A true exciting story -- How someone can love his enemy?
Does God still reach out to people like He did when He met Paul on the road to Damascus?
Mukthar, an orthodox Muslim, while on the job to destroy the Church in Kashmir was overcome by Christ’s unconditional Love. A true exciting story I know you will be blessed!!!!
Mukthar was born and brought up in an orthodox Muslim family in Kashmir. His father was very aggressive in bringing Mukthar in the Islamic way. From childhood, he was taught the Qur'an. He never failed to go to Mosque even a single day. As a teenager, though he prayed five times a day, he always asked the question: Is there a true God and does He hear my prayers?
At the age of 17, frustrated in life, he joined a terrorist group that gave him great satisfaction. He became aggressive in persecuting Christians. He got recognition and all his friends respected these spiritual acts that pleased their god.
One day he got the news that an underground church was meeting in Northern Kashmir. Mukthar was given the assignment to destroy the church. He went and stood outside the church waiting for the right moment. His goal was to kill the pastor and destroy the church.
Standing outside he listened to the pastor articulating Jesus’ encounter with Peter when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus. Peter was proceeding to cut the ear of the soldier. When Mukthar heard the pastor say, “for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword”. Immediately he rushed into the church thinking that the pastor was talking about him but the pastor was calm and continued to talk about how Jesus healed the soldier’s ear and rebuked Peter for his hastiness.
Mukthar waited till the pastor completed his sermon and met him with a lot of questions. He could not comprehend how someone can love his enemy and do good for those who do evil. The pastor took time to share with Mukthar Christ’s love and the reason why Christ died on the cross of Calvary. When Mukthar heard about Christ’s love and grace, he started to weep like a child and asked the pastor to share more about Christ’s love and pray for him.
O what a wonderful, wonderful day, day I will never forget. After I'd wandered in darkness away, Jesus my Savior I met. O what a tender, compassionate friend, He met the need of my heart; Shadows dispelling, with joy I am telling, He made all the darkness depart.
Mukthar not only accepted Jesus as his personal savior and Lord but surrendered his life to serve the Lord. Mukthar met with the pastor almost every day so that he would learn more about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Mukthar started befriending other Christians and met our of our pastors who is working in Kashmir. He shared with him about HBI’s non-formal training program that effectively trains indigenous people. Mukthar accepted the invitation and came for the Pre-Missionary Training program for one month. While he was here, he told us that “many Muslim young people are turning to terrorism and I want to reach them with Christ’s love”. Praise the Lord! God is still at work reaching out and bringing people into a relationship with Himself.
Friends this year we have a goal of identifying 100 young people like Mukthar. God has already enabled us to identify 76 such individuals from 12 states of India and we start the process of training emerging indigenous leaders who said “yes” to join God’s mission to reach the Unreached.
These young people are from many villages where there are no churches and have less than 1% of Christians in their districts. They have gone through the first phase of Pre-Missionary Training and are each fielded to plant 5 churches, develop 25 lay leaders and disciple 500 people in a period of 7 years. Their training will continue and once every three months they will come for 10days of training. In the past through this training 700 such church planters have planted over 4,000 churches and discipled 250,000 individuals. PTL!!!!
Recently I received an email from a researcher, who shared with us that out of 600 districts of India, 392 districts have less than 1% of Christians. Can you imagine how heartbreaking it would be if these districts are not reached with Christ’s love and the people go to a Christless eternity?
HBI is committed to equip young indigenous transformational leaders through non-formal training program so that they continue to stay among the lost. They will disciple them and plant churches where there are no churches.
We are working on recruiting the 100 young indigenous village church planters. They will be identified, fielded and trained through the non-formal training program. The cost of training and fielding each person is $75 per month. We are raising 50% of this budget in India and we are looking for partners who will come alongside us to commit to equip and enable these church planters.
Your prayerful consideration and partnership will enable us to field another 100 village church planters to disciple 10,000 people, plant 500 churches and raise 2,500 lay leaders in a period of 5 years. Will you please prayerfully consider joining us in fielding people like Mukthar among unreached villages?
When you send your support please designate the amount to “Village church planters” and mail it to HBI Global Partners, P.O. Box 584, Forest, VA 24551. You can also donate online through our website.
Thank you Friends, for standing with us in this great privilege of giving every Indian an opportunity to hear, understand and respond to the Gospel and be discipled into communities of believers.
Praying for you, looking forward to hearing from you and may the Lord bless you!
Your servant in the mission,
Dr. Paul (Bobby) R. Gupta
President
HBI Global Partners
P.O. Box 584
Forest, VA 24551
P.S. Please note my new email address guptabgpt214@aol.com