So what is it? God delivered me off my death bed 45 years ago as a young man! I did not deserve it but He did it! A miracle and my first at the hands of Jesus! After this event I was actively involved in ministry through my local church! I went into prisons! I went down to the skid rows down on Larimer street in Denver Colorado! I went down to the drunks in alleys sleeping and awakening them and telling them Jesus loves you! I held Gospel meetings in the alleys of slum area’s of Denver! Saturday morning I was there among them preaching the Gospel! I was faithful for 10 years in these kind of ministries! I spent time in half-way houses holding prayer meetings! Then visions came to me in the middle of the night! Visions of going to the foreign mission field! I went to my local Pastor and explained these visions to him but he felt I should spend 4 years in Bible school. However the window was open now but for how long? I went back to other churches we had attended over the years in Denver but they all had excuses why they could not help us! Then my wife in Denver heard over the Christian radio station that the pastor of the world’s largest church was coming to Denver for crusades! My wife asked me if we should go see him? I was skeptical? If these Pastor’s here in Denver don’t want us even though we supported them for years who are we to this guy? I told Hamsa we are going to put our house up for sale this week and I am resigning my job! We are selling everything we have except two traveling bags each and buying a one way ticket to India! Sponsor or no sponsor we are going! She told me before you take this big step of faith why not take a small step of faith and go to this crusade! So we took our two little daughters who were 3 and 5 years old and went down to the crusade! It seemed uneventful? We left out to the parking lot after it was over with hundreds of cars leaving the parking lot! We went to our car and then it seemed out of nowhere Pastor Cho surrounded by elder’s was heading to his limo! My wife told me to stay with the children and I will talk to him! She shouted through the ring of elder’s and told Pastor Cho we are going to India as missionaries would you pray for us! He told my wife to bring your husband and we will pray! He took our hands and began to prayer for about 30 seconds. Then he told us we would come to Korea to be commissioned by our church for a 3 year work in India! The rest is history! So what is the bed rock foundation for ministry? I learned later that Cho as a young man was dying of TB! The hospital sent him home to die! He lived in a slum of Seoul. He was coughing up cups of blood! This little teenage girl would come by his cot in the cold winter everyday and pray for him! He would insult her and call her a Christian dog and would spit on her! She kept coming back each day for prayer! As she prayed he began to get better! A miracle walked into his life by the name of Jesus! Cho began a tent ministry in the slum of Seoul that eventually became the world’s largest church with over one million members! Suffering is the foundation for ministry! We do not look for it but God will bring it according to His will and purpose of your life! Pastor Cho looked for 60 years to find this teenage girl but never could find her? She is probably wearing a crown right now! She led Cho to Christ! Never discount who you have led to Christ! Suffering has purpose! Easter is about God suffering for you! Compassion means to suffer with! Are you willing to suffer with and for others? This is the Spirit of Easter! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Tag: slums
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