Stories from our field
Joshua* from India: “Reaching the unreached deeply satisfies your soul”
Last month, Marten and Esther Visser visited India. Esther writes: ‘One of the people we met up with there is Joshua, the team leader of one of the major languages in India. What an inspired, dedicated and also humorous man! Not only is he very active online sharing the Gospel, but he is also the pastor of a congregation in his hometown in India.
Being a pastor there is far from easy, because his church building has been closed by order of the local authorities – on the basis of a trivial legal reason. This hasn’t discouraged Joshua, though, so he goes to visit his parishioners in person. He makes more than 200 visits a month, navigating traffic that is very unlike the rural circumstances in the area around the GlobalRize office in ‘t Harde. Every day, Joshua has to negotiate the chaotic, honking traffic Indian cities are notorious for. And all with a cheerful, jovial mind!
On the day we left, I asked Joshua if he would like to talk about his ministry for GlobalRize. It’s a great pity you can’t see or hear him, because he is a joy to listen to.
“I was desperate to spread the Gospel. At that time, six years ago now, I met two people who were active for GlobalRize. ‘Joshua, how do you share the Gospel?’ they asked. ‘With the people around me,’ I said. ‘People I meet on the bus, on the train, on the plane. I tell them my personal testimony and then I share the Gospel with them.’ ‘And how many people do you reach?’ they asked. ‘Well, as many as I can,’ I said. ‘If we tell you that there is another way to share the Gospel that is very easy and with which you can reach many people, would you be interested in that?’ ‘Sounds good, bring it on,’ I said. That’s how I was introduced to online evangelism and a short time later I became a chatter.”
“People asked a lot of questions online and had all kinds of prayer requests. I immediately loved encouraging them; I also love praying for people. It encouraged me tremendously. I became more and more enthusiastic. Then I also became a mentor.
After a while, I discovered that I myself was growing spiritually through this online ministry. Because I received so many questions, I had to look for answers. From the beginning, the articles on GlobalRize’s Biblword website were very helpful; they are theologically sound. I also immersed myself more and more in the Bible. This is how God allowed me and continues to allow me to grow in knowledge, wisdom and understanding of the Word, and how I can help others grow in knowledge. I am so glad that my mighty God wants to use me to reach thousands!
Now I can reach not only people I meet, but many at once, online. That is why I have trained people around me to do this work, as well.”
“Most of the people are non-Christian. I estimate that more than 95% have a background in India’s major religion. For me, an opportunity to joyfully share the Gospel with them! Reaching the unreached is a great thing that deeply satisfies your soul and – I daresay – it also gives deep satisfaction to God.”
“GlobalRize provides a great platform to share the Gospel without the risk of being harmed or having death threats thrown at you,” says Joshua (describing what is, unfortunately, the reality for many pastors and evangelists in India). “Moreover, you yourself increase in the knowledge of the Word and in wisdom, and you gain theological insights. You also grow in the Spirit because you pray more. You are constantly giving good counsel and praying for people.
I have found that writing prayers is different from praying for someone sitting next to you. When you pray in the ‘normal way’, your emotions get involved. When you write out prayers (during a chat session or as a mentor), you do it with your brain with the help of the Spirit. It reminds me of how the Apostles wrote down the Word of God and were led in that by the Spirit. I often write down prayers and delete them again, because I feel they need to be better; I delete and rewrite until I know what I have written down is good. It is a process in which I am guided by the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, I want to ask Christians in the Netherlands to pray for the ministry of me and my team!” ’
Joshua is full of stories of how people were touched by the Gospel through online evangelism. If you would like to read some of them, you can find them here.
*not his real name
Photo by Shashank Hudkar on Unsplash