“I travel to more than 12 rural villages to preach the Gospel. In the past five years, 60 people have accepted the Lord and been baptized.” Pastor Sanjeev.
Sanjeev is a Nepali pastor who received an SD card chock full of discipleship resources from David C Cook at an event launching an outreach in Nepal. We expected less than hundred people to show up, so we were surprised to see more than 600 pastors, evangelists, and lay leaders pack into a small stone church. Some like Sanjeev made a two-day journey from the country’s interior to receive an SD card.
Our lives are full and often focused on what’s in front of us—news of the world comes from what’s reported on television and news from a stable of favorite Internet sites. But behind the scenes, the Holy Spirit is moving faster, deeper, and wider than every before in history, and we are largely unaware His work.
Countless men and women are fanning out across the globe to share Jesus with others. The Gospel is spreading at such a rate (particularly in Asia and Africa) that new converts are the ones planting churches. This is exciting news and few report it! A big part of this development is the explosion of technology and its impact on evangelism. People are committing their lives to Jesus within online communities, and Christian resources are shared through e-books and cell phone apps, as well as in print.
At the request of pastors in Nepal and India, we worked with partners to develop an SD card—a piece of technology that fits into nearly any cell phone—and provides 65 audio hours of Warren Wiersbe’s “Be” series commentaries—“Be Wise, “Be Alert,” “Be Comforted,” and “Be Courageous,” for example.
These are times to pray for and encourage believers laboring in countries hostile to the faith. However, in many cases these Christians lack the experience and basic theology to shepherd others. Add to that, the sheer number of oral learners and semi-literate individuals who lead congregations. How can they adequately grow in faith if the Bible is not understood? In other cases there’s a complete lack of discipleship material in languages in remote or rural areas.
And this is why pastors in Nepal traveled such a far distance to receive this resource. The brothers and sisters in Christ we equip with discipleship material are often poor and spend their days advancing the Gospel without any formal theological training. Many of them are first generation believers. It is a profound honor for David C Cook to come alongside these individuals with resources to help them grow in their faith in Jesus and flourish in ministry.
Pastors not only gain head and heart knowledge, they’re equipped to adapt what they hear into sermons and Bible studies. Some traveling evangelists and pastors who’ve planted numerous churches attach the phone directly to speakers.
The Lord is using the SD card outreach tool to raise up thousands of new Christian leaders. Thus far, 3,000 cards have been distributed in Hindi in 10 states in Northern India; 3,000 cards in Nepalese are being distributed in Nepal, and 2,000 in Nepalese in India. The material is currently being translated into the Punjabi and Malayalam languages. We are in discussion with a number of other countries that have asked for the project.
At the end of the launch in Nepal, Sanjeev joined fellow pastors and leaders for lunch and much needed fellowship. For those who labor alone, this kind of interaction alone makes the long journey worth it. There is help for new Christians leading new churches in Asia. Please pray for these men and women as they bring Jesus to those desperate for hope.
