Saturday, August 01, 2009

"Christ Is The Greatest Thing In My Life"

Pastor Rajesh from Chhatisgarh

Download MP3 Of the Complete Interview Here;

Okay, here we go again, its time to resume our interview series. I am really excited about this one. Rajesh has been a friend of mine for the past three and a half years. He is a friendly, easy-going, yet hard working pastor/leader from Chhattisgarh, India. I don't think I can count the number of times we have stayed up into the late hours of the night enjoying pleasant fellowship and discussing the wonders of our savior as we walk together towards the celestial city.

Chhattisgarh, India


Rajesh has been blessed to travel to Europe where he spent some time at theological schools there. Yet, even while he has spent time abroad and in academia, he never lost his desire to share the gospel with the diverse peoples of his home state of Chhattisgarh. For several years he has relentlessly traveled the rough mountains of his state to unreached villages where people still often live naked.

On a few occasions he was mistaken by government soldiers for a guerrilla fighter. There are many groups operating in the mountain regions. The people who live in the plains and cities rarely venture into the mountains, so goverment troops are highly suspicious of any they find out there. Because of that, he has spent a few times in prison for the sake of the name before being vindicated.

To be an even more effective steward of the gospel, Rajesh has opened up a training facility to equip others to do the same work. Rajesh has taken great pains to diversify his ministry. While he has a desire to reach those people in the mountains, he has not forgotten those in the city who are just as eternally lost as those living in the mountains.

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DOWNLOAD THE MP3 OF THE COMPLETE INTERVIEW > HERE <
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In the Youtube Version of the interview Rajesh tackles the following questions*;

*I have supplied a brief summary for each of Rajesh's answers

1.) Q. What has the Lord been doing in your Life?
(What are the greatest lessons you have learned?)
A. Christ has removed my sin

2.) Q.What are the main dangers facing the Indian church from without and within?
(Help us to understand how we can pray for the Indian church and how we can help.)

A. Sound doctrine is sometimes not in the church. Churches are sometimes growing, but sadly not in sound doctrine.

3.) Q. If you could change any one thing in the church, what would it be?

A. Trust in God, not in man. Depend on God, not on man.

4.) Q. What do you think the main thing being preached from the Indian pulpit today is?

A. They don't want to hurt anyone. Therefore they are mainly telling the love and compassion of God.

5.) Q. Do you have any special goals for improvement and growth this year?

A. Leadership programs in the church. Bringing up the local people.

6.) Q. As you visit churches, what signs do you look for that tell you if they are a healthy church or an unhealthy church.

A. The level of preaching, and how the people are concentrating on the word of God. (Singing and emotions not necessarily sings of a healthy church.) If the leader is taken away and the church can't stand anymore, then it's probably not a healthy church.

7.) Q. Is there anything on your heart that you would especially like to share with the church in the West?

A. The church is growing. The Indian church is not mainly in need of dependence on money, but they need the support of prayer, counseling, books, and teaching.

3 comments:

Scott said...

Wonderful! Thanks for posting these interviews. Through them I am being brought closer to my Indian brothers in Christ. I love your questions and especially the answer to "What are the signs you look for in a healthy church." That being that understanding they have of the word of God and the God Centeredness not man focused so that even if the pastor was taken away the church would still stand for the brothers there are growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. I think even when the pastor is still present we can perceive this knowing that God is building up this people, gifting men within the body, and they are not simply following a charismatic leader but Christ who bought them.

Laurie M. said...

My husband and I were so blessed by this interview! We, like Scott, were struck by his sign of a healthy church - really struck. I'm not sure I've been to a church yet that would survive the loss of its pastor. That is a sad state of affairs.

Josh said...

I rejoice with you in your thanksgiving for this one.

Rajesh has passed through the fire many times, and we really owe thanks to God that he is still alive.

I am especially thankful for his thoughtfulness, and his humility. He is a thinker, but not puffed up.


Joshua

Come, rejoice with me in the glorious truth that death died in the death of Jesus Christ! Everyone is now welcome to come and freely take the water of life. (Rev 22:17)