Participants:
Series Code: JFAN
Program Code: JFAN000102S
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00:00 (bright music)
00:22 - Hello, and welcome to "Jesus for Asia Now". 00:24 I'm Natalie Wood and my husband Jon is here with me today, 00:27 as we take a look at the testimonies of miracles 00:30 from some of our Jesus for Asia Bible workers in India. 00:34 Hello, love. 00:35 - Hi, darling, how are you? 00:36 - I'm doing fine. 00:37 I'm looking forward to these stories. 00:39 - I know, they're amazing. 00:40 They really inspire my own faith. 00:42 - Right. 00:43 Now we wanna start with James. 00:45 He's a Bible worker whose faith has inspired us to think 00:50 about what faith really is also. 00:52 - Yes, and to go on a faith journey ourselves, 00:54 I mean, to pursue more faith in our lives. 00:57 - Right, and we've shared this story before 00:59 in a previous episode, but we wanted more depth, 01:02 we wanted to find out more information, 01:04 and so we've sent our- 01:06 - Foreign correspondents back, Jonathan Hill 01:09 and his wife, Hannah, right to go back to that place, 01:12 'cause when we first taped his testimony, 01:14 we taped all the Bible workers' testimony in that region. 01:18 And when we got this home, we realized what it was 01:22 and we're like, we need more information. 01:24 - Right. 01:26 - We need to talk to the lady and meet the lady 01:28 that this miracle happened for. 01:31 - Right. 01:32 - And so we sent them back and they got to spend time 01:34 with James got his testimony, his conversion story, 01:36 and then met the lady that had been healed 01:39 and got the rest of the story. 01:42 - Okay. 01:43 The first video is not this the story of the lady, 01:46 we're gonna save that. 01:47 First we want to hear James conversion story. 01:51 - Yes. 01:52 - So this is our Bible worker James conversion story. 01:54 - [Jon] Okay. 01:58 (gentle music) 02:08 (speaking in foreign language) 02:14 (speaking in foreign language) 02:23 - [Interpreter] My father was a very devout Hindu priest 02:25 working in a temple. 02:27 Our family never invited Christians to come in our home. 02:30 I didn't really believe in other religions 02:32 and I avoided Christianity. 02:35 My father became very sick one day 02:37 and he was not able to move. 02:39 Then I started thinking, we've been worshiping 02:41 these Hindu gods for a long time, but my father 02:44 is still sick. 02:46 We believed there was a kind of black magic spell 02:49 that was placed on my father, so we thought it might 02:52 only be possible to break it through the Christian prayers. 02:55 That is when I told my father, let's call a pastor to come 02:59 and pray for you to be healed completely. 03:01 Then after a long hesitation, he said, 03:04 "Okay, let someone come." 03:06 So we invited a pastor who was nearby and he came 03:09 and prayed for my father, 03:11 and my father was completely cured. 03:14 That really touched our hearts. 03:15 My father, who was a priest was not cured by the Hindu gods, 03:19 but by the Christian pastor who came in prayed for us. 03:23 And my father was completely healed. 03:25 So we started believing in God 03:27 and that is how we became Christian. 03:30 (gentle music) 03:52 I was taking care of a Pentecostal church near 03:55 where the Seventh Day Adventist Church 03:57 had a revival meeting for five days. 04:00 The church leaders invited me to come to the meetings. 04:03 So the first day I came in, the message that was spoken 04:06 really touched my heart. 04:08 The second day I came and they spoke about the doctrines 04:11 from the Bible, which I never knew before. 04:14 I was so impressed in these two days, that I went home 04:18 and wrote a letter to my administrators. 04:20 I told them, I'm no longer going to be a pastor 04:23 in your church, I'm leaving this church. 04:26 I then continued coming to the meetings for all five nights. 04:29 On the fifth night, they explained what is the true Sabbath 04:32 and how the Sabbath was changed to Sunday. 04:35 These things, I'd never heard in my life. 04:37 So I completely accepted the seventh day Sabbath 04:40 truth from the Bible and was baptized 04:42 into the Seventh Day Adventist Church. 04:45 I asked the church leaders if I could have an opportunity 04:48 to take care of a church or somehow do God's work 04:51 similar to what I had been doing. 