Muslim conquests of the Indian subcontinent mainly took place from the 12th to 16th centuries. There was a limited incursion by Muslims in the 8th century. The slaughter of Hindu’s and Buddhists was severe and the Indian culture was looking for a way to accommodate the convert and die demands of Islam! The beautiful thing about Christianity is it is not convert or die but convert and live! Guru Nanak (1469-1549), founded a religion that included Islam, Hinduism and some Sufi mysticism. He began teaching in 1515 A.D. and today has a following of about 30 million Sikhs! Sikhism combines these as a way of reconciliation with the Muslims. What I did find with boots on the ground 3 years in India that they are the most challenging people to witness the Gospel of Jesus Christ too! They are a very bold people but yet respectful! When Britain and the United States were fighting the Japanese in Burma during World War II were quoted as saying, “We do not fear the Brits or Americans but we do fear the Sikhs!” Sometimes they get upset with our Gospel Tract, Who is God? This is because we address both elements of their religion. I do not want any people group to miss out on Christ so I proceed at any cost! In Christ’s Love. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Tag: india
Love Always!
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway. What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway. Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway. Source; Mother Teresa, Calcutta, India.
Sticks and Stones ! Mark 16:14
The year was 1986. We were living in Yercaud India in our second year of mission work in India. It was a challenge living on this mountain top in South India. Electricity was only on for about 2 hours per day! Scorpions, rats and snakes lived with us in our house! However it was a beautiful place with coffee estates and tropical fruit everywhere! It was truly a village with no gas station and animals roaming the streets. Our house was located on Lady’s Seat Road next to a convent. The slums were all around us with people living in huts with manure dried floors and grass roofs. There are good slums and bad slums so the locals warned us not to go to one particular slum and if you did you may not come out! There was plenty of other work there so we stayed away. One day we took the long way around the village back to our house from the village shops. I do not even remember why? The road went along side this forbidden slum but I thought we were safe in our vehicle. Well a dog ran out in front of our vehicle and got one of his feet under a tire. A mob of people surrounded our car from this village. They picked up rocks and brought bamboo poles from their huts. They swarmed over our vehicle like ants so thick we could not see out any window glass! They were screaming they need to kill us because I drove over their dog and next it will be our children! We offered to pay for the dog and his injury but did not help! Even our daughter Sandra who was 4 years old then says she was so scared because the car was so dark inside with people covering the window glass! In the midst of all this chaos a man comes walking down the road and stops next to our vehicle. This man looked like an escaped criminal with knife scars on his face and arms. I thought it was surely over for us now! My wife Hamsa translated for me what he was telling the mob. In Tamil he told the crowd the following! He said, “You bunch of dogs! This man has a feeding program in your village and is feeding your children everyday! They have rented a building for a day care center and medical clinic! So is this how you return thanks to him? He did not have to come all the way from America to feed you dogs! If any of you touch this man or harm him me and my gang members will take care of you! The mob melted away back into their huts. As I was driving back to our house just over the hill drops of sweat were still dripping off my forehead! Then the most beautiful thought came to me! Now I have a free pass to go into this slum! So the next day at the crack of dawn I entered into this slum with pockets full of candy for the children and Gospel tracts for the adults! So the stones were rolled away and life entered death! I gained a lot of important lessons with my years in India. One important lesson is that you cannot really change a culture! If you do it is like trying to stop a tidal wave with your hands! Our Pastor Brady Boyd in his Sunday message at New Life Church here in Colorado Springs made a very important point! He said, ” Christianity historically is strongest when giving, loving and serving those who live in the margins of the culture!” Why the political and cultural battles rage sow seeds of love to the disenfranchised of our community! The widows, orphans, single moms and homeless! Roll that stone away and bring life to the hopeless! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Who Can You Trust? Micah 7:5-7
These statements in verses 5 – 7 in Micah Chapter 7 made by Micah are reflected in the teaching of Christ to His disciples. (Matthew 10:35-37) Jesus was also showing how complete dedication to Him would bring about rejection from those close to you and even in your immediate family! The person who places family ahead of his or her service to Christ is called “unworthy.” (Matthew 10:38) The assurance is given by Micah that it is worthwhile to trust completely in God for salvation! Resting in Him is the only way to find peace, especially when a believer’s on family forsakes him or her. (Hebrews 13:5) A qualifier here is that you do not neglect, abuse or abandon your family in the Name of the Lord! I can remember when we left for India in 1984 for a 3 year commission I shared with my father that I heard from God and was sure of my calling and confirmed by other people. My father said you must have heard from the devil? I love my dad and he passed away about 4 years ago. I still love him. Point here is this comes with the calling of Christ in your life. People and family do not understand your calling and judge it prematurely! If you do not get resistance from family and others in ministry you are probably spiritually dead! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Miracle Crusade — Aurora Colorado — November 2nd, 2013
Raji Soupra from India will be holding a Miracle Crusade Saturday November 2nd at Harvest Christian Center in Aurora Colorado from 3 – 7 PM. Miracles, Signs and Wonders are worked through Raji by God! Church address is; 14100 E. Jewell Avenue, Aurora, Colorado 80012. Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
How many times did Jesus talk about money?
