Gospel for Asia

So many came to say their last good-byes for he had friends from all walks of life. I stood with the rest by the grave the casket was lowered and wailing broke out. A preacher in a black suit talked to the man in the casket who couldn’t hear: “You who were made out of the dust return to the dust until the last day.” Silence. Sounds of mourning the crowd slowly dispersed each one lost in his own sorrow. I was alone going back home asked a few questions to my own mind: “What happened to the deed to his house to the keys to his car to his wallet with money to his deposits in the bank to his shares and bonds to the checkbook with his name to the pen that he owned?” Naked he came Alone he came into this world alone did he return . . . and so will you.   KP Yohannan. “ Final Words. ”  Dance Not for Time . GFA Books, 2013, p p . 208-209 . Click here , to rea

A young man from an Indian village stood at the railway platform waiting to board the train. In his arms he carried a small baby wrapped in a torn blanket, while two young children, frightened by the strange surroundings , held onto his shirt. Finally , l oud warning horns went off as, at last, the train thundered into the railway station with a deafening noise. As the train came to a screeching halt, the doors flew open letting a stream of passengers out; while at the same time a huge crowd loaded with bags, baskets, and bundles tried to climb aboard , hoping to grab one of the few seats available. The young father with his three children just managed to get into one of the passenger cars before the conductor blew his whistle and the train began to move. Every seat was taken and people stood tightly packed in the aisles. As the train moved faster and faster, the beautiful countryside and the faraway mountains rolled by, but the young man didn’t seem to notice. Then su

One of our great difficulties in life is that we try to understand Christ and relate to Him in terms of time and space. When we talk about being near someone or looking at someone, we think in terms of our eyes and ears and distance. But time and space are only relevant to us as finite beings. God is everywhere . . . which is why the psalmist declares, "One cannot hide from Him anywhere, He is closer to us than our own being." If that's the case, we must conclude that our seeing God has to do with our spirit, our inner man, rather than our natural eyes. That's the reason Paul, in his incredible prayer for the believers, prayed that "the eyes of [their] understanding [may be] enlightened; that [they] may know what is the hope of His calling . . ." (Ephesians 1:18). Paul's prayer emphasizes on having the eyes of our understanding opened. We could read through the four Gospels and record everything about Christ—how He lived, what He did and

"Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike." —1 Samuel 30:24 (NIV) About 3,500 years ago, David, the anointed king began preparing Israel for the promised Messiah. Saul was dead, so David and his men returned to their homes in Ziklag, only to find their families gone and the entire city destroyed by fire. The Amalekites had taken advantage of David's absence to plunder their homes and kidnap the entire community of women and children. Battle-weary, exhausted physically, and shattered emotionally, David and his men set out in pursuit of their enemy. However, when they came to the Brook Besor, 200 of his men were unable to cross, so David left them to stay with the stuff. When David and the others returned victorious with all of their wives and children alive and laden with the spoils of the battle, some of the troops did not want to sh

Words are seeds With life in them. What you sow You will reap. KP Yohannan. “ Words . ”  Dance Not for Time . GFA Books, 2013, p. 1 61 . Click here , to read more articles by Dr. KP Yohannan Metropolitan, or visit Patheos . Go here to know more about Dr. KP Yohannan: SourceWatch | Wiki | Flickr | SermonIndex

It is summer again school is out Kite-flying season is here again. The wind is strong contrary it blows That keeps the kite up in the sky. It is the wind contrary to us That helps us soar like eagles in the sky. KP Yohannan. “ Wind. ”  Dance Not for Time . GFA Books, 2013, p. 180 . Click here , to read more articles by Dr. KP Yohannan Metropolitan, or visit Patheos . Go here to know more about Dr. KP Yohannan: GoodReads | Radio | Amazon | Flickr Read how Myo Zaw and his family soared above contrary winds .

