Praise God. The Lord has opened doors for discipling younger brothers in Christ to grow in their walk with the Lord.
Raimund talks with some Hindu college students on a university campus during his travels in South Asia.This is probably my area of greatest passion for ministry – discipleship. As the Lord has greatly used older men to help me grow in my faith, I desire to be a faithful steward of that investment as I pass along that encouragement and wisdom to younger men. This is a biblical model for ministry, following the example of our Lord Jesus with his 12 disciples, the command of Jesus to us in the Great Commission, and the apostle Paul’s relationship to Timothy. I believe that it is a more fruitful way to spend my limited time here in South Asia, pouring my life into seeing national brothers become faithful in sharing their faith with their own people, which can continue for years after I leave.
Thank you for your prayers for Sanjiv.* God has been faithful to answer them! Since I met Sanjiv back in January, he has shared his testimony with his sister who is a Hindu and with a friend of his from college who is also a Hindu. The Lord is growing him in his quiet times in the Word and prayer life, and is producing sanctification in his heart. Continue to pray for God to lead him in the area of baptism – for Sanjiv to make public to his family and friends that he is a follower of Christ Jesus who is willing to obey in this area, even if there is persecution for doing so.
Another young man, Mahesh,* I got to know during an earlier trip to South Asia when we did ministry together with Campus Crusade for Christ. He is a student and is very active in sharing his faith and ministering to the lost. There seem to be some areas where doctrine needs to be corrected with the Word, so pray for God’s Spirit to grow Mahesh in knowledge and obedience to the truth.
Raimund photographed the many gods depicted on the outside wall of a Hindu temple.Lastly, I ask you to be praying for Sanjiv’s college friend Chetan.* It is such a blessing to watch the Lord pursuing his heart, drawing Chetan to himself. Coming from a Hindu background of idol worship, his view of God is to pray in fear, hoping that God will listen and not judge him for his wrongs; so he knows the first half of the gospel message of salvation – our sinfulness and its eternal consequences. The Lord gave me an opportunity to share the rest of the Good News, the part that gives us hope, as I shared my own testimony with him about how I have received complete forgiveness for my sins and am at peace with our God through Christ’s sacrifice, which has already paid the penalty for my wrongs. What a blessing to know our loving and merciful Savior. Please pray that God would produce the fruit of salvation in Chetan’s heart. Pray also that he would use Sanjiv to be a part of leading Chetan to the Lord, so that Sanjiv grows in the joy of sharing his faith with others.
Also, if you are not already doing so, let me encourage you to pray about how you can become involved in discipleship ministry yourself, either to become discipled by an older believer or to find a younger believer whom God can use you to encourage in the Word and their walk with the Lord.
*Names changed for security reasons. Viktor Raimund recently graduated from Clemson University and has begun serving a two-year term in South Asia as a Journeyman with the International Mission Board. He is a member of Utica Baptist Church in Seneca.