Miracles in Northern India
lichen Bhuyan, a native missionary, from India had USC WM staff members sitting on the edges of their seats recently as he told stories of the power of the Holy Spirit at work in his homeland. Bhuyan is secretary of the North Bank Baptist Christian Association (NEBCA) which works on the north bank of the Brahntapuira River in North Assam and in Arunachal Pradesh. The NBBCA is an outgrowth of work began in northeast India by the American Baptist Convention in 1836. The NBBCA has been '4jiliated with the Baptist General Conference of North America since 1946.
Having grown up in a Christian home, Bhuyan says he became a Christian at age 15. He entered Union Biblical Seminary in 1967 and was appointed secretary of the North Bank Association in 1970. He came to the U.S. Center in the midst of a tour of American churches. As/red jiw had a special message for the American church, Bhuyan replied:
"We are a commissioned people. All over the world we have just one work and one task. You who have been supporting the work in India. you are not supporting your work or our work. You are supporting the Lord's work. One work, one common task is what we are all involved in today."
Mr. Bhrtyan recounted the following stories during an interview.
Child Evangelists
Our mission has a high school on the plain of Assam which always has a number of children who come from the mountains. We give them free room and board while in school and they are exposed to the Gospel. Many accept Christ. When they go back home they start witnessing and sharing their faith with their families and neighbors.
It has happened snore than once that some of these family members and neighbors have faced various difficulties, and time of their old ways have helped. They have then asked students from our Christian school to pray for them. The students have prayed simple prayers and their prayers have been answered. Miraculous beatings and deliverances have taken place. This has occurred so often that many are deciding that this Christian God, Jesus, must be vety powerful; He must be the true God. And many are turning to Christ!
"They Shall Know Us by Our Love"
In 1974 and 1975 especially, the Christians in my area went through severe oppression from their own nonChristian tribal people. The non-Christians came and burned the Christian churches, their homes, killed their livestock and did all kinds of other damage and injury. The destruction was organized and planned. The non-Christians did it in the name of their culture saying, "We want to save our culture. Christians are breaking away from our culture, our traditions, and our age old beliefs. They have become our enemies."
Many Christians took shelter in the jungles and many mere of them came down to the plains where we gave them shelter and food. But one thing started striking the non Christians. These Christians, their own tribal people, did not retaliate. Even though the Christians were strong, bold and courageous, and carried long knives they could wield in a deadly fashion, they didn't fight back!
Why? asked their non-Christian kinsmen, The Christians were granted an opportunity to witness conceming their Lord since because of Him, they know haw to love even their enemies.
A Logging Accident
A man was felling a large tree. It went the wrong way, fell on him, and crushed him so that he couldn't breathe. He thought he was going to die. Although he was not a Christian he cried out, "Oh Jesus, save me!'
Suddenly he felt as if the wee had been raised a little and he could breathe again.
In fact, it had raised enough so that he was able to squirm out from underneath it. The man couldn't explain it apart from his prayer, so he became a Christian and now tells his story to many as he witnesses for Christ.
Freed from Addiction
Mother man, in a valley called Talcum, was strongly addicted to opium and all kinds of evil habits. He said he knew he could never get over it. But, through prayer, he experienced a deliverance he couldn't explain. When he gives his testimony he says, "I'm free and 1 don't know howl Jesus God has really freed me and delivered me!"
A Rally that Backfired
Just two years ago the (non-Christian) Student Union got together, made fake allegations against nine Christian students and then expelled them from a hostel in my area. Then, swelled up with this 'success," the Student Union members looked around and found a large picture of Jesus. They placed it up in the air in such a way that a large number of people could see it and then started shooting arrows into the picture until it was hill. The picture was covered with arrows. Then they started ridiculing and making fun of the name of Jesus. They were really making a big thing of it!
Many of the onlookers had never heard the name of Jesus before, so they became interested and stoned asking, "Who is this Jesus? Why are these others so bitter and so much against Him?" Some found Christians who could tell them more, and the Christians started sharing and handing out Gospel tracts.
Because these enemies of Jesus tried to do things against the Christians and made fun of the name of Jesus, they ended up spreading the name of Jesus.
We are so short of evangelists, we dent have enough to go around. So these enemies are helping us! See, our enemies, they are spreading the name of Jesus, and because of this people are coming to Christ!
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