THE HEART OF ASIAN OUTREACH / Peter U, Chairman
PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION
As parents
we are entrusted to protect, guide and nurture our children, preparing them for
the divine purpose God has for them. God will equip us in preparing the next generation
to take up the torch and become the instruments by which the Gospel is carried
to the ends of the earth. Right from the old testament to the new testament
there is evidence of this. John Maxwell said this, “The best leaders lead today
with tomorrow in mind by making sure they invest in leaders who will carry
their legacy forward.” Parenting your children is the most important thing you
will ever do, so let’s prepare them so that God can use them in the way He has
planned.
Psalm 78:4: “We will
not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the
praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.”
Ps Paul
Silvanus’s dad had a huge impact on his life and his desire to serve God. The
biggest thing that influenced him was seeing his dad on his knees, deep in
prayer first thing in the morning. His father went on to become a pastor and an
evangelist, and as a boy he would often follow his father into the villages to
share the Gospel. His father would stand in the open and preach the Word boldly
and Paul saw his love and passion for winning souls. Paul watched his methods,
style, strategy and approach in sharing the Gospel. He had such a unique way of
presenting Jesus to the Hindus. His father never asked him to follow his
footsteps but seeing all this, all Paul wanted to do was to follow his dad’s footsteps,
catching the fire of his dad’s love and passion for the unsaved.
Ps Paul’s journey
in ministry started when he was a university student; he would use every opportunity
he had to share the Gospel with other students. After graduating he continued
to reach out to the students, cycling 50km each day around the various
campuses. He did this for eight years while working part-time to support
himself. God then took him into pastoral ministry for three years in a local
church and here Ps Paul came to see the life and needs of the downtrodden
people in the slums. It was heartbreaking for him.
In 1994 he
joined a mission organization, and on his first mission trip to Odisha to
evaluate the living conditions of the missionaries and pastors he was shocked
when he saw their poor and pathetic living conditions. The organization that
sent them out hardly gave them any financial aid. He spent long arduous hours
travelling by bus and train, and everywhere he went it was the same. One day
while travelling they stopped in a jungle area to spend the night as there were
no hotels or any form of accommodation. Lying on the hard ground the Lord spoke
to him about what he had seen. The spirit of God asked him, “Now you have seen
the plight of my servants what is your response?” His reply was “Lord if you
give me an opportunity and strengthen me I promise to take care of your
servants.”
The Lord
led him to start Apostolic Faith Mission, training and sending out pastors, leaders
and missionaries. The Lord enlarged his territory to all over India, planting
churches where the name of the Lord was not known. He now travels even more,
spending long hours on the train and bus. However, he never misses an
opportunity to share the Gospel. Many a person has accepted the Lord during his
long journeys. As Ps Paul gets older, these long journeys do take a toll on his
health but the minute he steps on the train or bus, he prays for renewed
strength and is immediately refreshed.
Ps Paul and
his team have planted 300 churches in 11 states in India and is overseeing 110
pastors in these areas and discipling 330 student pastors. Besides this he is
operating 6 slum Day Care centers in various parts for children and a Leper
Ministry. He is constantly travelling around visiting them, encouraging them,
motivating them, counsels them and planning strategies and new ideas with them.
He stays in their home so he can fellowship with their families and have a
closeness with them. He has kept his promise to the Lord. Through all this Ps
Paul has learnt a deep sense of humility at what God has called him to do and
he has never felt the presence of God more than out in the mission fields. We
pray that the Lord will continue to use this man of God to Reach, Touch and
Transform lives throughout India.
Through all
this, Ps Paul has learnt a deep sense of humility at what God has called him to
do and he has never felt the presence of God more than when out in the mission
fields. To the Foot Soldiers, Ps Paul is family and they share a closeness with
him. We pray that the Lord will continue to use this man of God to Reach, Touch
and Transform lives throughout India.
John 15:12-13: “This is my commandment,
that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than
this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”