Sitting by the
desk and pondering over certain points of my sermon for tomorrow, memories
flooded my mind from the past. In my
starting days as a minister of the gospel, I had to prepare my sermons for the
believers who were going through severe state persecution in Nepal. After some years, the Lord brought relief
from that persecution but life was not easy.
Purpose of preaching then was to bring hope in the hearts of people; incidentally,
the first church we pioneered named it Hope.
Many years
later, I found myself preaching to Nepalese migrant workers in Korea. There I had to give them hope and identity as
a people of God. If not, a migrant
worker begins to define one’s life in terms of servitude and slavery.
Again after a
decade, I found myself preaching to a diverse group of expatriates residing in
Korea for various purposes.
International students, professors, teachers, scientists, company employees
and executives made that group an amazing breed to minister to. I as a country boy from a remote part of
Nepal had to ramp-up my feeble mind to match the demand of the hour. By God’s amazing grace, during those six
years, we were able to minister to so many wonderful friends from across the
world.
Now at present, I
find myself ministering in a North Indian context where Christianity has been
severely diluted. Though the gospel had
come here over two hundred years earlier, its impact in society is nearly
non-existent. Syncretic approach has
nullified the power of the gospel and the uniqueness of Christ is defaced. Corrupt mission practices have left Christians
not as assets but liabilities for the kingdom of God. In a time and place like this, I miss my
earlier assignment from the Lord.
As I think about
my earlier assignment from the Lord, I am thinking of those brothers and
sisters that I have left behind and or have gone around the world. Wherever you may be, I want you to know that
there are times I still remember you in my prayers. Sadly I do not have contact with most; only a
handful of you remain in my social media circle.
As the year
comes to an end and Christmas is around the corner, it is my prayer that the
Lord will be your Emmanuel as he has been your Ebenezer! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2019!
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