It Is Written

That I May Receive My Sight!

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: John Bradshaw

Series Code: IIW

01:31 ♪[Theme Music]♪
01:41 ♪[Theme Music]♪
01:54 ♪[Music]♪
02:04 ♪[Music]♪
02:18 >>Dr. Jacob Prabhakar: Most of the patients think blindness
02:20 is part of life, and so they live and die with blindness.
02:25 >>Dr. Minhas: What's a life if you live only for yourself?
02:27 You have to live for others.
02:28 That is what makes us humans.
02:33 >>Susan Kamson: We need to be kind and to be
02:35 compassionate and with people.
02:37 We need to help poor people, and we need to help each other.
02:43 >>Man: Dr. Jacob has the motivation from God only,
02:47 or from his heart, that he should work for the poor,
02:51 needy and helpless people.
02:56 >>Dr. Jacob: I come from a very remote village,
02:58 from a very poor background.
03:00 When I was a child
03:01 I received help to become something in life.
03:03 If I can help these patients,
03:05 and give them the gift of sight and give them the ray of hope,
03:09 it changes their life all over again.
03:11 ♪[Music]♪
03:21 ♪[Music]♪
03:31 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw.
03:33 Thanks for joining me in India.
03:50 The world is full of bad news.
03:52 There's terrorism and tragedy and difficulty and hardship
03:56 and want and crime and violence, and we're familiar with it all.
04:01 But at the same time, it shouldn't be forgotten
04:04 that there's an awful lot of good taking place in this world.
04:08 And it's in times of tragedy and need that human beings
04:11 press together to help those who most need help.
04:15 ♪[Music]♪
04:18 In Jalandhar, India, a dedicated physician
04:22 is working to alleviate the challenges
04:24 faced by some of India's 15 million blind people.
04:29 Every year he performs cataract surgery
04:31 on the visually impaired, many of whom simply cannot see.
04:36 This simple procedure means that people
04:38 are literally given their sight.
04:43 >>Dr. Jacob: India is home to 15 million blind people.
04:46 Most of it is due to cataracts.
04:48 And most of it is preventable or treatable.
04:51 Most of these people are living in the rural communities,
04:54 where there is very minimal access to healthcare.
04:58 Most of the patients think blindness is part of life
05:00 and so they live and die with blindness.
05:06 When they have bilateral blindness,
05:08 the people cannot earn.
05:11 They cannot live a normal life.
05:13 They are unable to take care of their own families.
05:16 >>Aatma Singh: [speaking Hindi]
05:26 >>Aatma Singh: [speaking Hindi]
05:41 >>Divison Sangma: Because they're so needy they can't see.
05:43 Because they are so poor, they can't afford money
05:46 and they don't have money to come to hospital.
05:50 >>Dr. Maninder Minhas: You know it's a basic right when
05:53 we talk of the constitution, basic health, basic education.
05:56 We are born with this right.
05:59 Especially in India
06:00 when you talk about below poverty line people.
06:02 We are catering only to 30% of the problems.
06:05 Seventy percent of people still need basic health.
06:07 ♪[Music]♪
06:16 >>Emmanuel Paul: The people here, they are not able to
06:19 afford to have the surgery.
06:22 That's why it's important here for Dr. Jacob
06:25 to get the surgery done.
06:28 >>Susan Kamson: Dr. Jacob, he is the fastest surgeon in India.
06:33 Other surgeons in one day, they will do only 30 or 40 surgeries.
06:36 He can do more than 300 to 400 surgeries per day.
06:45 >>Dr. Jacob: I personally have done
06:47 more than 120,000 surgeries.
06:49 In a year we do about ten to twelve thousand surgeries.
06:52 But we want to do more.
06:53 The need is so vast.
06:57 >>Dr. Minhas: I appreciate doctors who really go
06:59 out of their way to help people.
07:01 I mean, what's a life if you live only for yourself?
07:04 You have to live for others.
07:06 That is what makes us humans.
07:08 ♪[Music]♪
07:18 >>John: So what do you do when
07:19 you're confronted by that kind of need?
