Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Christian Podcast Central

Home
Evangelical - Sponsored
The E3 Partner’s Expedition Podcast 3: Rick In Calcutta & Andreas in Costa Rica

The E3 Partner’s Expedition Podcast 3: Rick In Calcutta & Andreas in Costa Rica

Last updated on: August 28, 2014 at 11:25 am by Christian Podcast Central

The E3 Partner’s Expedition Podcast 3: Rick In Calcutta & Andreas in Costa Rica 2014-08-28T11:25:43-08:00 Christian Podcast Central

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The E3 Partner’s Expedition Podcast 3: Rick In Calcutta & Andreas in Costa Rica Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Rick shares his story from Calcutta, India:

The Bengali people are the sixth largest unreached people group in the world. 300 million Bengalis call the region of West Bengal home. Needless to say, there are A LOT of people there needing to know who Jesus is, and the response that we received when we spent time with them showed that there is indeed a hunger for God in that part of India. We witnessed over 1,600 professions of faith, helped plant seven new churches in the region, and ministered to two other existing churches there.

One thing that made our trip to India different this time was that often we share stories of an initial meeting with a few people in attendance, then more people show up for the next meeting, and more the following, and so on. This time, however, we started with five or six people in the beginning and then everybody left.

As I stood there, sharing the Gospel, they each exited, one by one. Until all that was left was one lady who stayed in the room along with me and my translator. Despite all the potential distractions of people leaving and her being left alone, she seemed so thoughtful and focused on the message of Jesus. I asked her if she understood what I had been saying and God’s plan for her life, and she said, “Yes, I understand. But I have one question: If I make this decision to follow Jesus as my God, does that mean that my family and my friends will not like me anymore?”

Now, I’ve never been in this predicament before, but I told her that there was a good chance that her family and friends will, in fact, hate her. When Jesus was here, people hated Him. And He made it very clear that if we choose to follow Him, people will hate us as well.

She then paused silently for about thirty seconds. After thoughtfully considering all this, she said, “OK, I want to follow Jesus as my Savior.”

To see her thoroughly count the cost to follow Christ was remarkable!

Too often, we get caught up in the big crowds and huge numbers reflected in our work, but when I sat there with just this one lady, who was left alone in that room (rather indicative of the question she was about to ask), and to see her weigh out what it was going to mean in a real-world context to follow Jesus – it was one of the most special moments of my entire life.

Next, Andreas shares this story from his trip to Costa Rica:

I led a group of 17 people, mostly kids ages 10-17; and for many of them, this was their first time out of the United States.

While there, we met an elderly man in his 70’s who claimed that “death was afraid of him”. He had survived five near-death moments, including one incident that took him beyond “near-death” and actually landed him in a morgue!

Upon hearing the man’s stories, my wife had the insight, “Sir, there’s a reason why you haven’t died yet.” As she said these words, all the laughter and joking that had been stimulated by his amazing stories stopped immediately.

“You know what? Jesus has been waiting for you this whole time. And, I don’t know if you’re going to get your sixth chance.”

Instantly, the man’s entire countenance changed, and he begged to hear Jesus’ message. He completely repented and even helped my 16-year-old son lead a group at the end of the week.

This man’s was just one of the completely transformed lives that we saw, including people in Costa Rica and our own team members from the U.S. – culminating into a “Layover-Worship-Songfest” in the Miami airport!

It’s amazing to see how once the ice is broken and God starts working, you just can’t stop talking about Jesus’ amazing love!

For more engaging and encouraging podcasts and videos, visit the E-Squared Media Network at www.e2medianetwork.com

christian culture podcast

is the bible reliable

is the bible true?

Jesus Christ

missions

near-death experiences

Previous Post

August 28, 2014

Reflections of Grace 44: Living From the Heart, part 7 - Boundaries

Next Post

August 28, 2014 Confessions of a Closet Christian 34: Why Does God Feel Like A Product I Have To Sell?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Brad Stine Has Issues Christian Podcast Central Classic Podcast Experience God Life Grounded Ouxano Parent Like You Mean It The Protest Show with Thor Ramsey The Summit Lecture Series Uncategorized What You’ve Been Searching For

Select a Month July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 June 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz