tal mountain bus crash in 2005, and thirty-five angry men with clubs have in common?
Answer: Gulab Singh
Gulab Singh is the leader in the northern mountain region of India. A few years ago, he was a tormented cook in a Delhi restaurant. For over twelve years, he was tormented by a devil spirit, which would interrupt his sleep. His only recourse was to hold a conversation with the spirit. It would leave him alone briefly and wake him again. His only sleep for many years were the interludes between conversations.
While working in the restaurant, he met Bhupander, the leader of the Delhi fellowships. Gulab Singh memorized the teaching he heard at the first fellowship he attended with Bhupander. That night he applied the teaching and commanded the devil spirit to depart from him and not trouble him anymore. It never bothered him again. That miracle was the basis for a ministry that has delivered hundreds.
We recorded many hours of testimonies during our visit. It was while listening to these recordings upon return that a new dynamic took shape. During the testimonies, a leader's name would be frequently involved in the account. It became obvious that the full-time ministers played a central role in sustaining the growth of the church. The Indian Church made full and proper Biblical use of those with gift ministries. Their lives were indeed gifts to the Church.
Ephesians 4:11,12
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
This perfecting (katartismos), or making fully ready, of the saints allows the saints to build up the church. All the saints build the church, not a select few. It is a most efficient Christ-headed church.
Each One Win One
All outreach is based on the principle of "each one win one". Believers pray for "one hungry person" to share their story of deliverance. In the twenty-five years Sangat has been preaching in India, he has never deviated from "each one win one." The believers never pray for the harvest; they pray for laborers in the harvest for the harvest is plenteous.
For many years, Sangat prayed for one leader to open up India to the Word of God. The answer to that specific prayer was Bhupander. His story is most revealing. In 1983, Bhupander's brothers, who were part of one of the few families who were already Christians, began attending fellowship at Sangat's home. In time, his wife also became a believer, but not Bhupander. He was a businessman who had no time for this Bible stuff. Eventually, in 1996, thirteen years later, his two businesses were on the verge of bankruptcy. He had a desperate need for 5000 rupees to pay his children's school tuition. Bhupander had a need, a big need. He went to Sangat and told him his problems. Sangat's response was, "Don't tell me your problems; tell God." Bhupander did just that, and a stranger gave him the 5000 rupees.
Bhupander became a full-time minister and in turn prayed for one leader. God's response was to raise up Gulab Singh. Gulab Singh prayed for a leader, and God called out Vijay Singh. All of the current leadership came in response to a prayer for one leader.
After living in Delhi for awhile, Gulab Singh returned to his home region in the mountain state north of Delhi. His large extended family would give him a field white with harvest, or so he thought. After three months of witnessing to his family with no results, he realized that he had forgotten to ask God for the increase. He then prayed earnestly to God for just one person. It was then that hungry people started coming to his house. One man said he had been looking for him for three months.
Gulab Singh systematically spreads the Word of God by praying for just one hungry person in each area. Many people scratched their heads when, for many months, he would walk seven hours in the rugged 9000 ft. Himalaya foothills to teach one man the Bible. Gulab Singh said he did not see one man, but millions.
Tiger of a Bear
It was during one of these visits to mountain villages that he and a companion encountered a mountain Sloth bear. Here is what an encyclopedia has to say about a Sloth bear. Insect-eating bears killing humans? It's true, it can happen. Unlike meat-eating leopards and tigers, which inhabit the forests of the Indian subcontinent along with sloth bears, the bears don't see humans as a meal. But if a bear feels threatened, it will launch a swift and vicious attack that will send even a hungry tiger running.
Such ferocity doesn't help unsuspecting people who surprise a bear in the forest. Three-inch-long(eight-centimeter-long) digging claws with 150 to 300 pounds (70 to 140 kilograms) of angry bear behind them can leave devastating wounds. Often when humans stumble upon a tiger or a leopard, the big cat will run away?providing it's not hunting. A startled bear, however, will attack. That, plus the horrific wounds they can inflict, explains why people in some areas of India are more afraid of the insect-eaters than the carnivores.
Sloth bears kill more people than any wild animal in Inyears to live. If it does not behave, then they will kill it. The companion asked, "How will we kill it? We have nothing." Gulab Singh's replied, "We will rend it with our hands just the way David rent the lion and the bear." He commanded the bear to behave, and the men walked peacefully past the most dangerous wild animal in India. Upon reaching the village, they recounted the incident. The villagers were shocked because they knew the bear well. They said, "WHY DID THAT BEAR LEAVE YOU? THAT BEAR NEVER LEAVES ANYONE!"dia. It was this very bear that Gulab Singh and another believer met on a mountain path. His companion was fearful, but not Gulab Singh. He told the believer that if the bear behaves, then God has given it more
A Prayer and a Miracle
In March of 2005, I read on the Internet of a fatal bus crash in the Uttar Prachel area of India. This was an area where there were many fellowships and the center of Gulab Singh's area. I wondered if any believers were involved. The actual headline from Reuters News Service read:
19 killed after bus falls into gorge in India
At least 19 people were killed and 15 injured on Sunday when a bus skidded off a mountain road into a deep gorge in the north Indian state of Uttaranchal.
The accident took place 12 kilometres from the tourist town of Mussoorie, Senior Superintendent of Police PVK Prasad told Reuters by telephone.
He said all the bodies, including that of a small girl, had been recovered from the mangled bus and the death toll might rise because some of the injured were in serious condition.
Bus crashes are common on Indian roads where traffic rules are poorly enforced and drivers often drive rashly.
On Saturday, 16 people were drowned and nine were feared dead in the western state of Gujarat when a bus fell into a canal after the driver lost control.
During our visit, I asked about the crash. There were, in fact, three believers from Gulab Singh's area on the bus. He related the details of the story:
Bughwan Singh, his son and mother were on the bus with their luggage (which included a propane bottle/cylinder) on this stormy day. The driver lost control of the bus, and it skidded off the road and began to cartwheel end-over-end into a 1000-foot gorge. The believers called out to God, and the next thing they remember is that they were sitting on the side of the mountain watching the bus continue its wild plunge into the gorge. Their luggage was neatly beside them, and the propane bottle was upright. (If it had been on its side, it would have rolled down the steep bank.)
Indian busses have bars on the windows. It would have been impossible to come out a window. The only other survivors were two small girls. Bughwan Singh telling the incident later to others admits to having a strong feeling prior to getting on the bus that he should not get on it.
The home church network in India has no name other than the body of Christ; the leaders have no titles or seminary degrees. In China in the 1930s and 40s, Watchman Nee set up home churches in a similar "no-name" network. When others referred to them as the Little Flock Church (Little Flock was the name of the songbook they used), Watchman quickly took the name off the songbook. That early home church network became the basis for the work in China today. China in 2006 has between 50 and 100 million Christians mostly in home churches, making it (numbers-wise) the most Christian nation in the world. Watchman Nee held a similar view of the need for the knowledge of the power of God:
Christians should have two kinds of knowledge: one of the Scriptures and one of the power of God (Matt 22:29). Generally speaking, there are two classes of people among those who sincerely seek after the Lord, one knows the Bible but knows little of God's power; the other knows God's power but knows little of the Bible. At Christ's birth those who sought Him earnestly (the Magi) had little knowledge of the Scriptures: whereas those having great knowledge of the Scriptures (the scribes and the chief priests) did not seek Him. By this we can see that having Scriptural knowledge does not necessarily mean one knows God.
[Secrets to Spiritual Power, comp. by Sentinel Kulp, Whitaker House, 1998, p. 203]
Watchman recognized very early in his ministry that having the power of God in one's life was a direct result of hearing about the power of God by way of testimonies (testifying). The difference between sermonizing and testifying is that sermonizing cannot help others as much as testifying does. As you testify, you are describing the actual situation ----- as though you are holding out the very thing you are talking about. Thou you may not speak well you cannot speak wrong, because you are depicting something that is real to you, an actual scene that is both actual and visible.
[Secrets to Spiritual Power, pp. 203-4]
Sustained Explosive Growth
The ingredients of the astounding growth of Christianity in China has all the marks of outreach in India:
- Small home-based fellowships
- "No-name" organization with Christ as the head
- Dependence on testimonies and the resulting power of God
- Insulation from western Christian influence
This explosive growth is not a phenomenon. It has been building since 1983 when Sangat first moved permanently to India. The growth really took off in 1996 when miracles and healing became commonplace in New Delhi fellowships. It was at this point when, quite accidentally, they discovered the role testimonies played in sustaining explosive growth. As the miraculous accounts mounted, people wanted to tell what God had done. Time was set-aside at fellowships for this naturally occurring praise. Praise begat praise as it became obvious that testimonies were the natural outgrowth of encounters with the power of God. Consequently, fellowships have become a vehicle of praise to a God who is manifestly also Daddy.
