To Live is Christ

I wanted to share an excerpt from "To Live is Christ" by K.P. YoHannan. You can listen to the whole message on Sermon Index. I love stories of real mighty men of God.

One of the first places I went to serve God when I was a youngster was a place called Bundi, in the NorthWest of India. Hard difficult Hindus were there. Seven brothers and myself with Bibles and tracks, we went to this place and we got beaten very bad without mercy. One brother had blood begin to ooze down from the beating and we had to leave that place.

Some years went by and a young 19 year old brother after finishing our Bible studies said to our leaders "Jesus want me to go to Bundi" they said "You! You are a little fellow and you are only 19 years old. Bundi is a dangerous place and you don't go". He said "But I prayed the whole year and I know Jesus wants me to go to Bundi". The senior brother said "Son, are you sure He wants you to go to Bundi" the boy said "Yes", then he said "Then you please go".

He went to Bundi and rented a place for $5 a month. After a few days in the middle of the night someone came and busted the door open and he found himself surrounded by seven men. One tall man with a turban on his head pulled the boy up and said "You young fellow, tomorrow you leave this place, and if yo stay we will tear you apart like we do with a chicken. We don't want your God. We have plenty of gods and goddesses here. Tonight we will not kill you, but tomorrow you leave this place!"

He got scared, and I would too, and you would too. The next morning he took the first bus out of town and ran back to the missions station and told the brothers as he was trembling with fear "These men came and said they would kill me". It was easy to believe because some years prior to that another brother who went to that region to preach the gospel was martyred. So the said "What are you going to do?" He said "I don't know what to do, they are going to kill me". Again the senior most brother said "Son, I want to ask you one question, did Jesus ask you to go to Bundi?" He said "I know he told me to go to Bundi. That is the only burden I have". He said "Are You Sure?". The boy said "Yes, but I know they are going to kill me" The older brother said "Son, you go back to Bundi. Most probably they will come back to you again, and yes, maybe you might get killed, but remember that heaven is a much better place than Bundi anyway! You wait there for us and we will come later".

The young brother knelled down, they layed hands on him and prayed, then sent him on his way. He left in tears thinking he would never see them again. He reached Bundi. Sure enough after a few days the same men came back and said "Why are you now going to make us murders. Didn't we tell you not to come here?" He listened to all their speeches calmly and he said "You know what, the sooner you do your job the better it is for me, heaven is a much better place than your Bundi anyway!" What do you do with a fellow who wants to get killed?

He faced persecution and problems, but some years later I was invited to come speak a the dedication for a small church there. They worshiped God for hours then I shared the Word. Afterward, this young man came to me and introduced me to a friend who was the man who years earlier threatened to tear him apart like a chicken.


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