India (MNN/STM) — Diwali means "fiery
bunch" in Sanskrit — an apt name for the festival of lights recently celebrated
throughout India, symbolizing the victory of good over evil.
It was a 5-day celebration that
ended on Tuesday, November 9. Evangelist Sammy Tippit marked it by proclaiming
the Gospel of Jesus in the state of Punjab. Hundreds responded.
Tippit gave a simple but powerful Gospel presentation each evening. He
told the audience, "God loves you and has a plan for you and your family.
But we have a major problem – sin. God is holy, and our sin separates us from
Him. That's why Jesus came to this planet: to take the punishment for our
sins."
Rev. Nazir Masih, pastor of the
First Baptist Church of Chandigahr, said, "The people are really hungry.
They are coming with open hearts, and God is filling their hearts with His love
and grace."
By the end of the week, news of the meetings had spread by word of
mouth, and the crowds were so large that the tent constructed for the
meetings could not contain all the people. One of the leading pastors said, "There is a
spirit of revival here. God is doing something wonderful. God has given us a
great harvest of souls."
Knowing that the Holy Spirit is
at work in India, preparations were already in place to give the church leaders
encouragement and tools to continue the work begun during the week through a
pastor's conference.
Leaders came from Amristar, the
center of Sikhism in India, and villages surrounding the city of nearly two
million. Many Sikhs have come to Christ
and are now reaching out to others.
Pastors and church leaders told
how God had worked in their lives. One pastor said, "I've gone through
many difficulties, but God has shown me that I must wait upon Him. He will
renew my strength." Another said, "I need to go daily and drink from
the waters that flow from God's throne." The pastors were filled with renewed strength
and hope.
Tippit spoke to the pastors about
"Revival in the Race." Many of them said that the messages helped
them to know how to endure and build Christ-like character. The revival
ignited these pastors into a "fiery bunch" of purpose, sharing the true victory
of Christ over spiritual darkness. Keep
praying that these pastors would maintain their vision and stay true to the
Word of God.
