ¨ Mayilsamy was mentally affected after the death of his wife. Now he comes to the church. ¨ The Revival Camp-2013 in Sitheri Hills was attended by 500 people. Sitheri believers gave Rs. 1, 82, 000 as offering. Our believer Thavamani gave Rs. 51,000/-. The expense for this camp was Rs. 1,22, 538/-. The balance was Rs. 59,564/-! Praise God for our Sitheri believers who have grown so much. Participants were abundantly blessed.

¨ Missionary Samuel Jothiraj retired on 31 October 2013 after serving the Lord through BYM for 23 years. He became the State Coordinator of Maharashtra and then the Director for Missions Department. Praise God for his life and service. ¨ Joycee w/o Ignatius, our close partner is suffering from cancer of the uterus. Pray for a U miracle. BLESSING/ November 2013

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