On my recent trip to Nepal we spent two days in a village where there was a very small group of Christians, just established in the last 2 years. The people were mostly Hindu with some Muslims there as well. During our clinic time we saw a spirit of chaos, of desperation to get to see the doctor, and just general unrest. We also noticed very few people open to prayer. We knew we were serving the poor, showing God's love and plowing up hard spiritual soil for future harvest, but it still felt a bit discouraging.
The next day we went to a beautiful village in the mountains. It was very remote and hard to reach. However when we arrived we sensed peace and tranquillity. This village was home to some of Nepal’s first believers. Some had spent time in jail for their faith in the early years. A small church had been constructed, and now a larger one. We met one lady who had spent time in jail for her faith. She is now elderly and the doctor on our team who examined her thought she was probably close to death. The church supports her and she lives in a small room next to the church. She reminded me of the story of Anna who lived in the temple and was there to bless Jesus at his dedication. (Luke 2) Now there are over 80% believers in the village. There is a small shop making things, there are crops growing all over the place and we sensed the kingdom of God.
These stories show the transforming power of the gospel. It is not just about "fire insurance" for individual believers, so they can escape hell and go to heaven. When the gospel penetrates a community, we should see genuine transformation as we did in this local village.
Serving on the mountain reminded me that we need to care for our fellow believers, and it was a joy to do that that day. The thing is, as much as it was pleasant to be in the village on the mountain, I know where Jesus would have gone. He would have gone to the village on the plain. And that is where he wants us to go. They need the same live-giving transformation in their community that the village on the mountain experienced. And the only way that can happen is if we obey and go and tell them.