Jesus talked more about money than heaven and hell combined! Jesus talked more about money than anything else except the Kingdom of God. Facts; In 11 of 39 parables he talked about money. In 1 out of every 7 verses in the Gospel of Luke he talked about money.Why? We will cover these reasons as we explore James Chapter 5 in our Sunday School class this Sunday. I will post this class on YouTube. Just Google Youtube and then type in IndiaJesusLovesyou’s channel. Thankyou. James Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Hindu Temple
The year was 1987. We were nearing the completion of our 3 year commission to India by the Korean Church. We needed to sell our vehicle in preparation for returning to the United States. The way you sell things in India is just put the word out amoung the local villagers! News travels fast in these remote areas. A young man named Benny told me this Hindu Priest was wanting to purchase my vehicle and if I would come up to the Temple he would pay me. Local Pastor’s in India warned me never to accept invitations to Hindu Temples! So I refused many invites by these Hindu Priests. So I told Benny no! Benny told me this is different. He only wants to buy your vehicle. It is simply buisness. So I decided to go. So Benny got in my vehicle with me and we made the steep pull up the mountain into the remote tribal area. As we approached the front entrance of this big Hindu Temple I could smell the sweet fragrance of incense sticks burning in the Temple. We were greeted at the front entrance by two beautiful young girls! They could have even been teen agers. One girl went to my left side and the other to my right side. They put one hand into my hand and the other on my forearm and escorted me into the Temple. I felt like the chosen King on prom night back in high school! With their collective beauty,perfumes and incense burning in the Temple I began to feel sedated! I began to feel sorry for the folks back home in America! Then the thought hit me. Where is Benny? As I was escoted deeper into this Temple some things began to trouble me? The doors into the rooms and halls had iron gates on them much like a jail cell? There seemed to be alot of girls in this Temple? Some not modestly dressed? Then I walked by this European looking guy sitting on the floor with his head shaved! This young man was like staring into space. His eyes were glassy and his soul looked empty? I glanced into one room as I walked by and there were these 3 iron stakes anchored into the cement with leather straps tied on them? I asked one of my escorts where we were going? I cannot completely descibe the foreboding feelings I had at this time? The girls told me they were taking me to the guest room where the Hindu Priest will give me the money for the vehicle. Even though I wanted to pull away and get out of there I was like mesmerized by the spiritual atmosphere there! It was like something was taking control of me? Much like the cobra spitting his venom into the air in a room to disable his victims! The girls finally took me into this room and asked me to sit down in the chair. The girls pulled the curtain over the door and left the room. This room only had one chair in the middle of the room and I was sitting on it? No pictures on the walls and only one door to exit the room. No windows either? I began to have more concerns! I got up out of my chair moved the curtain back but the iron gate was locked behind the curtain! No time to panic but I did begin to sweat! I went back to my chair. Where was Benny? Suddenly two different girls came from behind the curtain! They were as pretty and young as the first two but were not modestly dressed? They wore short grass skirts with their tops adequately displayed chanting and dancing around me in my chair? They had ankle chains on their legs with bells attached so when they danced the bells would jingle! They had tambourines they were beating. My natural defences began to further abate. My thoughts were now who cares where Benny is! As the girls would dance, chant and sway their bodies around me with the beat to the music they began to make eye contact with me. They would fix their eyes on my eyes and then shift their eyes rapidly left to right and then right to left. I began to feel dizzy! This went on for about 10 or 15 minutes. I really lost track of time? I was now moving into a deeper hypnotic state! Then the girls abruptly left the room! I wanted to get out but now unable to even get out of my chair? I was like unable to respond to my natural senses? I would later learn the European looking guy was made a eunuch in the Temple along with some other fellows there. Now there was an ominous quiet period while I was waiting for the next act! Suddenly these huge drums began to beat? Then I began to hear this male voice chanting in the distance. This voice began to get louder as this man got closer to me! I could also hear a tambourine beating. Suddenly this huge man broke through the door curtain! He must have weighed 300 pounds and looked like a sumo wrestler! He was bare chested with bright colors were painted all over him! He like the girls were dancing,chanting, banging his tambourine and trying to focus his eyes on mine. He had a full beard and long hair. He looked like a bat out of hell! The girls softened me up and this guy was going to take me down! Then about a dozen girls entered the room and joined the high priest in their chants and dances! Yes the choir was now in place! His cheer leaders! Then behind the girls stood Benny! Betrayal at its best! I cried out to Jesus and called on His Blood to break this demonic spell! Suddenly this spirit of control over me was broken! Yes in the twinkling of an eye satan’s spell over me was broken! The priest with his harem stopped and left the room! I got up out of my chair left the room and temple and drove my vehicle back to Yercaud. I sold my vehicle in Madras and we left India for the United States! These Hindu Priests make prostitutes out of the women and eunuches out of the men! Stay out of the Hindu Temples! James Sasse. GodWgoisGod.com
Which Kingdom do you want?
