The Dancing Persecuted of Orissa India

In Orissa, Despite the burning of their homes and churches . . .
In Orissa, Despite the burning of their possessions and bibles . . .
In Orissa, Despite the loss of family and friends to persecution . . .

Still they dance and celebrate the risen Christ and His goodness!

The Orissa Project Coming Soon

As a follow up to our February trip to Orissa we will soon launch the Orissa project which will involve:

1. Investment in a One year Christian focused vocational training program for persecuted refugees which will lead to the rebuilding of lives and Christian training.
2. Support of 7 or more students who are going to be trained in the Christian ministry to serve Christ in the difficult place of Orissa in India.
3. A return trip to India to conduct a prayer and praise conference for persecuted pastors.

While we have opportunity let us do good to these fellow members of Christ's household, bearing their burdens and not losing heart in doing good to them. That opportunity we feel is now. More details to follow.

Galatians summarized in 33 points

Here is a practical summary of the book of Galatians:

1. True calling to God's work comes from God and not from man.
2. There is only one gospel and that is Christ crucified as the sole action securing my salvation.
3. Many are not happy with a simple gospel which brings liberty and try to add to it.
4. Each of us should realize that we have been entrusted with the gospel and that it is God who effectually works through us to bring about results.
5. It is impossible to be made right with God by following rules and laws.
6. The only way to be made right with God is by faith
7. It is hypocricy to consider ourselves more righteous than other believers because of outward practices.
8. Each one of us who is in Christ died with him on the cross so that we are no longer alive.
9. Each of of us who is in Christ rose with him from the grave so that now Christ lives through the new us.
10. You cannot receive the Holy Spirit by doing any kind of work.
11. The reception of the Holy Spirit and miracles among us come about because of faith alone.
12. To seek salvation by following rules or the law is to put ourselves under a curse.
13. Jesus became a curse for us to free us from the curse of the law and rules.
14. Jesus is the seed of Abraham promised in Genesis 22, through whom blessings come.
15. The purpose of the law is to imprison everyone in sin as a tutor which leads us to Christ.
16. All who are in Christ through faith are Abraham's descendants, Jew or Gentile.
17. Rules enslave so why do we run back to them? It is not even necessary to observe days and months and seasons and years as if these gained us anything.
18. Many teachers and others will seek to bring you under the bondage of rules.
19. Christian leaders are in labor until Christ is formed in their flock.
20. The descendants of Hagar and Ishmael persecute those who are from Isaac, children of promise.
21. Christ set us free to have freedom and what matters most is faith working through love.
22. Though we may be running well there is a danger of slipping back into a performance based religion which equals a fall from grace.
23. The danger of being so free is to use this liberty to indulge the sins of the flesh.
24. The Holy Spirit and the flesh are at war within us so that we will not do as we want.
25. Since we live by the Spirit we should also walk by the Spirit and be led by the Spirit, so that the deeds of the flesh are crucified with our old selves and the fruits of the Spirit rise up active within us.
26. We should seek to restore to fellowship those caught in sins with an attitude of humility.
27. We are to bear one another's burdens in love. At the same time, each of us has their own load to bear.
28. We should share good things with those who teach us.
29. If you sow to the flesh you will reap corruption, to the Spirit and you will reap eternal life.
30. It is tempting to quit doing good but we should do good while we have the chance, especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
31. Let all our boasting be only in the cross of Jesus Christ.
32. New creation is what matters.
33. The Israel of God is now Jew and Gentile together in one body.

Orissa India, Overcoming Persecution

This is a summary of my Feb trip to India detailing my experiences with more than 130 refugees who have suffered the burning of their homes, destruction of their churches, and taking of the lives of their loved ones. Having done over 20 short term mission trips this ranks right up there at the top.


To see more India pics go to http://picasaweb.google.com/tapreach/OrissaIndia2009#

The first pic is a video of celebration. On reflection here are some highlights and thoughts of this trip:

1. The persecution of Christians in Orissa and their continuing situation from Aug of last year is of a historic nature and little publicized in the west
2. More than 200,000 people were affected and those killed were beheaded, chopped up, burned, etc. Those who want to go back to their villages are not wanted and have been threatened. Some are being forced by the governement to go back. The rice being eaten in these camps has worms, etc.
3. The persecution has resulted in a uniting of believers and blurring of denominational lines which is good.
4. The preaching and teaching on this trip was some of the most anointed I have been a part of, showing the love and power of God towards His broken people.
5. Many Indian believers have responded by taking homeless, church-less believers into their own homes--even some Hindus have taken in some Christians. Our main contact in the state of Orissa, poor by our standards, took in 16 children into his home . . . hardly blinked an eye.
6. India is prime real estate for short and long-term teams to go and have significant kingdom impact. Any churches who want to bite on this and join us let's go.
7. Once again God used this trip to confirm my personal calling and fire my passion for kingdom work among the nations, including our own.
8. I still believe God is crying out to US churches to re-engage in foreign missions as in days of old and not follow European Christianity.
9. Our team ministered at a conference for 90 refugee pastors, discipleship school for 40 refugees, orphanage, two churches, and one home with children. We taught, prayed,sang, danced, gave medicines, laughed, cried, and two of our team visited a refugee camp several hours away.
10. Everyone should be required to take a 20+ hour train ride in India.

Summary of Teachings on This Trip:

1. Jesus bore not only our sins but our griefs and sorrows (Isa 53). This was followed by a powerful prayer time.
2. As Christians we are called to live and respond in the "opposite spirit" (using David and Saul in OT) (followed by breaking into small groups for prayer and sharing)
3. The Orissa Christians are among the un-named heroes who were "sawn into", put to death, fled, etc. (Hebrews 11:35-38)
4. Two very helpful practical session on setting goals as we move forward out of the past.
5. Three sessions on the ways God speaks to us today and personal testimoies to illustrate
6. Isa 49 and God's comfort and word to Israelites who lost their homes, children, and "church"
7. Isa 51-52 and God's call to rise up from the dust and loose the chains as we go forward, expecting resurrection power to follow times of crucifiction.
8. The forgotten dark side of Christmas from Matthew 2, showing that Jesus understands what it means to be on the run (followed by dancing and joy)
9. Teaching on the new heavens and new earth (followed by dancing and joy--1st time of celebration in months for these believers).
10. Discussion and prayer over Acts 4 in small groups.
11. Components of the Christian life from Isaiah 6 (Seeing Jesus, Woe is Me, Forgiveness, Here am I send me)
12. Exhortation for the comforted to be comforters from 2 Corinthians 1
13. Sermon on the goodness of God

Journal entries

1. Feb 3: "Muthu persecuted Christians and burned their literature. In 1991 he was saved at Bible college. He enrolled there to get a calculator because a Christian told him he would get one there and he wanted one!!"
2. Feb 5: "Awoke at 3:30 getting eaten by Ants! Bathed and shook the sheet out from my bed."
3. Feb 2: "Walked to the sea. There saw a whale shark." This is an endangered species and a rare sight."
4. Feb 3: "I then spoke on the new heavens and new earth and our future in the heavenly earth. Aferwards, wow. We all sang and shouted and danced. It was a real visitation of joy from God and a highlight of the many trips I have done."
5. Feb 9: "Back to room and a little TV, some tunes, fell asleep eventually after feeding mosquitoes with my flesh and praying--then bizarre dreams."

"I was lost and blind when a friend of mine came and took me by the hand, and He led me to His
kingdom that was in another land. Now my mind is blown, my head has grown, a Solid Rock
and a rolling stone, Wowie, zowie, well the Cat's got soul, He's the Rock that doesn't roll."
 Larry Norman

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