Several years ago, Bhupander decided to evangelize the Kampur area, a huge city 300 miles southeast of New Delhi. Sangat did not instruct Bhupander to do so; it was something Christ as head of his church put into Bhupander's heart. He prayed for one leader for the Kampur area and regularly visited for four years without results. Finally, he told God that if this next visit did not bear fruit, it would be his last.
The purpose of this final visit was a meeting with several Indian Christian denominational church leaders. (Note: About 2% of India is Christian. Most of the large western denominations are represented.) They wanted to discuss a doctrinal issue with Bhupander. It did not turn out that way. The leaders proceeded to rant about their doctrine and never gave Bhupander an opportunity to speak. Present at the meeting was a former Hindu priest named Tiwari. He felt that Bhupander had been dealt with very unfairly and spoke with Bhupander privately after the meeting. That was the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship. Tiwari was the one leader for which Bhupander had been praying these four years. The following is a testimony typical of the wonderful believers Tiwari is bringing to God's household.
My name is Sanjay. First of all, I greet all our guests in the name of Jesus Christ. I am going to give a testimony I had earlier. A doctor told us this problem was not going to be solved. I had a problem with my intestines. I was not able to eat anything. I had trouble with the medicine. I went to Hindu temples and Muslim priests to get healed. One day, the truth of God came to me. My nephew, Deepak Pal, came to me--he is a believer--and said, "Uncle, you do not go after the devil spirits to get healing."
I asked him who is God where is God. He said that God is with the Hindu Priest, Tiwari, who is now a worshipper of the True God and a minister and leader in Kampur. I asked my nephew, "How much do I pay to get the healing." I used to pay money when I went to a doctor or Hindu Priest or Muslim Priest. Deepak Pal said you do not need to pay anything. Hearing this, I got a little faith. I knew there must be God there because God has nothing to do with the money.
I attended one of the Sunday morning fellowships at Tiwari's home and later I asked him to heal me, and he spoke the Word of God and also built up my faith so that I could be healed. I prayed also to God as I was instructed by Tiwari. For 6 months, I studied the Bible deeply and, meanwhile, I forgot all of my problems. I was not paying attention to eating and drinking but wanted to know the Truth.
One day, Sangat Bains and Bhupander came to Kampur, and I met Sangat for the first time. I was not perfectly healed yet, so I went to receive the perfect healing. While he talked to me, I believed that I was healed and that night, I ate dinner and realized that I was totally healed. Since then, God has done many wonderful things in my life, and I certainly thank God in the name of Jesus Christ.
Prayer
The importance of prayer frequently surfaces in testimonies. The believers utilized, as appropriate, both prayer with their understanding and prayer with the spirit.
I Corinthians 14:15
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
All fellowships we attended, while enthusiastic, were very orderly. Group singing, testimonies, Bible teaching and prayer with the understanding were very orderly. One believer at a time would speak or share with never any interruptions or sideshows. Public prayer in the spirit (speaking in tongues) was never utilized without interpretation. The same individual who spoke in tongues would interpret and, at most, there were two or three. When Paul corrected the Corinthian church for its lack of order in operating public speaking in tongues, he did not tell to stop speaking in tongues. He directed them to stop being disorderly by speaking in tongues as a group without interpretation.
I Corinthians 14:27
If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret.(NASB)
Prayer in the spirit is a staple of the private prayer life of Indian believers.
My name is Rita. I came from Gurgaon about 35 miles from Delhi. I did not believe the Word of God even though I was brought up in a Christian family. Fourteen years ago, during my pregnancy with my first daughter, I had many problems. My husband at that time spoke in other tongues very much during my pregnancy. I eventually had a normal delivery, but when the doctor handed me my daughter, I thought she was dead. The second doctor took the child back. At that time, my husband told me to trust God. I believed what my husband said because I loved him. I thought whatsoever my husband said to be true. I decided to really believe in God and in three days, my daughter became very normal.