The year was 1985. We had been in India one year then. We had just moved from Madras(Chennai), to a hill station named Yercaud. The name Yercaud in the Tamil Language means the village of the lake and the forest. It is a beautiful place with coffee estates, mango trees and assortment of fruits! This village was so remote that there was no gas station there. The problem for us was finding suitable housing for my family. My daughters at that time were 4 and 5 years old. My concern was for their safety. A friend of ours from Salem had been searchin for us and through another friend located this Hindu man who owned coffee estates in Yercaud and also had a English hotel converted for his summer home. Rich people there would escape the summer heat and live in the cool hill stations for the season. This man owned a car manufacturing and boat manufacturing company. He was also an M.D. educated in the United States. Having lived in the U.S. he could not understand why we came to India? This mansion was remote and beautiful! It was nested on the edge of a cliff with a panoramic view of Salem Valley below! Also a clear view of Metur Dam. The clouds would hit you in the face! Yes due to low cloud elevation across south india any mountain would be covered in clouds. Yes I was walking in clouds! As I would sit in this old english chair with extended arms for your legs and view the valley below I used to feel sorry for the folks back in America. They had to get up every morning and go to work everyday! Fight the traffic, bosses and all else! What really bugged me about this Hindu man was he never asked for rent? I offered him but he declined? After we had lived there for about 3 months the owner approached me and told me he would like to make an offer to me. He asked me if I would like to live in his mansion for the rest of my life! He told me he would pay for my daughters tuition and living expenses through college in the United States. To sweeten the deal he told me he would find me alot of young girls for me down in Salem valley! He told me to think it over for about two weeks. He had to go to America on buisness and would get back with me. I thought the girls are out but the rest? What is the motive? I again began to feel sorry for the folks back home! Well, this Hindu man returned to Yercaud and asked me if I would take his offer? However he said there was only one condition? I must stop preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all the people on Yercaud mountain! I politely told him this is the reason we came to India! He told me we have 3 days to vacate mansion! The hardest thing I ever had to tell my family was we had to move in 3 days! I did not tell my wife Hamsa the real reason we had to move until 25 years later! Well we ended up in a scorpion, rat and snake infested house for the next two years! I thought about those fortunate people back in America! About two weeks before leaving Yercaud and India for the United States the rich man pulled his Mercedes Benz convertible up along side me while I was walking. He asked me again why I had come to India? I told him for the last time because God has sent me here! Satan will offer you all the Kingdoms of this world if you just bow down and worship him! It gets down to two Kingdom’s! The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan! Everyday for the rest of your life you will have to make a choice what Kingdom you want? Choose this day who you will serve! Thankyou. James Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Yom Kippur-Day of Atonement
The door to Holiness is in you! It is the one marked mistakes. The Holiness of Yom Kippur exists in the space we make through our mistakes. We do not study our defeat to learn from it, we study our defeat to love from it! Source; Rabbi Stephen Baars. Comment; This Rabbi has some good insight here. The year was 1973. I was a young man on my death bed. I had some defeats in my life. I knew it was my last night on earth! I had made one good choice. I received Christ a few days before! I closed my eyes in death. Christ entered the room and told me God Loves You! I am now 62 years old and no experience in my entire life has ever matched Christ coming into my life! Christ’s Love has been healing me ever since 1973. As the Rabbi said His Love flowed out of my defeat! The next 10 years was street ministry to drunks, prostitutes and every other person I met down on Larimer street in Denver, Colorado. Larimer Street was skid row where the worst of the worst hung out! The drunks would be asleep on the side walk and I would awaken them and tell them that Jesus Loves You! It was prison ministry every week. His Love poured out of me and then on to India in 1983. The rest is history. No, His Love continues to flow out of me in 2011. Please see; IndiaJesusLovesyou.com
Water Bed Fountain!
The year was 1986 in Yercaud India. We brought our water bed matresses from USA to India. They were popular then and comfortable. We set them up on the floor and filled them with water. Problem was the servants were afraid of them because they moved when they touched them while cleaning! Our servant in Yercaud asked my wife why a water bed? Even with the explaination my wife gave her she still thought there was more reasons for this bed? One day this servant told my wife the reason for the bed! At night we could use a straw and drink water from the bed so we did not have to get out of bed at night! We had a chicken in Yercaud that would fly through our window and lay an egg every day on our water bed! I would just gather the egg and had breakfast! Life was simpler in those days! It also had its challenges! Thankyou. James Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com