Here are some quotes I want to remember from the book Revolution in World Missions. Very convicting stuff.
* As I studied the Gospels, it became clear to me that Jesus understood well the principle of reaching the poor. He avoided the major cities, the rich, the famous and the powerful, concentrating His ministry on the poor laboring class. If we reached the poor, we have touched the masses of Asia.
The battle against hunger and poverty is really a spiritual battle, not a physical or social one as secularists would have us believe.
The only weapon that will ever effectively win the war against disease, hunger, injustice and poverty in Asia is the gospel of Jesus Christ. To look into the sad eyes of a hungry child or see the wasted of life of a drug addict is to see only the evidence of Satan’s hold on this world… Fighting this powerful enemy with physical weapons is like fighting an armored tank with stones. (Page 29)
*One of the biggest lies the devil uses to send people to hell is, “How can we preach the Gospel to a man with an empty stomach?” However, the Bible says all – rich and poor – must repent and come to Christ or be lost. (Page 219)
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*Religion, I discovered, is a multi-billion dollar business in the United States. Entering churches, I was astonished at the carpeting, furnishings, air-conditioning and ornamentation. Many churches have gymnasiums and fellowships that cater to a busy schedule of activities having little or nothing to do with Christ. (page 47)
Coming from India, where I was beaten and stoned for my faith, I know what it is to be a persecuted minority in my own country. When I set foot on Western soil, I could sense a spirit of religious liberty. Americans have never known the fear of persecution. Nothing seems impossible to them.
From India, I always had looked to the United States as a fortress of Christianity. With the abundance of both spiritual and material things, affluence unsurpassed by any nation on earth, and a totally unfettered Church, I expected to see a bold witness. God’s grace obviously had been poured out on this nation and Church in a way no other people ever have experienced
Instead I found the church in spiritual decline. American believers were still the leading givers to missions, but this appeared to more to historical accident than the deep-set conviction I expected to find.(page 51)