Missions
WHAT GOD CAN DO THROUGH ORDINARY BELIEVERS
Charlie Butts (OneNewsNow.com)
Friday, August 31, 2012 7:52 AM
Friday, August 31, 2012 7:52 AM
A ministry of average Christians has reached an above-average result on the mission field. That is the subject of a book by Peter Hone titled A Big Life: Ordinary People Led by an Extraordinary God.John Heerema heads Big Life Ministries and says it all started with an ordinary group of Christians who wanted to "think big" when it came to impacting people with Christ.
"Our mission statement is to empower local believers to reach their own people for Jesus Christ," he shares. "The best people who reach the people of Pakistan are Pakistanis; the best people to reach the people of India are Indian -- and we believe that because they know the culture, they know the language, they don't get homesick and they have this natural passion built into them to reach their own people for Jesus Christ."
This approach tends to remove the speed bumps that stand in the way as Big Life Ministries shares the gospel. Heerema cites one of many examples -- an Indian Christian named Toppin.
"He lived in the area between India and Bangladesh in those islands, and he was out planting churches and got a phone call that his wife was very ill," the ministry's executive director details. "He rushed home to his village and found his wife hanging from a tree. She had been killed, and [he] realized through investigation that it was actually his family and his wife's family that had killed her because they had become believers."
Rather than seeking revenge, Toppin forgave both families. Two years ago, he baptized his wife's family after they accepted Jesus Christ.
Heerema says people should read A Big Life to see what can be done when people make themselves available to God.
"Our mission statement is to empower local believers to reach their own people for Jesus Christ," he shares. "The best people who reach the people of Pakistan are Pakistanis; the best people to reach the people of India are Indian -- and we believe that because they know the culture, they know the language, they don't get homesick and they have this natural passion built into them to reach their own people for Jesus Christ."
This approach tends to remove the speed bumps that stand in the way as Big Life Ministries shares the gospel. Heerema cites one of many examples -- an Indian Christian named Toppin.
"He lived in the area between India and Bangladesh in those islands, and he was out planting churches and got a phone call that his wife was very ill," the ministry's executive director details. "He rushed home to his village and found his wife hanging from a tree. She had been killed, and [he] realized through investigation that it was actually his family and his wife's family that had killed her because they had become believers."
Rather than seeking revenge, Toppin forgave both families. Two years ago, he baptized his wife's family after they accepted Jesus Christ.
Heerema says people should read A Big Life to see what can be done when people make themselves available to God.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.