07:22 You might be tempted to think that
07:23 you couldn't possibly make a difference.
07:25 You might be tempted to turn and look the other way.
07:29 Or maybe you could say, what would Jesus have done?
07:32 Except we know what Jesus did.
07:35 Jesus never ignored the issues that confronted Him.
07:39 He fed the hungry.
07:40 He healed the sick.
07:41 The lame walked.
07:42 The lepers were cleansed.
07:45 Jesus opened up the ears of the deaf.
07:48 And Jesus gave sight to the blind.
07:52 >>Dr. Jacob: Eyes for India is changing the lives
07:54 of children, mothers and fathers,
07:56 and all the ones that are able to live a life of their own.
08:02 They come crying, hoping that they'll get some hope.
08:04 And, uh, we give them sight, they are so delighted.
08:08 ♪[Music]♪
08:21 [speaking Hindi]
08:35 >>John: In a moment, the incredible story
08:37 of people helping people,
08:40 and how you can be the difference in somebody's life.
08:42 I'll be right back.
08:43 [Music]
08:58 >>John: Help It Is Written open the eyes of the blind.
09:02 Eyes for India is giving sight to the blind,
09:05 and you can be a part of this amazing work.
09:08 Just call 800-253-3000
09:11 You can also donate online at ItIsWritten.com.
09:15 Fifteen million blind people live in India,
09:17 more than any other country in the world.
09:20 And many of the blind in India could see again if only
09:23 they could have cataract surgery.
09:25 It Is Written is making that happen.
09:27 Would you please support this special project
09:30 and give the gift of sight to someone who desperately
09:32 wants to see?
09:34 Here's all you need to do.
09:35 Call 800-253-3000
09:39 to donate and support Eyes for India.
09:42 If you prefer, you can write to
09:44 It Is Written at P O Box 6, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401.
09:50 You'll also find more information about Eyes for India
09:53 online at itiswritten.com
09:56 You can be the difference between someone
09:58 spending the rest of their lives in darkness
10:01 or having the ability to see.
10:03 Eyes for India and It Is Written are doing the work of Jesus
10:06 in opening the eyes of the blind.
10:08 Join us.
10:09 Just call 800-253-3000
10:12 or write to P O Box 6, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401.
10:18 Or visit ItIsWritten.com
10:23 ♪[Music]♪
10:33 ♪[Music]♪
10:57 >>John: Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written.
11:00 When Jesus was on the earth, he had compassion on those
11:03 who lived in difficult circumstances.
11:06 Luke 17:12 and 13 says,
11:10 “And as he entered into a certain village,
11:12 there met him ten men that were lepers,
11:15 which stood afar off.
11:17 And they lifted up their voices and said,
11:19 ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.'”
11:24 Well, we know what happened next.
11:26 It's a famous story.
11:27 Jesus healed ten terminally ill outcasts.
11:33 In Matthew 8, Jesus was met by another leper.
11:37 “And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying,
11:40 ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.'
11:43 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched Him, saying,
11:47 ‘I am willing; be cleansed.'
11:50 Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
11:54 The woman with the issue of blood?
11:56 Jesus healed her.
11:58 He cast out demons.
12:00 Mark 3, verse 10, says,
12:02 “For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions
12:05 pressed about him to touch him.”
12:08 Luke 4, verse 40, says,
12:11 “When the sun was setting, all those who had any that
12:14 were sick with various diseases brought them to Him;
12:17 and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.”
12:23 Luke 9:11 says Jesus “healed those who had need of healing.”
12:28 He even healed people when He knew that doing so
12:31 would get Him into trouble.
12:33 The disciples healed in the time of the early Christian church.
12:37 Peter and John went down to the temple to pray,
12:39 and a lame man asked them for money.
12:42 They said, We don't have any money.
12:44 “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, give I thee.
12:48 In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
12:52 And the man did.
12:53 He went walking and leaping and praising God.
12:57 You can understand why.
