Tribal Church Planting Movement in India

Read about an exciting movement of God among tribals in Middle India.

 This describes a Church Planting Movement in Middle India  

 

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Gospel Tracts for Hindus

 

                                      

Here are two Gospel Tracts to help you share Jesus Christ with Hindus: These are downloadable to your desktop for you to print and use.  Whoever sows abundantly reaps abundantly. 

Truth Always Triumphs Tract  

The Vedic Bridge Tract  

*Hind Version now available!  Hindi Version Vedic Bridge

* Bangali Version Now available! Bengali Version Vedic Bridge

Gospel in Kannda kannada evangehand

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Vedic Bridge Testimony

Recently Carl used the Vedic Bridge to witness to a Hindu (Ganesh) he met while out witnessing in his city.

Carl asked Ganesh if he had heard of a Mantra which spoke of the sin destroying light. Ganesh told him that he was very familiar with that mantra. Carl told Ganesh,

I found that what the mantra talks about. He said to Ganesh “I experienced that.”

Carl then took Ganesh through the Vedic Bridge tract to share the gospel.

Ganesh accepted Christ and was baptized by Carl. Then Carl challenged Ganesh to share about Jesus with his friends. Ganesh told his friend Palekar about Jesus

Christ. Palekar accepted Christ and was baptized by Ganesh.

Carl is continuing to disciple Ganesh and to equip him to be the foundation of a new house church.

Carl had been in India less than a year and found using the Vedic Bridge was an easy way to share Christ with a Hindu. Praise the Lord that Ganesh and Palekar have experienced the sin destroying light of Jesus Christ.

Missions: a wake up call, Galatians 2: 11-14

During the time of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, Greg L. was asked to give a “missions minute” at a large evangelical church on the East Coast. Since he had only one minute to speak, he decided to ask them only two questions. The first one was, “How many of you are praying for the 52 Americans hostages being held in Iran?” 4000 hands went straight up and he said, “Praise the Lord!

Now, put your hands down and let me ask you another question. How many of you are praying for the 42 million Iranians being held hostage to Islam?” four hands went up. He said, “What are you guys? Americans first and Christians second? I thought this was a Bible-believing church!” (Mission Frontiers, May – June 1994)

This rebuke by Greg L. served as a wake up call to the church and helped Mission minded Christians see the need to pray for Muslims. This mission minute was used in a dramatic way to lead to what has been called by mission experts as “the ‘decade of Muslims’ in praying Christians hearts.” (The Commission April 2000 p. 12)

There are times when God uses a rebuke to make significant impact in keeping his people focused on His purposes. One of the clear examples of this in Scripture is when Paul rebuked Peter to his face. Not only Peter, but the other important church leaders like Barnabus and James had lost sight of God’s purpose for all Nations.

Read: Galatians 2: 11-14
11 When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.
12 Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabus was led astray.
14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, ” You are a Jew, yet you live like a gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?

I) The mistakes of Peter
Jesus has told us that he hates the lukewarm Christian. This attitude of being neither hot nor cold would never describe Peter. He was passionate and spoke his mind. Maybe it was the fisherman in him that made him so intense. Whatever the reason it made for Peter being mentioned more times in the Gospels than anyone else, besides Jesus.

When you think about Peters life, you probably remember a lot of mistakes. It is not necessarily a kind thing to do to Peter, but lets just take a moment to remember some of the very colorful mistakes Peter made.

When Peter steps out of the boat on the raging sea of Galilee, he takes his eyes off Jesus to see the wind and the waves. Peter looks at his circumstances and sinks in the water. Jesus words for Peter are, “you of little faith” and “why did you doubt”? ( Matthew 14:28)

Even when Peter asked Jesus a question, he has the ability to put his foot in his mouth. “We left everything to follow you Lord”, He said to Jesus. Then Peter asks, “What will there be for us? (Matthew 19:27) Not only does Peter misunderstand the nature of Jesus ministry, there is a selfish aspect to his question.

This lack of Peter’s understanding of Jesus and his purposes was epitomized after Jesus spoke to the disciples about his coming death. Following Jesus’ disturbing disclosure, Peter took Jesus aside to forbid him to go to the cross. Peter managed to get the strongest of possible rebukes for this bad idea. Jesus scolds Peter with, “get behind me Satan.” (Matthew 16:22-23)

Peter blew it again when the Lord washed the disciples feet. “Never shall you wash my feet Lord,” Peter said. When the Lord corrects him Peter goes overboard in the other direction. He requests Jesus to wash his hands and head as well. He just was not tuned in to the purposes of Jesus. (John 13:8) When Peter asked Jesus to explain the parable of the clean and the unclean Jesus asked, “are you still so dull? (Matthew 15:15-16)

Peter slept after the Lord told him to watch and pray in the Garden of Gathsemene. Then the impulsive Peter cuts off the servant’s ear when the temple guards come to arrest his Lord. Jesus commanded Peter, “put the Sword away!” (John 18:11) Again Peter was not understanding the purpose of Christ despite the fact Jesus spoke to his disciples concerning his death.

The mistake or rather the complete failure that Peter is most famous for is his denial of Christ. This is what caused Peter to weep bitterly when Jesus looked straight at him. Peter remembered the words the Lord had spoken to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times”. (Luke 22: 61-62)

II) The Heroics of Peter
If we would plot Peters life on a seismograph to measure the highs and lows the needle would move all over the charts. Yes, Peter had his failures and they were tragic ones. But as for the greatness of Peter his high points were phenomenal.

We normally think of Peter’s greatness after Jesus resurrection, and especially following Pentecost. We can however, see glimpses of Peters greatness in the Gospels. Peter was in insider to Jesus. Peter was not only one of Jesus chosen twelve, but he was part of the inside three to Jesus.

At times Jesus called Peter dull, but at other moments his perception of Christ was unparalleled. Jesus asked his disciples, the crowds left, will you too depart? Peter answered, “where would we go, You have the Words of Eternal Life”. (John 6:68) Peter made one of the most significant statements of all times in what we now call the Great Confession (Matt 16:16). “You are the Christ, son of the living God”.

Peters heroics at and following Pentecost are numerous. His preaching is filled with brilliant insight into the purposes of God in the Cross. It was incredible insight when just forty days ago he was still thinking Jesus had come to establish an earthly kingdom. Look at Acts 2:39, he preached of all those “far off.” The response to this sermon set the stage for the advance of the early church. People were cut to the heart and 3,000 were saved and baptized that day.

Peter seems to underscore his understanding in his second sermon, (Acts 3:25-26) He said, “Jesus was sent first to the Jews”. Peter took for granted that Jesus was sent next to the Gentiles. (Perspectives, Stott, A-15) Peter continued to preach boldly and many miracles came through him. Peter told the lame beggar, “silver and Gold have I none, get up, in the name of Jesus walk.” When the man leaped to his feet the onlookers were astonished. They released this miracle came by the power of God.

People were brought to Peter so that even his shadow might fall on some as they passed by. (Acts 5:15) His bold theme was “we must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) Peter prayed for Dorcus after her death and commanded her to get up. She did get up and many people believed in the Lord as a result.

Peter is the one who was sent to Samaria when news came the Gospel had reached these despised people. (Acts 6:1-5) Through the ministry of Peter the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:17) Peter is great! Who else walked on water and raised the dead? Except for our Lord, Peter is the only one.

III) The Sheet Experience

The early church began with one people group, the Jews (there were more than a dozen sub-groups of Diaspora Jews baptized at Pentecost). God’s purposes for all the peoples was in the process of becoming reality. Following the Gospel reaching the Samaritans comes the account of the Gospel to the first Gentiles. A gentile, Cornelius, an officer of the Roman army, respected by all Jewish people, was about to become the first Gentile recorded in the New Testament to know the saving grace in Jesus Christ. (Acts 10:22)

Cornelius was a devout God fearing and generous Italian. The Lord gave him a vision where he was told to send for Peter. At the same time the Lord gave Peter the sheet visions. A vision intended to get Gods purposes for all people groups through to Peter. Peter had the sheet vision, once then a second vision and even a third time. The purpose was for Peter to understand what he should have already known. He in fact had already been preaching this truth, that the Gospel is for all communities (people groups).

The vision of the sheet came to Peter three times. When you take into account the vision that Cornelius had, there were a total of four visions to underscore the purpose of God. It came to Peter as an, Aha moment, and is expressed in Acts 10:34. “Now I realize that God accepts men from every nation” (people group). This was followed by another experience among the gentiles of what happened at Pentecost among the Jews. (Acts 10:45-46)

Peter should have known already what God impressed on him in this vision. When Peter preached at Pentecost he articulated the very idea that was intended in this vision, that salvation in Jesus Christ is for all People. Everyone who calls on the name of our Lord will be saved.

Jews from 15 different regions, Jews of Diaspora, spoke Aramaic or Hebrew. These Diaspora Jews also knew the gentile languages. They came to Jerusalem to worship in Hebrew. The Acts 2 event with the Holy Spirit coming and all hearing the Gospel in there own language was a symbolic reversal of what happened at Babel, immediately preceding Abram’s call to be a blessing to all the families (people groups) of the earth. (Gen. 12:1-3)

IV) Peter Now Defends the Gospel for all people groups

What a wonderful moment in world history when Peter shared Jesus with Cornelius and the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Gentiles. God’s purpose in Jesus Christ for the nations (people groups) was underway. This was not, however, such a joyous thought to everyone. As a matter of fact, the first century Christians did not like to see people groups outside there own community come to Christ. When the Christians heard the Gospel went to the Gentiles they criticized Peter for even associating with these Italian people. They took up issue with Peter about this (Acts 11:1-3)

Peter explained the whole situation of the vision and how the Gospel went to the Gentiles. Now even the first century church gets it! The Gospel is for the Gentiles. (Vs 11:18) No further objections. At least not until a church of Gentiles was organized at Antioch.

The Jewish church in Jerusalem sent Barnabus to look into this Gentile congregation at Antioch. Barnabas encouraged them. This is when Barnabas goes off to find Paul, who by now this “Jew of Jews” had been called as an apostle to the Gentiles (people groups). This group of Gentile Christians took up an offering for the needs of the Jewish Christians as a result of a famine. The other great ministry Antioch performs is to send out Paul and Barnabas on a missionary journey to reach other Gentiles.

Paul and Barnabas went out from Antioch turning the world upside down. God opened the door to more Gentiles. At this time there was trouble back in Antioch. In Acts Chapter 15 we find Christian Jews from Judea went to Antioch teaching them that one must first become a Jew to become a Christian. This resulted in Paul and Barnabas having a sharp dispute. This time not with each other, but with the men of Judea.

We read in Acts 15 (during what is known as the Jerusalem Council) that Paul and Barnabas reported the ministry among the gentiles. At first this was accepted and then some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees argued the case that a gentile must first become a Jew. It was Peter who was the hero of the hour. Peter convinced the council that salvation is by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be it Jew or Gentile. This was confirmed when James convinced by Peters argument, quoted Amos and Isaiah that the Gospel is for Gentiles. (Act 15:16-18) Hurray for Peter and his role in seeing the purpose of God to all the families of the earth be carried out!

VI) Wake up call

Isn’t this the end story, a resolved issue, regarding the Gospel to the Gentiles? No! Even though it was essentially laid out by Jesus in the Great Commission and numerous other times there was further confirmation needed for the early church to really accept and carry this out.

Sometimes Peter understood Christ’s Mission with insight that could only come from the Heavenly Father. Sometimes he was dull. A wave of dullness washed over Peter, even after all that had transpired. It took a vision, three times, for Peter to understand what should have already been so clear.

Could Peter have blown it on the Gospel for the Gentiles after he was so used by God at the Jerusalem council? Yes, there is one last big goof in Peter’s life. This is the reason Paul rebuked Peter to his face.

“We are not told when the confrontation between Paul and Peter took place. The book of Acts makes no mention of it. Some interpreters feel this incident took place soon after the Jerusalem conference. It seems unlikely however that the circumcision party could have recouped its forces and increased its influence so soon.” (Curtis Vaughan, Bible Study Commentary, Galatians p 47)

Why did Paul have to rebuke Peter to his face? Peter completely forgot what he had said in Acts 10:34. If anybody should have been a “Great Commission Christian”, taking the Gospel to all people groups, Peter should have been the one.

A “Great Commission Christian” is a person who’s mission is missions. A person who takes the commission of Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20 to make disciples of all nations (people groups). Peter is slow to understand the mission of Christ. Again!

Conclusion
This was Peters great mistake. When Peter pulled away from the Gentiles in Antioch, he forgot the Gospel is for all people groups. When he denied Christ, the Holy Spirit had not come. But this time his mistake was made after preaching Pentecost, raising the dead, calling the lame to walk and after his sheet vision.

When Peter separated himself from the Gentile Christians at Antioch (Gal 2:12) it was a tragic mistake. Peter was as Paul said, “clearly in the wrong.” This mistake came after he shared the Gospel to gentiles and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit followed. This mistake came after Peter convinced the Jerusalem council leaders that the Gospel is for the Gentiles (people groups).

If Peter can get off track regarding God’s purposes for the peoples, then we also should be on the alert, lest we get derailed. If we are not doing our strategic thinking in ministry based on God’s purposes for all peoples (The Ta Ethne factor) it will mean missing God’s best for our lives.

The church sometimes, like Peter, is needing a correction and a call back to God’s Great Commission purpose. William Carey was a man who gave a wake up call to the church in his day. His talk of Missions was countered with, “Sit down young man, if God wants to reach the Heathen, He will do it without your help or mine ” Carey did not stay quiet. He rebuked the church much like Paul rebuked Peter. William Carey preached his “broad tent sermon” from where we get “Expect Great things from God. Attempt Great things for God.” He accomplished great things and woke up his denomination, the Baptists in England, along with it, the entire Christian community.

Fast forward from William Carey by 190 years to 1979, the Missions Minute of Greg L. during the Iranian hostage crises. The Lord used that challenge to give a wake up call for the Gospel to the Muslim world. “More Muslims in Iran have come to Christ since 1980 than in all the previous 1,000 years combined.” (Blessed to Be a Blessing, Mission Frontiers, India p. 13)

Today we may again need a wake up call. This time we must wake up and see the challenge in taking the Gospel to the Hindu world. This block of peoples contain over half the worlds languages (1,700 of 3,500). This part of the world contains over fifty percent of the worlds least evangelized peoples. (The Commission, April 2000. Page 12)

When we returned to the USA my wife’s Aunt Rebecca’s told us of her dream. She believed God gave her the dream. In her dream she saw a map of the world. She saw a hand reach out and point to India. The only words in the dream were, “here, here.” When she awoke she thought about her niece and family in India. She thought we may be in some kind of trouble so she prayed for us.

My wife and I both looked at each other when she told us of this dream. We thought the same thing. It is not out of the realm of possibilities that we were in some kind of trouble and God wanted her to pray. But, we thought that if this dream was from God, it more likely was a message that it is God saying this is His time for the Hindu of India to know Him.

Some mission experts now believe that, as the 1990’s was the decade for the Muslims for praying Christians, this will be the decade for the Hindu. (The Commission April 2000, p 12) India and the Hindu peoples is the great need to fulfill the Great Commission. There are thousands of Hindu people groups according to the Anthropological survey of India.

From the life of Peter we can see how we can so easily get off track for Missions. Today let us wake-up and pray for the Hindu world to know the love of Christ. “Only One life will soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Tell Your Family What The Lord Has Done! Mark 5:1-20

If God can use the former demoniac to reach his family, he can use you to reach your family too. The power of new believers simply telling his story is tremendous.

We are about to discuss something that should be dear to your heart, your family. You can be assured that your family is dear to the heart of God as well. I want to emphasize your family using the story of the demoniac in Mark Chapter 5.

Now I am not going to compare the demoniac to your family, no! Actually I am going to compare YOU to the demoniac! There is a great lesson in this story in what God has for us to do. If God can use the former demoniac to reach his family, he can use you to reach your family too.

I) the Miracle: Mark 5 verses 2-6.
Here we see one of the most dramatic miracles of Jesus. He healed a man who was in a desperate spiritual state. This was a demon possessed man. We will see how the Lord used this man.

When Jesus entered the Garasenes area this demon possessed man came to him. He lived in the tombs. He had been chained hand and foot and the demons gave him an uncontrollable strength to break the chains. No one could subdue him. He was not in his right mind, crying out continually in self destructive behavior. Living in the tombs, crying out, cutting himself he had sunk to the lowest low.

This demon possessed man ran up to Jesus and fell on his knees before Jesus. The demon cried out, What do you want with me, Jesus, son of the most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me! He begged Jesus again and again not to send him out of the area.
Jesus did a miracle and healed the demoniac. Jesus cast the demons into a heard of two thousand pigs. The pigs ran over the side of the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

The people who had been attending the pigs ran off into town and told them in the town what had happened. They came and saw the man formerly demon possessed sitting there in his right mind. The whole thing frightened them.

