Full Gospel Assembly Batu Pahat

At the invitation from Asian Outreach, we decided to make a trip to Nepal to do a training seminar among the pastors and foot soldiers supported by Asian Outreach.

Together with Bro Barnabas and his wife Verni , we left for Nepal via Bangkok on 3rd June 2008. The moment we touched down, Bro Sangam from Asian Outreach, Nepal, together with his brother-in-law Prakash took us on a four hour drive to Dhading, a small town to the North West of Kathmandu.

See Missions Pictorial Tour of Nepal
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fgabp/sets/72157605644036289/detail/

What we saw was a town that seems to have stood still for the last 50 years. There were no street lights and no traffic on the road except for the occasional old bus or lorry that provide the necessary transport to the outside world. We saw that people were just jaywalking on the middle of the road without any care for traffic as there was none.

We checked into the best hotel in town which is just a shop-house and also supposed to boast of the best restaurant in town. To our surprise the meals that they serve are all the same. The menu never changes. It’s the same vegetables and rice over and over for every meal, every day. When we had our walkabout in the town, we saw that they are still using equipment and tools that have become obsolete elsewhere but still in use in Dhading. They still use the ancient balance as their weigh machines, mud stoves for cooking etc. Blacksmiths are still using the same tools from a century ago.

The next morning we started our first session. Bro Barnabas took the first two sessions on Discipleship. I took the afternoon session on church planting.

The small room of 20 X 20 ft was packed with 65 participants literally sitting from wall to wall. Many of them have walked two to three days from their villages just to come and learn the word of God. A group of forty five people came from some of the village churches high in the Himalaya Mountains. I was told their villages are near the snowline. To come for the seminar, they had to sell part of their seed grain for the next year for 150 rupees (RM7.50) just to raise the bus fare for the last leg of their journey. Their first love is for the Lord and they were willing to sacrifice their seed grain just to invest in the Kingdom. Such is their love for God and their thirst and hunger for the Word. Every session was actively participated with the trainees showing much enthusiasm through active interaction.

The sessions were spread over three days and at the last session, I taught on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and all the trainees soaked in the teaching. There was a genuine desire and hunger to learn about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as they have mentioned that there was much confusion among the churches in the district as some foreign missionaries have come and given very controversial teachings.

At the end of the teaching, we ministered the Baptism of the Holy Spirit to all the participants. Immediately the anointing of God moved powerfully in the room. Many came under the power of the Holy Spirit and some were down on the floor for a very long time. Others were crying out in deep repentance and also as the Holy Spirit did his work of emotional healing among them.

There was such an uproar (like during the time of Pentecost in the upper room) that neighbors came running to see what was happening in the meeting.

Shortly after, we witnessed something that the participants have never experienced before.

One of the brothers who was still lying down on the floor drunk in the Spirit, began to speak a prophecy in the Nepali language. This was followed by others who came forward to testify of prophetic visions that they have seen.

The following are the transcript of the prophecy and the prophetic visions received.

This is the prophecy that was given by a foot soldier from the Himalaya’s mountain village while he was under the power of the Holy Spirit.
1. “My children, my spirit is moving in this place I have given you this teaching so that you can follow it. If you follow it then I will bless you.
I tell you again you are interested in evil things and therefore your love is fading away. I will warn you at this present moment if you don’t obey you will be cursed.”

The whole congregation was quiet and awed as they took in the seriousness of the message.
The following are prophetic visions received by different participants.
2. Vision No 1

A foot soldier shared of the vision of two persons standing at the bank of a deep blue river. One of the men was wearing a white robe and the other was Ps John Lee.
Then she saw a man drowning in the river and the man in white robe pulled him out of the river and after that there was a heavy shower.

Interpretation.

God is saying that the people of Nepal are like the man in the vision being washed away by the deep belief of the old religious system. He wants to save all those who have not yet come to know Him. This can only be accomplished with the commitment of the people of God who are called into the ministry of the Great Commission.

The heavy shower that came after that speaks to us about the blessings of God that would come as the church in Nepal begins to go out and save souls. This speaks of the glory of the latter rain that would be greater than the glory of the former rain. Revival will come to Nepal as the Nepali church seeks Him and move into evangelizing their nation.

3. Vision No 2.

Another foot soldier saw a vision of 2 men standing on top of a high mountain. Again she said she could identify that one of the man was dressed in a white robe and the other was Ps John. There was a deep pit at the side and she saw that a man has fallen into the pit, the man in the white robe then reached out and save the man in the deep pit. After that again there was a big shower.

Interpretation

As in the first vision, the man dying in the deep pit also speaks of the people in this country who are at present in danger of falling into the deep pit of destruction of unbelief.

Again if the local church will rise up to evangelize their own people, then God will send revival and the glory of the latter rain will also be greater than the glory of the former rain.

4. Vision No 3

Another brother saw a vision of a ladder going up to heaven. At the back of the ladder he saw a dry river and after the river he saw another ladder going up to heaven and he also saw people going up and down the ladder.

