Worship Song:
Walk, walk, walk, walk, in the light,
Walk, walk, walk, walk, in the light,
Walk, walk, walk, walk, in the light,
Walking in the light of the Lord.
Testimonies:
Service 8:30am
Brandon Worthington:
On our second day in Siliguri, I was supposed to give a sermon at Rebecca’s Home, and I had planned on preaching on John 18. But, after we got there, I learned that they had invited the whole neighborhood to attend, which included Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims. So, I decided to change to a topic I have spoken on before, “Why a person on a spiritual quest should start with Christianity.”
Needless to say, I wanted to make sure that the message was relatable from English to Hindi (or Nepali - I’m not actually sure which it was translated into), so I sat with Raju to work out what I thought might be difficult words or concepts to translate.
At some point early in our talk, Lama, who just happened to be sitting behind us, jumped in to help with translation. Raju and he worked out several translation difficulties in the hour or so we spent together, and we both thanked him for the help.
The next day, the rest of the team took the kids out to play in the tea fields, but I stayed back at the house, hoping to have a talk with Lama. He came in the house shortly after everyone left and sat across the room from me. I asked him what he thought of the talk that I gave the previous day, and he was very curious about what I had spoken on, having never talked with a Christian, nor ever learning anything about Christianity. He shared that he was a non-practicing Buddhist and his wife was a non-practicing Muslim, and they were not raising their kids to have any religion. As we continued to talk, he got up and moved to sit next to me. I explained a bit more about Christianity, and how it differs from both Buddhism and Islam, and he was very engaged, asking a lot of questions. Raju’s wife, Sushma, came into the room about half way through our discussion. She speaks English, Hindi, and Nepali, which was Lama’s native language. She joined in the discussion, and eventually shared the Gospel with Lama in his native tongue.
While I’d love to report that Lama became a Christian while we were there, he was not ready to commit. Throughout the week, though, we (the team) had more discussions with him, and as we prepared to leave, he gushed a little bit about his first encounter with Christians and was sad to see us go. Raju will be following up with him, and it’s our prayer that he and his family come to faith in Christ.
Service 10:00am
Ben Barron:
“I have read about the house church movement in China throughout the twentieth century and how God continues to use these small gatherings of believers to grow and disciple new believers today. It was great to see Him doing the same in India, we were able to visit four such gatherings and it was a beautiful sight to see…a great reminder to me of the power of taking time to gather in a small part of the Church body - to share a meal together and spend time diving into Gods word as a family, encouraging each other in our walk with Christ.
I am reminded that we have this opportunity here at Koza through community groups and I look foward to signing up or helping to lead one soon and encourage you to do this as well. This is how God is most growing His Church globally at the moment.”
Service 11:30
Nate Marsh:
Good Morning Everyone,
It was a really great trip! We all are so thankful for all your prayers and support. I believe each of us on the team was forced to grow in a new way. Whether by stepping out of a comfort zone by prayer, sharing Gods word, or worshipping differently. Or being able to trust God’s hand when confronted spiritually in ways we haven’t experienced before.
It is so encouraging to see that God is moving in India, and using his children there to share his love. Hearing the testimonies of the pastors and youth showed how God will fight to reach and protect his children.
We are fighting too. Please pray for India and our partners that are there. I’m so thankful for those like Ms. Sook and John, and the pastors here who are able to make those connection, and who are able to be a constant encouragement.
A verse that unintentionally reoccurred throughout this trip was Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove from you the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
If we did not praise the rocks would cry out! God has made us a new creation that we could worship him!
Audrey Marsh:
Hello everyone,
One thing that really stood out to me on this trip was that I saw so many people faithfully pursuing Jesus in the midst of real persecution. Many of the people I encountered were raised in Hindu homes and had so much push back from their family members and the community around them when they became a follower of Christ.
I was really surprised to see so many women at the house & remote churches, unaccompanied by their husbands or families. They are choosing to obey Jesus and refusing to worship these Hindu idols. They see that he is worth following even if it means losing everything they have. That’s the level of faith I saw in the people and pastors in India.
They truly live out the verse Romans 1:16: “I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”
I also want to say thank you to Pastor Hunter for leading us & thanks to the rest of our awesome team, and to all of you who prayed for and supported us. This was an amazing trip & I feel really blessed to have been a part of the team. Thank you!
Philippians 2:1-11 ESV
Christ’s Example of Humility
1So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Add a note
-Written 62 AD
-Philippi a Roman City
-Written to the Church
-Lydia the first convert
-Written from prison
So why was Paul imprisoned?
Philippians 1:12-14 ESV
The Advance of the Gospel
12I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
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So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
Paul is a Master Orator and writer. Do you realize what he has just done here?
He has turned the sights from himself and from looking to everyone else…to you.
This series of if statements contain obvious truths that they would have experienced, and he is not only saying that these things are true, but he is asking something of the reader…are they true for you?
John 15:13 ESV
13Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
John 13:34-35 ESV
34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
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Matthew 9:1-8 ESV
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
1And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7And he rose and went home. 8When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
Luke 8:40-48 ESV
Jesus Heals a Woman and Jairus’s Daughter
40Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored him to come to his house, 42for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.
As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. 43And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. 44She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. 45And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” 46But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” 47And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”
Matthew 8:5-13 ESV
The Faith of a Centurion
5When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6“Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
John 19:26-27 ESV
26When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
Add a note
There are two words used here…
Comfort (Consolation) (Paramythion παραμύθιον) another way of putting it is stabilization…
And Love… (Agape ἀγάπη) we have talked about these before…the four types of love…and you know that Agape is the highest.
So what he is saying with this statement is the Love of Christ both in the body and from Him directly is a stabilizing force in your life…no matter the challenges faced.
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Any participation in the spirit…
This means the spirit of Christian unity based on the presence of the Holy Spirit and Christ’s work.
You can only receive this exhortation in Christ…there are not these things if you are not participating in the work of Christ and experiencing a spirit of unity in the body because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life.
Christian Unity Add a note
Philippians 2:5 ESV
5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
Philippians 2:2-4 ESV
2complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
John 15:13 ESV
13Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
John 13:34-35 ESV
34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Add a note
Philippians 2:6-8 ESV
6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Genesis 1:26 ESV
26Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
John 1:1 ESV
The Word Became Flesh
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”
If you are looking for an amazing account of who Jesus is…do a google search with these words…Jesus in every book of the Bible.
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Philippians 2:9-11 ESV
9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Add a note
“Glorious Day” — Kristian Stanfill
“Man of Sorrows” — Hillsong Worship
“Goodness of God” — Bethel Music
“Run To The Father” — Cody Carnes
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