When in India I tell you about the Pastor’s Conferences, how smoothly they go, and how God blesses all who attend. Wonderful things happen, and we are always invited to return soon and stay longer. What I haven’t talked about is the months of planning, praying and research that leads up to the events. Pastor Moses and others take numerous long trips to various areas looking for just the right locations. They talk to local pastors, ones they know who work with us and others they meet for the first time. They look for places where God is working and the pastors are in need of training, where there are resources for a conference, where we can safely spend two or more days training pastors, and where they will use what was taught to improve their lives and ministries. Transportation must be available, a source of food for all the men and wives, places to sleep for those who stay over and a host of other considerations. It must be done for as little cost as possible, yet with a guaranteed good outcome.
Meanwhile I spend much time and work on the books and lessons for my ministry there. Taking care of the finances here and making my plans and arrangements takes my time. New magic tricks, applicable new lessons for pastors and wives conferences as well as youth conferences, multiple sermons for speaking in churches, and all that it takes for the legal and governmental work for a non-profit are some of the things I do.
I trust them to have everything ready so all goes smoothly and we can reach the maximum number of pastors and wives in the very best way possible. The focus of the conferences is on the teaching so all other issues must be done ahead of time. I trust them with my safety. Since I don’t speak, or understand their language I have no way of knowing what they are saying, but I trust them completely.
They trust me to provide the necessary finances so they can pay the bills they have. They trust me to present teaching that is Biblical, applicable and easily understood. They trust me to write and pay the costs for books that are Biblical, practical and easy to understand. They trust me to trust them with most of the plans and decisions about how things happen. I offer opinions and make suggestions, and if there is something I feel strongly about they respect that. But mainly we work together. We must. It’s the only way this could possibly work. (October 10, Doylestown, PA)
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.
1 Corinthians 3:6-9 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
1 Corinthians 12:12-30 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.
Who do you depend on in life? Who trusts you to do your part for their sake? Pray for those you are teamed with, and make sure you are doing your part as you should.
Remember we are teamed with God, and He certainly does His part 100%. How about you, can He depend on you to do what is required of you for His sake?
INDIA UPDATE: Christian persecution rising in India, report says
by Morning Star News/northern India correspondent, posted Tuesday, August 23, 2016 )
UDAIPUR, India (BP) — Persecution of Christians in India increased dramatically the first half of 2016 and is on pace to far exceed cases the previous two years, a new independent report found.
Physical violence, arrests on false allegations and stopping church services were frequent crimes, with attacks on churches, vandalizing and threats also recurring. One person was reported to have been murdered because of his faith.
“In Bastar, Chhattisgarh, religious fanatics attacked a church and tried to set a pastor and his pregnant wife on fire after thrashing them at remote Tokapal in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region,” the report states. “The pastor and his wife managed to escape after they were beaten up and doused with petrol. The attackers destroyed the electronic equipment at the church, besides thrashing the pastor’s children and setting ablaze scriptures and furniture. The FIR [First Information Report] stated the assailants were well-armed and even tried to burn the pastor’s house.”
A pastor from Kambam in Theni District of Tamil Nadu was attacked during a worship service on Jan. 17. Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) activists attacked his head with a heavy, sharp object, leaving him to what they supposed would be his death. Emergency treatment for profuse bleeding saved his life, the report said.
Telangana, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh were the other southern states making it onto the list with seven, six and two cases respectively. (note: CTO’s ministry is in Telagana and Andhra Pradesh)
To see the whole article go to:
http://www.bpnews.net/47430/christian-persecution-rising-in-india-report-says
PRAY FOR The pastors and Christians in India who live under threats of violence and death. Pray for our plans for our January trip to train and encourage these pastors. Pray for the necessary funds to be available so they can be sent to India soon.
Jerry Schmoyer
Christian Training Organization
india.christiantrainingonline.org/