The reaction of the people was not about the healing of the demon possessed man, but rather their reaction was on what happened to the pigs. They wanted Jesus to get out of their region. They asked Jesus to leave. Despite the miracle the people wanted Jesus to leave. Their focus was on the economic loss of the two thousand pigs.

A demon possessed man was delivered. You may not have reached the same low as this demon possessed man. But every person without Christ is in the same spiritual condition. We are totally depraved until the Lord saves us.

II) The request: Mark 5:18
Now let’s look at the request of the man formerly demon possessed who has now been healed. Now he makes a request. What is his request? Jesus I want to come with you.
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him.

We see this kind of request all the time in the political realm- politicians expand their cabinet all the time. Instead of leaving his home place, he tells him to go back to his home place. Jesus puts the emphasis on this mans family.

He wanted to follow Jesus. He was asking Jesus to be his thirteenth disciple. It is a natural request. Jesus, you have saved me, let me walk with you. Jesus, I will leave everything, including my home place and go with you.

III) Jesus response: Mark 5:19
19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
Jesus knew what would be best. The greatest benefit to the Kingdom would be if this man went back to his family. He instructed him to go back home and tell everyone how much the Lord had done for him.

The Lord’s will to use a new believer is by starting with their own family. Look at throughout the Bible how God used his servants to save their family. In the training for trainers (T4T) study there are a number of examples of God’s desire to save your family laid out; Noah, Lot, Rehab, Cornelius, Lydia and the Philippian Jailer.

Who was saved along with Noah? His family. God used Noah and saved his entire family through him. (Genesis 7:1)

Who was saved along with Lot? His family. (Genesis 19:12-23) – When God wanted to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Regretfully, Lot’s daughter in laws did not listen to him and were not saved (this might be the result of Lot not having a good testimony so in time of emergency; he could not save his entire family). In the end, only Lot and his two daughters survived, but this was not God’ will. God’s desire is to save the entire family.

Who was saved when Rehab placed the scarlet thread outside her window at the time of the destruction of Jericho? Her entire family (Joshua 2:17-20)

Who was saved when Cornelius heard the Gospel? His entire household (Acts 10:23-25)

Who was saved when Lydia came to Christ? Her entire family. (Acts 16:14-15)

Who was saved when the Philippian jailer believed? His entire family. (Acts 16:31)

In 1Tim.5:8, the Apostle Paul said that if a man doesn’t take care of his own family, he is worse than an infidel. God is concerned about your whole family and wants to use you to save your whole family.

Here is Jesus telling the man (Mark 5:19) that his ministry is not to leave his family. Your ministry too is to go to your family. Go and tell them how much the Lord has done for you. Tell them the mercy God has shown to you!

I was in a situation where we were counseling a man in India. This is an area where there is a strong Christian presence, but only in certain cloistered areas. There is Christian Colony, Jerusalem Colony and Nazareth Colony. But the for the first time ever the Gospel was reaching the Hindu colonies, Shiva Colony, Lingeshwara Colony and Eshwara Colony. Here was a young man named Ramesh from one of these Hindu colonies. He knew the Lord and wanted to serve him.

Ramesh wanted to come out from his family, get ordained and become a full time Christian worker. For him it would be the easier thing to do. It is difficult for him to stay in his Christian family and witness. I was counseling with him along with a Hindu background believer in Christ, named Kumar.

Kumar told Ramesh to stay in his family and he used this verse when telling him. The conclusion was if he joined the full time Christian ministry he would spend the rest of his days in Christian Colony, Nazareth Colony and Jerusalem Colony ministering to Christians. He would be busy, every day praying for the strained backs and sore necks of the people in these colonies. They would call him to their homes and pray and he would be busy from morning till evening, but making virtually zero impact on the great commission.

In contrast, if he stayed in his Colony he would be at the center of one of the world’s most unreached peoples of which he belonged. He needs to pay the price to stay in his community and make an impact. He needs to tell his family what the Jesus has done and the mercy Jesus had on him by paying the penalty on the cross for his sins. He has given Ramesh eternal life and his family needs him to stay and bring them the living water of Jesus.