Interpretation.

The ladder speaks of Jacob’s ladder. In reference to the original vision of Jacob, God had promise Jacob that He would be with him and would accomplish what God has promised.

Gen 28:15 And, behold, I am with you, and will keep you in every place where you go, …. For I will not leave you until I have done that which I have spoken of to you.

The dry river speaks of the spiritual dryness in the land of Nepal and when the church brings the living waters to the nation, God will also send his angels from heaven to assist the church in the coming revival.

5. Vision No 4.

A lady foot soldier saw a large number 5. She said that she heard a voice urging her to come forward to share what she has seen. She does not understand its meaning but obeyed to come forward and share the vision.

Interpretation.

The number 5 signifies the five fold ministries that God wants to bless this nation with. God will surely raise up local Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers as He promise through this vision for the equipping of the saints in this nation.

After things have quiet down, the participants put up a dance by two of their pretty young girls followed by their gesture of appreciation by giving Sis Verni a Nepali scarf and Bro Barnabas and I a Nepali cap each.

The next day was Saturday and I took the weekly worship for the church, only this time the congregation has grown to over one hundred people. It is a heart moving sight as I saw the people squeezed into the 20X20 ft room. They were sitting shoulder to shoulder, wall to wall, without even any space to stretch. The body heat radiated from the people was so great that everyone was perspiring from head to toe. Yet they were so fervent in worship and they sang and dance before the Lord for one and half hour before I gave the message.

Seeing their zeal for the Lord in their simple hearts put us city Christians to shame. We have all the comfort of air-conditioning, high tech equipments, quality teaching but yet the city Christians are unhappy and murmur. We have much to learn from our brethren in this place as far as our love for God and love for one another is concerned.

One other thing that caught my eye was to obedience to the word of God in relation to propriety of worship. Their ladies would immediately cover their heads whenever they move into worship.

1Co 11:3 But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of
the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

1Co 11:4 Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered dishonors his Head.

1Co 11:5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled dishonors her
head; for that is even the same as if she were shaved.

1Co 11:6 For if the woman is not veiled, let her also be shorn. But if it is a shame for a
woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be veiled.

1Co 11:7 For a man indeed ought not to have his head covered, because he is the image
and glory of God. But the woman is the glory of the man.

The other thing that caught my eye was that those who had no money brought their grain and
vegetables to the altar as their sacrifices and tithes. This reminds us that we need to tithe not
only of our money but also the produce of our land.

After the meeting all the sick were prayed for and we left immediately for Kathmandu as it was another four hours journey through mountainous winding road.

The journey through the mountains is not for the weak-hearted. The roads are narrow and winding. The drivers drove like they were participating in a Formula 1 race.

When we got back to Kathmandu, we were once again greeted with the infamous tangle of traffic jam and loud blast of the musical air horns that every vehicle is fitted with. At the cross road junction there are two traffic policemen on duty, but nobody paid heed to their instructions. Giant lorries and buses (converted from old lorries), taxies, motorcycles, tractors, bicycles came from all four directions at the same time each demanding their right of way. All these havoc and confusion was compounded with the loud shouts from the drivers.

The next day three days we taught at the Bishram School of Mission. I taught on the apostolic church and Bro. Barnabas taught on Discipleship again.

The students were eager and they took in all the teaching with zeal.

From the moment I step into the church, I had discerned that the people in the church were under great spiritual oppression and many were intimidated with the spirit of fear.

After all my teaching was completed, I ministered to the whole class and the staff the renunciation of past practices in witch craft and the severing of all ties to the same. Healing was also ministered to those who were in need.

The next day was the penultimate day before we left. In the morning we went over to the Mongol Square which is a huge Hindu complex dating back to the 17th century. It has a series of temple blocks and is still in use today. In fact we witnessed the celebration of their worship to the rain gods which was being celebrated.

In the afternoon, we shifted over to Boudha, where the biggest Tibetan refugee population and the biggest Tibetan stupa (big pagoda) are located in Nepal.

When we arrived, we were greeted with throngs of people both Tibetans and foreign Buddhist pilgrims. They were busying circulating around the stupa and along the way they were chanting their mantras using their prayer beads and also turning the prayer wheels.

Others were busy patronizing the souvenir shops which are well stocked with all kinds of Buddhist paraphernalia.

The purpose of our visit arranged by AO was to expose us to the reality and the difficult task of going about the Great Commission in this historical land of pagan worship. I must admit that the work in Nepal is urgent and tough.

God has been good to us. He was with us throughout the whole duration of our trip keeping us in His safety and also ministering through us for the need of His people in Nepal.

Nepal needs the Lord!!!!!

Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how
shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without
preaching?
Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How
beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of
good things!”

As the Lord said to Isaiah, “Who shall I send?”

Your co-laborer in the Lord.

John

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 24th, 2008 at 12:11 am and is filed under Ministries, News, Missions, Nepal.