After we come to know the Lord and begin our relationship with God, we learn that our journey with Him has just started. We discover every day that the ordinary components of life—relationships, emotional security, accomplishments, our profession or position, financial stability or even our cultural or national heritage—can hinder us from fully giving our lives for His purposes and growing closer to Him. One by one, God calls us to walk away from these things. And out of that pursuit of Him, who first loved us, comes a heart to serve the world. Abraham, Moses and Joseph—all those in the "cloud of witnesses" who have gone before us—were also called to walk away from their "normal" lives (see Hebrews 11:4–12:1). Let us see how they responded: All these people . . . admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left,

When you feel lonely sad and hurt May you hear His gentle voice speaking to you “I will never leave you nor forsake you until your journey comes to an end.” KP Yohannan. “ Promise .”  Dance Not for Time . GFA Books, 2013, p. 94 . Click here , to read more articles by Dr. KP Yohannan Metropolitan, or visit Patheos . Go here to know more about Dr. KP Yohannan: Amazon | About | Integrity | Facebook Download desktop backgrounds like this one to encourage yourself in your walk with the Lord.

In 2 Timothy 2:5, St. Paul writes, “Anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules.” Take notice of the fact that no athlete—to whom Paul compares the servant of God—makes up the rules of the game. They are pre-established by the authorities—with no gray areas. One must run strictly according to these rules or else the judge of the game will disqualify him, even if he is the first to cross the finish line. In His Word, God has set particular rules and principles for how we must conduct ourselves in light of the calling with which He called us. These principles are fixed , firm and unbending . The principles are the lighthouse keeping us on the right course. No matter how huge or strong a ship may be, it must move based on the lighthouse’s instruction. The lighthouse never moves— the ship must move . Navigating the Course In the same way, the guidelines God gave us in His Word on how to live and se

The life of a civilian and the life of a soldier are worlds apart. The civilian is under no one’s order. He can do as he pleases. From nine to five he can work as an employee at his job, earn his money, go to his home in the evening, enjoy his weekends and plan his vacations. He is a civilian. But the soldier’s life is different—he is under orders. He cannot simply do as he pleases. He leaves his family with the awareness that he may then be put on the front lines and might give his life there. But because he is a soldier, he responds to the call , leaving his own desires and life behind in order to fulfill the commitment he has made to his commanding officer, his nation and its security. The Mindset of Paul The Apostle Paul understood very well what it meant to be a soldier. The Roman soldiers surrounding him in prison lived away from their homes and suffered for their cause. Their loyalty to their country and king was proven true by the way they suffered for it.

In 2 Timothy 2:3, the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy, “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Everyone, at some point or another, faces suffering, the soldier especially. However, it is not so much what we suffer, but how we suffer that matters. The way our heart responds to suffering is crucial, because by it we will either advance or become stagnant. To suffer like a good soldier is to willingly endure all for the sake of the call. To suffer like a bad soldier is to grumble when difficult situations and hardship arise. Instead of throwing our lives into what God has called us to, we can try to hold on to our lives, wanting to get away with as little suffering as possible, paying as little price as possible. We have forgotten that we are under the orders of our Master and that we willingly gave up our lives. Christ’s Example of Suffering Christ lived with the expectation of suffering. Throughout the Gospels, He repeatedly referred to

We are told in Hebrews 12:2–3 (NIV), "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." "Consider Him . . ." Those are powerful words, because at one time or another, we all grow weary. Our hearts so easily faint, and we find ourselves on that verge of giving up. No matter how great the accomplishments in your life are, how many degrees you hold, how many books you have read or how determined you are to persist to the end, losing heart comes to us all. But there is a way to not lose heart. That is found in keeping Jesus before us, fixing our eyes on Him and considering Him. Following the Lord closely is the most precious thing in this life. And it is only in fixing our gaze on Him that we are able to endure w

Jesus. This article is about Jesus. In it, we are going to share the story of a young girl whose life was so discouraging that she considered suicide as a preteen. But as we share her story, it's not singularly significant that you remember that her name is Atmaja. It is significant that we all recognize that her story was written before the world was formed, and Jesus, our Creator, had a plan for her. This is the story of His plan for Atmaja. This is the story of how he drew her to Him through that plan and how believing in His name changed her life and the lives of her family members forever. Atmaja's story is not unusual, especially for young children in Asia. It is filled with heartbreak, sorrow, despair and depression. So, please, keep in mind that the beginning of her story is like millions of other children in that region. The plot is pretty much the same for families trapped in the bondage of abject poverty. For whatever reason, in Atmaja's case, he