Jesus sent out this man to proclaim the good news to this Gentile area. When Jesus truly changes people, it is an amazing thing. This man was a vivid demonstration of this fact.
No one can argue with your story, your testimony. You just tell them what the Lord has done. This man simply had to say, I was demon possessed. I lived in the tombs. I used to be self destructive and cut myself with stones. I ran and threw myself at the feet of Jesus and he cast out the demons. Jesus healed me. He made me whole. Now I am saved and in my right mind. I obey the command of my master Lord Jesus who told me to go and tell my family, and also I am telling all around me of what the Lord did in my life.

Every testimony contains a before, during and after of knowing of Christ. It is his story and you cannot argue theologically with his experience. There is the power of the testimony. There is also a power in going back to your family.

In the Mission history of India there has been an emphasis on coming out of your family. For so many years the ministry went on like this. The missionary took the Gospel to the Hindu. He became a Christian and changed everything. He was convinced to change his dress, his diet and his whole circle of friends. Soon he did not fit in with his own family.

The new convert was then told to be separate, come out of his family. He was told, we have a compound, with a church, a hospital and a school. You come from an educated family and we need a Headmaster for our school so leave your family, forsake them for Christ and come live here. He could then not at all relate to his family. The Gospel dead ended when it is meant to spread like wildfire.

Illustration: Spiritual Gossip
Early this year we began using a new method for training nationals in South India in getting to Church Planting Movements. We were finding that, prior to this training; the effective evangelists were sharing the gospel with the family members of the new believers. In many cases these evangelists were leading the family members to Christ, but new believers were left with the impression that sharing the gospel was not their responsibility, but that of the evangelist.

We began to train the evangelists to help the new believers immediately share their faith using a very simple testimony or, “story” after coming to Christ. We gave the evangelists a list of scriptures to show the new believer that it is their responsibility to take the gospel to their own family members.

Some of the new believers would still ask the evangelist to come and share the gospel with their family members, but now instead of going he would train the new believer how to share the gospel. He would also train them in how to train those they led to Christ in how to share the Gospel. This approach enabled the number of people sharing Christ to grow exponentially.
We saw an immediate breakthrough using this method. Some evangelists started seeing twenty times more people come to Christ than when they were doing all the evangelism themselves. There were so many Hindus coming to Christ that new house churches and Bible study groups were being organized rapidly.

One of the evangelists was giving his testimony on how this change in method, from sharing the gospel with the family members of new believers to training new believers to share their faith changed his ministry. He said that in one village of India, so many new believers were sharing their faith and training others to share Christ that people were calling what was taking place a, “spiritual gossip.” The village was amazed and perplexed to see their fellow Hindus not only coming to Christ, but immediately leading others to Christ and training them to share their faith.

We are seeing this over and over. When a new believer goes back and tells his story of what Jesus did to save him it is powerful. We are asking every new believer to list one hundred people they know and share their story and train them to do the same. The Gospel is exploding exponentially.

This man couldn’t help doing what Jesus charged him to do. He was overflowing with joy. Anyone can tell their story. Who can argue: this is my story: Who can say no it is not? New believers are the best at this.

This is the power of the ordinary believer. Not an ordained pastor. No seminary training when Jesus sent him out. He didn’t undergo lengthy training. He just went out and shared his story of what Jesus had done in his life.

Jesus sent him back to the people who had sent Jesus away. This is so much better than what he wanted to do. He wanted to leave the Decapolis and follow Jesus.

IV) Results of this strategy
What happens when a man goes and tells his story to his family? The power of new believers simply telling his story is tremendous. In Mark 5:20 we read that this man told the whole Decapolis what Jesus had done for him.

Jesus left the Decapolis and we do not read of him returning there until in Mark 7:31 we read he returned to the Decapolis. What a difference. Now in the Decapolis they gathered around Jesus, four thousand. They would not leave that is why he fed the four thousand in the Decapolis (Mark 8:1-10). The only reason we know of from this crowd chasing out Jesus to flocking to worship at his feet is that this former demoniac made an impact
When Jesus went back to the cities of Decapolis they would not leave him. Previously they got rid of him. No other reason for this dramatic change except that the former demoniac telling his story made the difference for our thousand people.

It is a good thing Jesus did tell the former demoniac to just forget his family who was probably part of the groups who sent Jesus away. It is better that Jesus sent this man back to his family to tell them what the Lord had done for him. Jesus uses ordinary people saved by grace.
God also cares about you and wants to save your entire family through you.

Four thousand people from the cities of the Decapolis were impacted. Tell your story! The fields are ripe and ready for harvest. When you sow abundantly you will reap abundantly.