13:00 Acts 5:15 says,
13:02 “They brought the sick out into the streets
13:05 and laid them on beds and couches,
13:08 that at least the shadow of Peter passing by
13:11 might fall on some of them.”
13:14 Imagine that.
13:16 Healing the sick is incredibly important to God.
13:20 Now, you might say, oh, but I'm not a physician.
13:23 I can't treat those who are ill.
13:25 I certainly can't work miracles.
13:28 Ah, but you can.
13:30 You really can.
13:32 Here in India, there are people experiencing
13:35 the miracle of healing, made possible by people like you.
13:47 >>Mohinder: [speaking Hindi]
13:57 >>Mohinder: [speaking Hindi]
14:19 >>Dalbeirkaur Singh: [speaking Hindi]
14:29 >>Dalbeirkaur Singh: [speaking Hindi]
14:43 ♪[Music]♪
14:55 >>Dr. Jacob: I come from a very remote village
14:57 in the eastern part of India,
14:59 born in a family of eight siblings,
15:01 only one son, and I have seven beautiful sisters.
15:05 And my father and mother lived in this rural village
15:08 in a thatched home, nothing to look forward to.
15:12 I come from a village where there is no healthcare.
15:14 The entire area did not have any health facilities.
15:18 I remember the local doctor comes to my home,
15:23 when my sisters, my father and mother fell ill.
15:25 I used to see this doctor who
15:29 may have not been a qualified physician.
15:31 Since then I've had a desire, even before going to school.
15:35 I said that one day I must become a physician.
15:40 Our church pastor actually identified some potential
15:43 in this little fellow who could become something in life.
15:46 The pastor must have taken a lot of time to convince my parents
15:50 to let their only son to be taken to a boarding school.
15:59 >>John: After becoming an ophthalmologist,
16:01 Dr. Prabhakar dedicated his life to helping the blind in India.
16:05 But what motivates him?
16:08 Emmanuel: He has the motivation from God only,
16:11 or from his heart, that he should work for the poor,
16:15 needy and helpless people.
16:19 >>Dr. Jacob: Why not me if I can go to the villages,
16:21 pick up these children with blindness,
16:22 pick up the old people, all the mothers and fathers,
16:26 if I can help these patients and give them the ray of hope,
16:29 it changes their life all over again.
16:33 I think that's what Jesus did when He was on this earth.
16:36 He went to the people where they were.
16:38 He ministered unto them.
16:39 He touched their lives, and He said,
16:43 “Come and follow me.”
16:47 >>Susan: I'm so lucky to work with Dr. Jacob.
16:49 He is so much kind, humble, and he is so much caring,
16:53 and so much compassionate.
16:55 And he will be in the hospital working day and night
16:59 without having his meal.
17:03 As a Christian we need to help poor people
17:06 and we need to help each other.
17:07 As Christ says, we need to be kind
17:11 and be compassion with the people.
17:14 ♪[Music]♪
17:18 >>Emmanuel: God loves us if we love the people.
17:21 If we love the people, then God loves us.
17:28 God is love.
17:30 That's why it's so very much a necessity
17:32 that we should help the human being.
17:36 ♪[Music]♪
17:46 >>John: There's something in the human heart,
17:47 I believe in every human heart,
17:49 that wants to respond to a need.
17:51 There's something about the human heart,
17:54 I believe placed there by God,
17:56 that wants to step into the gap and see people ministered to,
17:59 to see the helpless helped, the hopeless have hope
18:02 to see those who are despairing relieved of their despair.
18:06 Imagine being able to give the gift of sight.
18:08 Would there be a greater gift
18:09 that a person could possibly give?
18:12 Well, you can give the gift of sight,
18:13 and I'll tell you how in just a moment.
18:16 ♪[Music]♪
18:27 >>John: Okay, who wants to hear a joke?
18:29 Children: Me, me.
18:30 >>John: All right. How long did Cain hate his brother?
18:38 For as long as he was Able.
18:42 Okay, not great.
18:42 Here's another one.
18:44 Who was known as the best mathematician in the Bible?
18:50 Moses.