04:54 I really wanted to share this Bible truth with the people 04:57 so they gave me a church to take care of 04:59 and that is how from that day on till today, 05:02 I'm doing this work for the Lord. 05:05 There are obstacles and problems and difficulties, 05:08 but when I pray to the Lord, "Oh Lord, give me strength." 05:12 God is giving me His strength by the Holy Spirit. 05:15 I thank the Lord for the way he is leading me and guiding me 05:19 and taking care of all my needs and my family's needs 05:22 in this ministry. 05:25 (bright music) 05:33 - Isn't that amazing? - Yeah. 05:34 - His father was a Hindu priest and yet God healed him. 05:37 - Right. 05:38 Right. 05:39 That is amazing. 05:40 - [Jon] Beautiful story. 05:42 - Yeah, and how he came to know the truth of the Sabbath. 05:44 - Yes. 05:45 - And right away, he wanted to be helping 05:47 - [Jon] Yes. - to spread the Gospel. 05:48 - So the seed of truth was planted in his life 05:51 and it grew up into him then becoming a sower. 05:55 A broadcaster giving the seed of truth 05:57 into people's lives. 05:58 - Right. 05:59 So that's a beautiful story. 06:01 - [Jon] Yeah. 06:02 - And the next part of the story is the lady story 06:04 that was healed of elephantiasis. 06:07 - Yes. 06:08 Now, elephantiasis, you can do a research, 06:10 you can do a search on the internet right now and see 06:12 that it's incurable, right? 06:15 - This lady had it and her leg was like this big 06:18 and it was a terrible disease. 06:21 In the video that we have here, you can hear her say 06:23 how the doctors were ready to amputate her leg 06:26 because it's incurable. 06:28 You can manage it, but you can't cure this thing. 06:31 And so this is her miracle story of her 06:33 and we're gonna meet her in this video. 06:35 - Okay. 06:36 - And so let's watch this. 06:38 (gentle music) 06:44 (speaking in foreign language) 06:47 - [Interpreter] He says she was about to die. 06:50 She was in that kind of sickness. 06:53 (speaking in foreign language) 06:55 - [Interpreter] My husband was very sad 06:57 because I was on my deathbed. 07:00 Everyone thought that I might die at any time. 07:04 We spent so much money trying to find a cure, 07:06 but nothing helped me. 07:08 I had the disease called elephantiasis. 07:11 My leg was swollen very big, and there was a hole 07:15 where worms would sometimes come out, and it smelled rotten. 07:20 I could hardly walk, and it was only with a great deal 07:23 of pain that I was able to go anywhere. 07:26 When I went to the doctors, they said my leg would need 07:29 to be amputated. 07:31 We bought flour and made an image like me 07:34 and put it in the corner. 07:35 The people from the temple came 07:37 and did Hindu prayer rituals. 07:39 I was willing to try anything. 07:42 (James speaking in foreign language) 07:44 - [Interpreter] People were telling her 07:45 to go drink this animal blood 07:47 and eat this and drink that. 07:49 She tried everything but nothing healed her. 07:51 (bright music) 07:55 - [Interpreter] The belief I had in Hinduism 07:58 did not help me. 08:00 I suffered so much with the unbearable pain. 08:03 Then one Saturday, I went to the church and cried 08:06 to the pastor, please pray for me. 08:10 I cannot bear this pain and this stench. 08:18 - [Interpreter] I prayed for her and encouraged her 08:20 to pray to God as well. 08:21 Then I took coconut oil and put it on the elephantiasis 08:25 where she had that wound. 08:27 And then I told her, by next week, you will see a miracle, 08:32 your sickness will be healed and you will share 08:34 that testimony in the church next Sabbath. 08:37 After I applied that oil prayerfully, 08:40 the puss that was coming out of the wound stopped coming. 08:43 And then I told her I needed to come to her house 08:46 and pray with her there as well. 08:48 (tense music) 08:51 - [Interpreter] Pastor James told me, 08:53 "You don't need to worry, we have God. 08:56 The God who is alive, He can give you strength. 09:00 Don't give up, don't cry, we will pray 09:04 and God will heal you completely." 09:11 (James speaking in foreign language) 09:13 - [Interpreter] The Bible says, 09:15 "Whatever you ask in My name, I will give." 09:18 All her neighbors were very strong Hindus, so in my heart, 09:21 I was thinking, "Oh Lord, if you do this miracle, 09:25 those people can see it and they can draw close to you." 09:28 So that gave me the courage to tell her 09:30 that she would be healed by the next Sabbath. 09:33 Well, when I went to her house, I sensed 09:35 that there was an evil spirit in her house. 09:37 So I prayed and I was impressed to take water 09:39 and pray for the water and sprinkle it around the house. 09:43 When I was sprinkling the water, 09:44 I could feel heat coming from the floor in the house. 09:49 So I asked him to dig a hole there. 09:51 As her husband was digging, he found a coconut 09:54 and in it, there was some of her hair, some pig hair 09:58 and needles and ashes from the graveyard 10:01 and many other things. 10:02 Her neighbors didn't like her and they wanted her house, 10:06 so I think they did some black magic and hid this coconut 10:09 under her house hoping that she would either die 10:12 or vacate the house so they could take it. 10:16 (James speaking in foreign language) 10:24 After we found the coconut, I said, "Let's go and burn it." 10:28 So we went out and burned it and it smelled 10:30 like human flesh burning. 10:32 We continued praying in her house for two hours. 10:35 Then that night, she had a dream. 10:37 She could see Jesus standing there with many bright angels 10:40 in the dream. 10:41 The next morning, she came running to my house 10:43 to tell me what the dream was and what happened to her. 10:47 And after that, by the grace of God, 10:49 her wound was completely healed. 10:51 Her leg that was swollen with elephantiasis 10:54 was completely cured. 10:55 And now she is normal. 10:57 (James speaking in foreign language) 11:03 - [Interpreter] After I was healed, my family told me, 11:06 "You go and follow that God that saved you 11:09 from that sickness. 11:10 This is a wonderful miracle in your life." 11:13 And now, I've completely surrendered myself to the Lord. 11:17 I will follow Jesus until I die. 11:20 I will not give up this faith. 11:22 I have been baptized and Jesus is my Savior. 11:27 (gentle music) 11:33 - I love how she saw Jesus. 11:35 - Yeah. 11:36 - I just love that, that is so beautiful. 11:38 He came to her. - Yeah. 11:40 - And if she has a dirt floor inside her house, 11:44 she's not a wealthy lady. - No. 11:46 - She's a poor lady, and anyway, 11:50 it just it's beautiful to me 11:52 that he came and spoke to her himself. 11:55 - Yeah, and her family says, "You go and serve this Jesus. 11:59 That's a beautiful miracle in your life, 12:00 you should serve him." 12:02 - Right. - That's amazing. 12:04 - [Natalie] Yeah, I love it. 12:05 - And the faith of James, that says 12:07 that this coming Sabbath, "You will have a testimony 12:10 of your healing." 12:11 - Right. 12:12 - It (indistinct) such confidence in Christ. 12:14 - Right, and he shared in that video 12:17 that he had that confidence because he was praying 12:20 for the conversion of everyone around her. 12:23 And so it's like, knowing that they needed to know 12:25 who this God was. - Yes. 12:27 - That she was gonna see heal her, gave him 12:31 the confidence in that God to say, "He's gonna heal you. 12:35 and next week, you're gonna come and testify." 12:38 - So inspiring. 12:39 - Yeah. 12:40 - So inspiring and I look at that and say, 12:42 wow, I don't really have very much faith. 12:44 - Right. 12:44 (Jon laughs) 12:46 - To expect God to do such amazing things, 12:48 to just depend on on his goodness to do this. 12:51 - Right. 12:53 - And so that's launched me on a quest to grow my own faith. 12:57 - Right. 12:58 - According to what's possible in the Bible. 13:00 - Right. 13:01 - So I'm inspired by our own Bible workers. 13:03 - Right. 13:04 - And what's amazing is that we can sponsor Bible workers 13:07 like this person to take the gospel in a more effective way 13:11 than I could if I went over myself. 13:14 - That's right. 13:14 That's right. 13:16 It's really such a neat opportunity and it's so humbling 13:19 to be able to serve them in their walk with Him. 13:22 - Absolutely. 13:23 And the simple life, but they have all kinds of challenges 13:26 in their lives, and yet they claimed by faith to God 13:29 and His promises, that just inspires me to, 13:33 what am I putting my faith in besides God, 13:37 and maybe that's hindering God from from doing 13:42 all that he would like to do in my life 13:44 for the witness of those around us? 13:46 - Yeah. 13:47 Many times our lives are too complex 13:49 and I don't know if it's blocked God, but our busyness 13:53 blocks God from having the access to us 13:56 that he would so dearly love to have. 13:58 - Right. 13:59 - And our complications and our comforts, 14:01 those things distract us from the connection with God 14:04 that we need. 14:06 - Some people say to me, a lot of people have said, 14:08 how can we don't see those kind of miracles here in America? 14:11 And I think is because we don't really need them, 14:13 and we don't look for them, and we don't expect them 14:15 although we have the same Bible that he has, 14:17 we have the same God that he has, 14:18 we have the same opportunities to put 14:20 that kind of faith in God. 14:22 But we've developed a lot of mechanisms to take the place 14:26 of our dependency on God. 14:28 - Right. 14:29 So our next video is about Ramesh and his conversion. 14:32 - Yes, now, Ramesh is another one of our Bible workers, 14:34 but he didn't start out as a Bible worker. 14:36 In fact, he was very angry towards our Bible workers, 14:41 and he was planning to beat them up. 14:43 - Okay. 14:44 - And he ended up... 14:45 Well, you'll hear the story in this video. 14:46 - [Natalie] Okay. 14:48 (bright music) 14:59 (Ramesh speaking in foreign language) 15:02 - [Interpreter] One day, a couple of ladies came to my area 15:04 handing out literature about Jesus Christ. 15:07 They came to my house and gave pamphlets to us, 15:10 but when I saw what it was, I was very angry with them. 15:14 We were Hindu, and I was not interested in Christianity. 15:19 Then they began to come regularly to my area, 15:22 and one day I planned to hurt them. 15:25 My wife, who was pregnant at the time, found out 15:28 that I was planning to hurt them, and she said, 15:31 "No, you cannot do that to them. 15:34 Let us see what they're trying to teach. 15:36 If it is good, we can accept it, but if it's bad, 15:39 we can leave it, but you are not going to hurt them." 15:43 So my wife started listening to them and they prayed 15:45 for my wife and came to visit her often 15:47 to teach her about the Bible. 15:50 Later, and they gave me some pamphlets, 15:51 and I started reading it and God touched my heart 15:55 through that literature. 15:56 I accepted Jesus as my Savior. 15:59 My family and I accepted the truth and we became 16:02 Seventh Day Adventists. 16:04 (gentle music) 16:20 (Ramesh speaking in foreign language) 16:25 Before I accepted the truth, we were very poor. 16:28 Sometimes we didn't even have enough food to eat. 16:31 The Bible says that the truth will set you free. 16:35 After I accepted this truth, I was able to get 16:37 a very good job and my whole life has changed. 16:41 Jesus led me into many blessings, so I wanted to become 16:44 a full time worker to share the truth with the people 16:48 in the darkness of the world. 16:50 I started going and sharing the love of Jesus. 16:53 That desire is why I wanted to become a Bible worker. 16:57 By the grace of God, I've been able to lead 16 people 17:00 to be converted. 17:08 (Jon laughs) 17:09 - Amazing, 17:10 - So awesome that the seed that he received 17:12 became a desire to share that seed with others. 17:15 - Yeah and now 16 others at the time of the filming of this 17:18 have now entered into faith with Christ. 17:20 - [Natalie] Right. 17:22 - But we have an amazing story coming up 17:24 of how he has impacted one lady's life and her family. 17:29 - Okay. 17:30 - So in this video, we'll meet a lady 17:32 that had terminal cancer, and how God worked another miracle 17:36 in her life through the prayers of Ramesh and his wife. 17:39 - [Natalie] Okay. 17:40 (calm music) 17:49 (Shanti speaking in foreign language) 17:55 - [Interpreter] I was diagnosed with breast cancer, 17:58 and I was having terrible pain. 18:01 I didn't know what to do. 18:03 I went to many hospitals and doctors for treatment, 18:06 It was very expensive even though I couldn't really afford 18:09 to do that. 18:11 The doctors told me that they needed to do surgery 18:13 to remove the tumor. 18:15 I didn't have the money and I didn't want to do the surgery 18:19 because they couldn't be sure that the cancer would be gone. 18:23 (motorbike engine roaring) 18:28 (speaking in foreign language) 18:30 - [Interpreter] I was the priest and our local Hindu Temple. 18:34 When my wife got cancer, 18:35 we went to many hospitals and doctors. 18:39 I was also doing many prayer rituals and worshiping 18:42 the Hindu idols, but nothing helped my wife 18:46 (bright music) 18:54 (speaking in foreign language) 18:57 - My son in law told me, "You need to go 19:00 to a Christian church and see if the pastor 19:03 will pray for you. 19:04 You might be cured." 19:06 So I went to a nearby church where I met a lady. 19:10 She gave me Ramesh's number and I called him 19:14 and introduced myself and asked him to pray for me. 19:21 (Ramesh speaking in foreign language) 19:28 - [Interpreter] When Shanti first called me, she was crying. 19:31 She had terrible pain. 19:33 So I went to visit her home and prayed for her. 19:36 She was very confident and I taught her how to pray 19:39 and ask God in faith for healing. 19:42 I asked the church to pray for her as well. 19:46 (calm music) 19:52 (Shanti speaking in foreign language) 19:56 - [Interpreter] Ramesh and his wife began coming frequently 20:00 to my house to pray with me for my sickness. 20:03 When I saw their love and dedication, I was really touched. 20:08 I told him if this cancer is cured, I will completely 20:12 give myself to the Lord Jesus Christ. 20:16 I told Ramesh that I wanted to come to his church. 20:20 He encouraged me to come to the ladies' prayer meeting 20:23 on Friday afternoons, and I started to have faith in Jesus, 20:28 like Ramesh was teaching me. 20:32 Before I went to take the chemo, I would go to the church 20:35 and pray for God to heal me because the medicine 20:38 couldn't help me. 20:40 After taking six rounds of chemo, my health was very bad. 20:44 I was very tired, and very weak. 20:48 They did a scan and the tumor size was the same, 20:51 so I decided to stop taking chemo. 20:54 I believed that God would heal me. 20:58 One of the members in this church told me 21:00 about a health center in a nearby state 21:03 that specialized in cancer treatment, 21:06 but I said, no, I'm not going anywhere. 21:09 God can heal me completely. 21:13 I kept leaving these things at the feet of the Lord. 21:16 I've prayed earnestly for healing, and Ramesh never gave up. 21:20 He and his wife would come to my house often to pray. 21:24 (bright music) 21:36 - [Interpreter] As we were praying, she was slowly 21:38 getting healed from her sickness. 21:40 Then she went to the hospital and the doctor 21:42 asked, "What other treatments she'd been doing?" 21:45 She said, "I'm not taking any other treatment." 21:48 The doctor said, "But we can see 21:51 that you are experiencing healing." 21:53 (Shanti speaking in foreign language) 21:57 - [Interpreter] I began to feel the healing in my body. 22:00 As I came closer to the Lord, I could feel that the cancer 22:04 was getting better. 22:05 Ramesh told me to go and get a scan to see 22:08 if the cancer was gone, but I said, 22:11 "No, my God has completely cured me. 22:14 I don't need to have a scan, I can feel that the cancer 22:18 is gone and I am cured." 22:21 For the last six months, there's no pain, not tumor. 22:25 I thank God for that. 22:28 I now have more strength to work than ever before. 22:31 I thank the Lord for His strength and healing. 22:35 (bright music) 22:40 - [Interpreter] When I saw all these things happening 22:42 and that my wife was completely cured by this great miracle, 22:46 that is when I gave up everything. 22:48 I told the community leaders that they needed 22:50 to find someone else to be the priest at the temple, 22:53 because I am no longer a Hindu. 22:56 For the past seven months, I haven't even gone 22:58 into the Hindu temple. 23:00 I started attending the Seventh Avenue church with my wife, 23:04 and I thank God for the miracle 23:06 that he has performed for her. 23:08 (bright music) 23:18 - [Interpreter] Shanti told me that she wants 23:19 to be baptized. 23:21 She has given herself completely to Jesus Christ. 23:25 This has also had a great impact on the church members 23:27 because they were praying for her to be healed. 23:30 And when they saw that she was healed from this cancer, 23:33 their faith grew stronger. 