Focusing on a Heart Relationship with God

Gary and I have been blessed to share the messages from the Word of God several times in the past month. It's a joy to speak at our home church here in India. The focus has been on living a genuine life as a follower of Jesus.  Not just a believer.  Not just a church member. But a true disciple. 

A life lived following the heart of God is characterized by:

Sincere worship - from our hearts, more than words sung during a church service.  Followers of Jesus need to be sincere and honest - every day, in every place.

Bold witness - from our hearts.  The more time we spend in the presence of the Lord, the more we are transformed into His image and live like Jesus lived.  Jesus lived to tell others about the Kingdom of God.  That is the calling for every believer.

Are you ready to be challenged?  We invite you to listen to these teachings.  Be open. Ask the Lord to speak to your heart. Take action when He speaks to you.

Grasshoppers or Meat Eaters: When we have a 'grasshopper mentality', we will never see ourselves as the meat-eating giant-killers God says we are. 

Two Types of Worship: Palm Sunday or Resurrection Sunday: Do we worship from emotion or from the heart? (Enjoy Nepali worship. This is the full service. message starts at 53 minutes)

Worship in Spirit and in Truth: it's the kind of worship Father God is looking for.

Come and See. Go and Tell: Instructions to the first evangelists on Resurrection Sunday morning.  This is still our mission today. (Enjoy Nepali worship. This is the full Service. Message starts at 1:13.)

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. Ephesians 1:17 NIV

Our prayer is that your heart will be stirred by the Word of God; that Holy Spirit will reveal deeper truth about Who God is;  and that you will follow Him with all of your heart.

The Journey Continues ~ Pat and Gary

A Land of Bright Colors

India is a land of bright colors: houses, sarees, flowers, fruits and vegetables. Bright colors bring life to an often dull environment and difficult life.

Bright Smiles when eyeglasses are given, 
making daily life easier with clear vision.

Baginbari is a tea garden village that the city of Siliguri has grown to surround.  While not far in distance from the neighborhood we are living in, it is a world away in culture and socioeconomic standing. Workers in tea gardens earn minimal wages, and cobble together homes and villages from whatever materials they can scavenge. Mostly dirt floors, tin walls and roofs. Recently some have been able to put up concrete walls. A common well and latrine serve their basic hygiene needs.

Master's Touch church has been reaching out to this village for several years, sharing the love of Jesus through basic medical care, clothing and food distribution, Christmas programs, fun afternoon 'Sunday School' and tutoring children.

Bright Smiles when haircuts and shaves
demonstrate love and care.

This India. This is our mission. To share light and love.

Find a way today to share the light and love of Jesus in your mission field - wherever your feet take you.

The Journey Continues ~ Pat and Gary

MEANWHILE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
This friendly Istri-wallah (ironing man) indulged my curiosity
when I noticed his iron was heated with red-hot coals.
He handles this 6 kg (13lb) iron (literally made out of iron) with ease,
deftly smoothing heavy cotton fabric in one pass.

There are so many fascinating images we want to share with you.
Follow this link for more photos and glimpses into life in India.

What's the Mission?

India is our second home. It's been three years since our last trip, but Gary and I truly feel comfortable and ‘at home’. Sure it's vastly different than life in America, but we have become accustomed to:

• Starting our day with a hot cup of chai (tea) instead of coffee
• Walking to various neighborhood markets for groceries which we pay for in Indian rupees
• Using gestures to indicate what we want from the vegetable vendor (accompanied by lots of smiles and nods)
• Dodging cows, goats (and their droppings) as we walk to and from church
• Singing Nepali worship songs by phonetically reading the words on the screen

Our primary mission this trip is to come alongside local churches to strengthen and encourage the Pastors, leaders and believers. We are enjoying rich times of fellowship as we worship, study God's Word and pray together. 

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:11- 12 NLT

 

India is ranked #11 on the Open Doors World Watch List: an annual ranking of countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. Even though the area we are in is more accepting of Christians and religions other than Hinduism, it is safer for the people we work with if we stay behind the scenes encouraging them as they share the good news of Jesus’ love.

While the weather can be a challenge (right now it’s hot and dusty, yet still feels humid to me); India is a beautiful country.  Tropical plants and flowers overtake any untended space; and the food is delicious.

For more about daily life in India, check out this blog post from 2019 – Vignettes from the Rooftop.

Wherever we go, whatever we do, we have the awesome opportunity and privilege to represent our Lord Jesus.  Our prayer is that you will find joy in your journey, as you represent Jesus in your mission field.

The Journey Continues – Pat