18:51 He wrote the book of Numbers.
18:54 All right, you'll like this one.
18:57 Who was the biggest law-breaker in the Bible?
19:03 No?
19:05 Moses.
19:06 He broke all Ten Commandments at once.
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19:26 Have you ever wondered if you're good enough to be saved?
19:29 It's a common question that has discouraged many people,
19:31 but it doesn't have to discourage you.
19:33 “Taking A Stand”
19:34 is a powerful five-part series
19:36 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw
19:38 that will help you discover the assurance of salvation.
19:41 Call 1-888-664-5573
19:44 to order the “Taking A Stand” DVD.
19:46 Or download it from our web store at
19:48 www.itiswritten.shop
19:51 Jesus offers salvation as a free gift to everyone, including you.
19:55 ♪[Music]♪
20:05 ♪[Music]♪
20:12 >>John: Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written.
20:14 Now, you've heard the story.
20:16 A man who was sitting on the side of the road
20:18 near the city of Jericho when he discovered
20:21 Jesus was walking into the city.
20:24 He called out, “Son of David, have mercy on me.”
20:28 Now, the people around urged the man to be quiet.
20:31 But all that did was it goaded him
20:34 into calling out to Jesus all the louder.
20:37 “Son of David, have mercy on me.”
20:40 Jesus became aware of what was going on,
20:42 so he asked those there to bring the man into his presence.
20:47 The blind man came to the presence of Jesus.
20:49 Jesus said to him,
20:50 “What is it you would like me to do for you?”
20:54 And that man was not backwards in coming forward.
20:57 He had a need, and he asked Jesus to provide that need.
21:01 He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”
21:05 Now, you can imagine somebody having a need like that today,
21:08 and making the same request of God.
21:12 Does God still work miracles?
21:14 The answer to that is obvious.
21:16 Yes, He does.
21:17 Now, we don't see miracles like that happen very often today.
21:21 Jesus isn't walking the earth in a literal sense
21:26 like he was 2,000 years ago.
21:29 But God does still heal.
21:32 And God does still work miracles.
21:36 Very often, he uses people to get the job done.
21:42 When that man called out to Jesus,
21:43 he made a very specific request:
21:46 “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”
21:51 If you were blind, I expect that would be your prayer.
21:56 The man's prayer was answered.
21:58 Jesus said,
21:59 “'Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.'
22:04 And immediately he received his sight,
22:07 and followed Him, glorifying God.
22:09 And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.”
22:15 Now, can you imagine being used by God
22:19 to restore sight to someone who is visually impaired,
22:24 or to someone who is completely blind?
22:27 This is not merely hypothetical.
22:29 Now, turn that upside down.
22:31 Imagine that somebody wants to be able to see,
22:36 and the mechanism exists for them to be able to see again,
22:39 and yet nobody will connect the person
22:42 with the healing mechanism.
22:43 Let me say that again.
22:46 Imagine someone wants to be able to see,
22:48 and they can, but no one will help.
22:52 Now, that man called to Jesus, and he said,
22:53 “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”
22:56 And today there are people calling to me and to you,
22:58 and they're saying, “That I may receive my sight.
23:02 That I may receive my sight.”
23:05 And the truth is, God is looking to restore sight to the blind,
23:12 and he wants you to make it possible.
23:16 ♪[Music]♪
23:20 >>Dr. Jacob: Every year we do about
23:21 ten to twelve thousand surgeries.
23:23 The need is so great, the resources are so minimal,
23:26 and they are so poor.
23:29 The support is not adequate enough to meet
23:32 the increasing demand of the surgeries.
23:35 And so if only we have more resources.
23:39 What we need is materials, funds, equipment, team members,
23:45 and we'd be able to do about 20,000 or more surgeries
23:49 in a year, and it would be a great opportunity
23:52 to serve these patients, give them the gift of sight.
23:54 It's a big impact changing the lives of people across India.
23:59 ♪[Music]♪
24:14 >>John: Today I'd like to ask you to help It Is Written
24:16 open the eyes of the blind.
