there’s still time to give to the Gospel For Asia Christmas gift program, whether it’s $1 or $15,000.

Missionaries in training with Gospel for Asia have spoken of the “privilege” they felt in suffering for Christ after being attacked on their Bible college campus in Mumbai, India, earlier in the month.

Seven students were seriously injured in the attack by suspected anti-Christian extremists on May 9.

They were preparing the evening meal when attackers armed with wooden sticks, iron rods and fluorescent light tubes stormed onto the campus, beating them and vandalizing the buildings.

The students tried to speak to the assailants and find out why they were attacking them but got no answer.

Hemanti Kashyap was injured when the attackers hit him in the stomach with an iron rod. He said the incident had given him the chance to live out the difficult lessons he had learned in Bible college.

“Through this situation I learned what the Bible means when it says, “Blessed are those who suffer for Christ,” he said. “This opposition was the test of my faith to march forward and to share the Gospel. They hit my stomach with an iron rod and I was injured, but I am grateful to the Lord Jesus who kept me safe to be a witness for Him.”

Sunil Pattanayap recalls the moment the attack began: “For a moment I was shocked about why this was happening to me. Then I understood that the time had come for me to glorify His name,” he said.

“It was my privilege to suffer for Christ and I am happy today because I can testify that God protected me and brought me safe from death to proclaim His Word and stand as a living testimony for Christ with a strong faith.

Three of the injured students are still recovering in hospital. Beedram Sena had to undergo surgery on his broken leg, while Sudershan Yadavan required surgery to repair his broken kneecap. Sunil Reedy needed extensive dental surgery to replace teeth that were knocked out by the attackers.

{Charles Boyd // Christian Today Reporter}

read the article here

SUPPORT GOSPEL FOR ASIA

it’s tuesday.

do you know about positive post tuesday?

it’s getting closer and closer to the holidays.

that means it’s getting close to the time where we can make a real difference in the lives of struggling people in the 10/40 window.

every year Gospel For Asia puts out a christmas catalog where you can send a gift to a family or missionary in india for as little as $1.

one dollar!

we get really excited about the GFA christmas catalog because they always have an amazing assortment of items that grows and expands each year.

not only that, but we also get very excited about the fact that, through God’s incredible provision, this organization is able to send 100% of donations to the field.

one hundred percent!

one dollar can really make a difference in the life of a person. after all, we serve the God that can feed thousands and thousands with only 5 loaves and 2 small fish.

it is so exciting that God allows us to further His work with even the smallest steps of service & faith.

thanksgiving is coming. christmas is coming.

that means we can thank God and celebrate the gift that He gave us two thousand years ago and we can share that good news with someone on the other side of the world through the simple act of clicking a mouse.

God is a gift giver.

i’m excited.

it’s tuesday. be positive!

+

MISSIONARIES ATTACKED AND ACCUSED OF BRIBERY

India (MNN) ― An anti-Christian extremist group attacked two Gospel for Asia missionaries after the missionaries showed a film about Jesus.

The missionaries, Jayant Mehta and Dayanand Tambe, were attacked late on the night of August 8 as they packed up their film and audio equipment after they showed the “Man of Mercy” movie in Maharashtra, India. The screening, which was held at a believer’s home, was deemed successful by GFA as many of the villagers came to watch the film.

After the film concluded, however, a group of about 45 extremists rushed Mehta and Tambe, beating them and grabbing their film equipment. They then shoved the men in their van and took them to the police station to have them arrested for illegal conversion.

According to GFA, “The merciless beating continued until they reached the police station, where they brought their false complaints against Jayant and Dayanand.”

The group accused the two men of “bribing people to convert to the Christian faith” and made up names of people who would testify against them.

Early the next morning, the two missionaries were finally released from police custody when a GFA leader asked for their discharge.

On August 10, their film gear was returned by the extremist after the groups claims were falsified by police.

Their attackers were not detained.

This attack comes after the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recently added India to a “watch list” of countries “which have failed to protect its religious minorities adequately,” according a BBC News story.

India was included on the list along with counties such as Afghanistan, Somalia and Cuba.

{ read the entire article }

there’s a lot going on in the world that we can pray for today, especially the persecuted Church.

maranatha.

Sabal was a businessman who always had new ideas for success, but his drinking problem ensured that they all failed.

With each new endeavor he borrowed more money from his friends to get the business running, and he soon found himself bankrupt.

Sabal never panicked. Like any good businessman, he had a back-up plan to pay off his debts and, perhaps, start another business. This time it was a farming venture. His crop was small, but he was certain the high-demand plant would give him a large return come harvest time. All he had to do was wait.

Before long, though, the crop was attacked by pests. This time Sabal was out of ideas. As he watched the leaves of the thriving plants turn yellow, Sabal began to lose hope. Pastor Jaideep, a Gospel for Asia–supported missionary, arrived in the village just in time.

Sabal asked the pastor to pray for the dying plants, and within a few days, God healed them. The leaves became healthy and green, and Sabal was able to pay back all his debts. He gave his life to the God who had saved him from ruin, and built a tower in his field where he prayed for hours.

The change in him was impossible to ignore, and his friends and neighbors became jealous when they saw the great blessings taking place in his life. As Sabal prayed for his neighbors, many of them chose to receive Christ, too.

One day, Sabal invited Jaideep to a prayer meeting with three other pastors, and 50 believers came.

When a group of religious fanatics heard praises to the Lord coming from Sabal’s house, they tried to disrupt the meeting by throwing sand, stones and clay at the believers. One even grabbed Sabal’s neck and threatened to kill him, but the believers ignored the commotion and continued to pray.

After an hour, the fanatics realized they weren’t having any effect, and they left. The Christians thanked God for His favor and mercy. They knew God had protected them, just like He protected Sabal’s plants.

read the rest

learn more

support gfa

blessings and maranatha

+

so, seems to me that summer is one of those times of year where people set out to accomplish some arbitrary goals, like…recarpet their loft or start eating farm fresh or read/finish a book.

if the latter applies to you, then let me heartily suggest one of the free ebooks from Gospel For Asia.

author kp yohannan (who is also the founder/director of gfa) has penned a number of books on a wide variety of topics. his most popular by far is Revolution In World Missions, which you can get free from GFA.

honestly, if you’re looking for a book to read, check out GFA’s resource page, where you’ll find books on a wide variety of topics:

i downloaded A Life Of Balance and am looking forward to putting it in line after the other 4 books i need to read.

and by 4 i mean like….400…

blessings.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3DRi2QgxNU[/youtube]

you can make a difference.

one dollar or one thousand.

read more here.

visit Gospel For Asia online