23:36 The life Shanti has taught me once again that Jesus 23:38 is the creator and the true God. 23:41 He is the most powerful God in the universe. 23:44 This experience has made me come very close to God 23:47 because I was praying for her 23:49 and when God hears our prayers and we see the answers, 23:53 it is a great experience. 23:55 It is like tasting how sweet God is. 24:01 - [Interpreter] In my community, 24:02 the neighbors were surprised. 24:04 They asked me, "You're feeling better, 24:07 but you didn't have any surgery. 24:09 What happened?" 24:11 And now I'm telling them of the love and the power of Jesus. 24:15 I'm boldly telling them, I'm not a Hindu anymore. 24:19 God healed me so I am a living witness for Him. 24:23 You should also accept Him. 24:27 I've told my children that if something happens, and I die, 24:30 I don't want a Hindu funeral, I want it the Christian way. 24:34 I have completely given myself to the Lord 24:37 and I am very thankful for his leading in my life, 24:41 and for the miracle he performed for me. 24:44 I will never forget this Jesus. 24:47 I will be a living witness for him until I die. 24:50 (bright music) 25:11 - I'm just seeing them when they enter the gate in heaven 25:16 and Jesus Himself puts a crown of gold on their head. 25:19 - Yeah. 25:21 - [Jon] That's gonna be a really cool moment. 25:22 - Yeah, and I love how she did the medical, 25:29 she was doing the chemo that they were telling her to do 25:30 and nothing was changing. 25:32 - Right. 25:33 - But then when she went back to the doctors 25:34 after she was just focusing on prayer 25:37 and learning to know God, they said, "What are you doing?" 25:41 - Yeah. 25:42 - "What kind of treatment are you doing? 25:43 Where have you gone?" 25:43 - [Jon] Yeah. 25:45 - And she said, I'm being treated by the great physician. 25:47 - Yeah, and God healed her completely, 25:50 the tumor was completely gone. 25:52 - Yeah, God is awesome. 25:54 - Yes, you noticed she talked about wanting 25:56 to have a Christian funeral? 25:58 - Yeah. 26:00 - The difference between a Christian and a Hindu funeral, 26:02 the Hindu funeral is designed to release the spirit 26:06 or the life into the next reincarnation pattern. 26:10 - [Natalie] Right. 26:11 - So they do the burning of the body, is designed 26:14 to release the spirit, whereas the Christian funeral 26:17 is a burial into the ground, dust we came from 26:21 and dust we'll go to, and it symbolizes a waiting 26:24 in the grave until the second coming when Jesus comes 26:27 and raises all those that fell asleep in him 26:30 from the grave to see him and be lifted up into heaven 26:34 with him and it's gonna be an amazing place to be. 26:38 - [Natalie] Right. - Yeah. 26:39 At that first resurrection. 26:41 - Right. 26:42 Yeah, one of the things that I just love 26:43 is that there are more people like James and Ramesh 26:47 that are willing to become Bible workers 26:50 and wanting to become Bible workers 26:52 on behalf of their fellow men. 26:54 - Right, and especially in this time 26:56 where we can't travel over there, they're still pressing 27:00 the victories of the cross into areas that are dark. 27:04 And just recently, we've entered places that have never had 27:08 this Three Angels message before, 27:10 And so even though things are getting tougher, 27:13 these guys are going forward in ways 27:15 that are bringing new people 27:18 into an understanding of Christ, and into this blessed hope 27:22 that we sometimes take for granted. 27:24 - Yeah, that's for sure. 27:26 - So I'm very excited about being able to serve 27:28 people like James and Ramesh and the others 27:31 that they're bringing to the cross 27:32 and becoming Bible workers in their place. 27:36 - Right. 27:37 Yeah, it's such a privilege. 27:38 - It is a huge privilege. 27:40 - Well, thank you for bringing us 27:41 these awesome miracle stories today. 27:43 - Oh, my pleasure. 27:44 - I just love it and I would like to invite you 27:46 to help this work go forward in Asia. 27:48 You can contact us at, Jesus for Asia, 27:51 P.O. Box 1221 Collegedale, Tennessee 37315. 27:57 Call us at (423) 413-7321 or visit our website 28:02 at Jesus4asia.org. 28:04 May God richly bless you until we see you next time 28:07 on "Jesus for Asia Now". |
Revised 2020-12-22