24:19 India has more blind people than any country on earth.
24:22 But simple cataract surgery can make the difference
24:24 between seeing and not seeing for many people.
24:28 Eyes for India is a project that's providing
24:31 cataract surgery for people
24:32 in desperate need of the gift of sight.
24:35 Please help today.
24:36 Call 800-253-3000
24:40 Eyes for India and It Is Written are doing the work of Jesus
24:43 in opening the eyes of the blind
24:46 and opening hearts to the love of God.
24:49 You can also donate online at ItIsWritten.com
24:53 Please call 800-253-3000
24:57 or write to P O Box 6, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401.
25:03 Or visit ItIsWritten.com
25:10 >>John: Followers of Jesus are called to enter
25:13 into the work of Jesus.
25:16 The Bible says that Jesus had compassion on others.
25:20 Again and again it says He was moved with compassion.
25:25 The sufferings of others bothered Him.
25:28 Their losses affected Him.
25:30 The struggles of people moved Jesus.
25:35 Would you be moved?
25:36 Remember what God said through the prophet Isaiah
25:39 in Isaiah, chapter 58:
25:41 “Is not this the fast that I have chosen:
25:45 To loose the bonds of wickedness.
25:46 To undo the heavy burdens,
25:50 To let the oppressed go free,
25:52 And that you break every yoke?
25:54 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry;
25:58 And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
26:02 When you see the naked, that you cover him,
26:05 and not hide yourself from your own flesh?
26:10 Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
26:14 your healing shall spring forth speedily,
26:17 and your righteousness shall go before you;
26:20 The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.”
26:24 Isaiah 58:6 through 8.
26:27 >>Dr. Jacob: Once they remove the bandages,
26:28 the patients are so excited.
26:30 At one time you see excitement and joy in the lives
26:35 of these poor patients who have been blind
26:38 for so many, many years.
26:43 Eyes for India is making such a difference
26:46 in the lives of these poor people across India,
26:49 because they are able to live a life of their own.
26:52 They're able to go back to their workplaces.
26:54 They are able to earn and care for their families.
26:57 It makes a huge impact in their life.
27:02 I come from a very remote village,
27:04 from a very poor background.
27:05 Uh, and I see even now the poverty still continues
27:10 in villages across India.
27:13 When I was a child, I received help from many,
27:16 many people, to become something in life.
27:19 Why not me, take this opportunity as a physician
27:22 to go and help people and elevate them of their,
27:27 of their suffering and woes, and give them a real hope
27:31 through my, through my very own life.
27:32 ♪[Music]♪
27:41 >>John: Thank you for making a difference,
27:43 and for giving the gift of sight.
27:46 Let me pray with you now.
27:46 Let's pray together.
27:48 Our Father in Heaven,
27:49 we thank you today for Jesus,
27:51 the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
27:55 We thank you that you've opened up our eyes
27:57 and the eyes of our heart,
27:59 that you've expressed to us that there is
28:00 a God in heaven who loves the human family
28:04 to the extent that he would allow his Son Jesus
28:06 to die that we might live.
28:09 We thank you for the example of Jesus,
28:11 who helped and intervened and healed and blessed.
28:15 Lord, allow us to be used in the same way.
28:19 Thank you that through us you are changing lives in India,
28:25 through the miracle of modern surgery,
28:28 granting people their sight again.
28:32 Heavenly Father, I pray
28:33 that you would bless Dr. Jacob and his team.
28:36 I pray that many would have their eyes opened,
28:40 and that many more would come to know you as the God of Heaven,
28:43 and Jesus as the Savior of all humanity.
28:47 And thank you for those whom you are using
28:51 to make the gift of sight a reality in the lives of others.
28:56 Now bless us, Lord, please, and bless many that they might see,
29:01 and that they might see you.
29:02 In Jesus' name we pray,
29:05 Amen.
29:06 Thank you so much for joining me in India.
29:10 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time.
29:12 Until then, remember,
29:14 “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
29:18 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'”
29:22 ♪[Music]♪

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Revised 2017-08-04