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What Simple Thing is God Asking You to Do Today?

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It can be easy to over complicate what it means to serve God. “It means moving to another country.” “It means I have to minister full time.” “It means I have to go to Bible college first.” God certainly uses all those things and asks many people to do them. But those things in themselves aren’t where powerful ministry comes from—it is in obedience to God’s leading that the power rests. We expect serving God to be something grand or some huge act, but often powerful fruit for God’s kingdom is the result of a simple word spoken, a simple action carried out. “‘It’s not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of Hosts.” —Zechariah 4:6 Ramesh’s story is evidence of the simple power of an obedient servant to his Lord. Gospel for Asia-supported pastors have to grocery shop, too, yet their attentive hearts to God’s leading enables them to use even the ordinary tasks of life to impact lives for eternity. ‘Chance’ Meeting in the Market Ramesh’s wife, Terti, wandered around the m...
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Can Cleanliness Lead to Godliness?

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Is Cleanliness Next to Godliness? That’s a good question. It may not be in Scripture, as many people believe, but it does have an element of truth. John Wesley is generally cited as the originator of the phrase in his sermon, “Cleanliness Is, Indeed, Next to Godliness.” It is certain that he was not the creator of the concept. Similar statements have been recorded in ancient literature. While the Bible may not specifically say that cleanliness is next to godliness, it does, however, associate the two. Those stricken with leprosy in Biblical times were required by ritual law to announce that they were unclean should they appear in public. Jesus described the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, saying that they were more concerned about outwardly cleanliness than internal cleanliness where they were “full of extortion and self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:25, 26). Job described himself as “pure, without transgression” (Job 33:9). The Psalmist similarly used cleanliness to describe his ne...
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Gospel for Asia’s One-Year Gap Program Provides Young Adults With Many Opportunities

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There is an amazing report from the field about an 80-year-old man named Naitik who heard about Jesus for the first time through a GFA-supported pastor. The story describes how through prayer and the power of Christ, the lives of this man and his wife were radically and miraculously changed. “Although I had spent my whole life in darkness, now I have found light in Jesus. He is really God,” Naitik said. “I want to live for Him for the rest of my life.” When I read reports like this, it’s a wonderful reminder to me that by serving here on staff at Gospel for Asia, I’m making a difference for God’s kingdom. As far back as high school, I can remember wanting my life to be productive and mean something. I’ve been on staff with Gospel for Asia (GFA) for about four years now and consider it an honor that my vocation is within a ministry having such an incredible impact . I know we, as Christians, can bring glory to God in our work no matter what our job is. Verses like Colossians 3:23 have...
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Talking Openly About Open Defecation & Christianity

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“So what does Christianity have to do with the defecation problems of the world?” That’s a question posed in Gospel for Asia ( GFA ) special report “Saving Lives at Risk from Open Defecation: Using Outdoor Toilets to Improve Sanitation.” The report, written by bestselling author and speaker Karen Burton Mains , takes an in-depth—and, at times, personal—view concerning open defecation problems around the world and those specific to Asia. In this part of the slums in Asia, many people live in close proximity to unhygienic surroundings—lacking facilities like toilets and proper drainage. Here’s an excerpt: Talking Openly About Open Defecation Another key dilemma in this discussion— open defecation , hardly a dinner-table topic or a mission committee agenda item—is the fact that accessibility to toilets does not always indicate usage. Changing habits is mostly a matter of changing mindsets in the face of the stranglehold of deeply entrenched beliefs. Elizabeth Royte, in a comprehensive Aug...
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How Do Bicycles Help Poor Families in Asia Achieve a Better Quality of Life?

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How worried would you be if your children had to walk two hours to and from school every morning and afternoon? Maybe you’d be concerned for their safety and well-being. That’s the case for many mothers and fathers in Asia. Shamita had no other choice but to send her 16-year-old daughter, Sudipti, on foot to a school located more than four miles away from their rural village. Though Shamita herself worked as an uneducated daily wage laborer, she wanted her daughter to go to school. Ever since Shamita’s husband died five years ago, life had been very difficult for her, and she struggled hard to care for her two children. Her only hope was that Sudipti’s education would make life better for them in the future. But Sudipti had to get up early in the morning to make it to school on time. There were times when she ended up being late for class because her legs hurt so badly from all the walking. Sudipti wished so much to have a bicycle to ride to school, but she knew her mother, being a wid...
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Sewing Machine Provides Dignity for Widow and Her Children

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Have you ever felt helpless? Rajasi, widow and mother of two, wanted to provide for her children, but she had no way to earn an income. She was completely dependent on her angered father-in-law for their future. There appeared to be little hope for Rajasi’s dreams for her precious children to come true. But Rajasi was not helpless. She readily used the only tool she had: prayer. Failing Kidneys, the Agony of Loss, and Blame Even though Rajasi was only a young woman of 25, sorrow and difficulties were no strangers to her. Though her and her sickly husband Mahasvin, found Jesus at just the right time, life did not grow easier when they decided to follow Christ. In anger, Mahasvin’s father turned against them and began to oppose them. But the words against them in anger did not stop them. Instead, Mahasvin and Rajasi grew strong in their faith. But Mahasvin’s health deteriorated quickly. His kidneys were failing. Rajasi listened closely as her dying husband shared his last requests with h...
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Ten Thousand Toilets Is Not Enough

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One of the first questions that real estate agents broach upon meeting a potential buyer or seller is “How many bathrooms do you need” or “… do you have,” as the case may be. As commonplace as that may be for most reading this article, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 4.5 billion people “either have no toilet at home or (have) one that doesn’t safely manage excreta.” Think for a moment. Let that number sink in. That is about 60% of the total global population. While Americans and most of the western world are flush with adequate, even fancy commodes and sanitary wastewater systems, nearly two-thirds of the people on this planet do not have access to the convenience of a proper toilet facility. It is estimated that nearly a billion of those with limited or no access to private or public toilet facilities practice open defecation. That is, they must find a place to go, whether it is in an open field, near a bush, along roadsides and railways, or in some corner away fr...
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