Today, from the very bottom of my heart, I want to thank God for what he has done in my life for the last fourteen years. God has done many miraculous works in my life. Now, whenever I talk directly to God by speaking in tongues, He shows me many miracles in my life. I really believe there is true power in speaking in tongues. I speak in tongues two or three hours every day. I thank God that I could tell this testimony.
Daily Prayer
Daily Prayer a Staple
What a commentary on the daily life of the Indian believers. Rita was typical of the Indian believers I met. Shanti once told me that her oldest son left the house after a fight with her husband and vowed never to return. She said that every day for six months, she would go into a room alone and weep tears to God in private and pray for the rebeliever's deep spiritual relationship with God is his or her private prayer life in the spirit. God showed Rita many miracles as a result of speaking in tongues two of three hours a day. The occurrence of miracles and the manifestation of prayer in the spirit are not unique to this explosion of Christian outreach today in Indiaturn of her son. After six months of this daily intercession, her son showed up unannounced. There is also the example of Kamlesh who prayed for two-and-one-half months for his hair to change color.
It is evident that a large part of the individual
History of Prayer in the Spirit
In the late 1820's in England, a young Scottish preacher named Edward Irving aroused in segments of the Christian community an interest in work of the holy spirit and end-times theology, subjects untouched by the Protestant reformation.
These subjects were of major interest to such orthodox churchmen as Haldane Stewart, Hugh MacNeil, and William Marsh, who together with Edward Irving and many others attended at Henry Drummond's invitation the Conferences for Biblical Study at Albury Park, Surrey, in 1826. The Catholic Apostolic Church [Author's note: No connection with the Roman Catholic Church] grew out of the fact that under Irving's influence many attending these meetings came to believe that the special gifts of the apostolic age were a permanent endowment of the church, restrained only by the faithlessness of later Christians.
In 1830 Mary Campbell (later Mrs. Caird) of Fernicarry in J.M. Campbell's parish of Row and James and Margaret Macdonald of Port Glasgow spoke in tongues and experienced miraculous healing.
[New International Dictionary of the Christian Church, "Catholic Apostolic Church," p. 203]
This was the first record of speaking in tongues in the modern western Christian church. Smith Wigglesworth in the early 1900s was the first to teach that it was possible to lead someone into the manifestation of tongues. He was known to say that "he was not moved by the spirit, but he moved the spirit." Wigglesworth inferred that the operation of the spirit of God in a believer's life was the individual's responsibility. It was not required or necessary to wait for God to move. God already moved at Pentecost. Smith Wigglesworth not surprisingly had a healing ministry that lasted for over forty years.
Miracles Just Followed
The more recent experience of the Chinese church confirms the correlation between miracles and the manifestation of speaking in tongues. In 1988, an American missionary named Dennis Balcombe introduced the power of the holy spirit to the underground house church movement in Communist China. The event was a spiritual tsunami.
"We call Dennis Balcombe the second Hudson Taylor," said Fangcheng's Zhang Rongliiang in 2002. "Don't see me as a white guy," he told us. "I have a Chinese heart." Wu Xinbai put Balcombe's role historically, saying, "His influence was a turning point in the history of the Chinese Church, Before Balcombe came, no one spoke in tongues, After he left, everyone spoke in tongues and people started to see healings. People saw the change when Balcombe laid hands on them. It was like a fire too big not to spread, After attending his meetings, people sometimes couldn't sleep for three to four days. One man who had been riding a bike got off every time he met someone and shared the Gospel. Before, the Fangcheng's Christians had gathered in secret meetings. Now they shared in the street. Miracles just followed. I personally know many blind people who recovered their sight."
[Jesus in Beijing, David Aikman, Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2003, p274.]
"Miracles just followed" is the daily experience of the Indian home church groups. Their orderly fellowship meetings would be hardly classified as Pentecostal by western Christian standards, but their universal application of private prayer "in the spirit" is evident by the fruit. The Indian believers have signs, miracles and wonders beyond those recorded in the book of Acts.
Acts 19:11,12
And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
Nowhere in Acts is it recorded that all believers were performing great miracles. In India, I heard of six accounts from individuals who had raised others from the dead and met a seventh person who had been raised from the dead. All accounts were from non-leaders. The earlier account of Lakshimi's healing of her sister's four-month-old daughter was one of these accounts. While Lakshimi did not mention it in her account at the time, others told me later that the child was in fact dead at one point. Miracles are so commonplace that the vast majority go unreported except in the home fellowship.
Conclusion
