light in the midst of political unrest in one region of South Asia.
Challenges do not deter the film team missionaries from showing movies
about Christ to hundreds of people—many of whom were once antagonistic
to the good news.
In October, two film team missionaries, Petras Yadav and Stephen Chauhan, showed two movies, Man of Mercy and Repentance, in a village. A crowd of more than 100 people gathered to watch the films.
Among the audience was Muktananda Khan, a boy who had grown up
following his culture’s traditional religion. Touched by the movies’
message, Khan wanted to find out more about Jesus and approached
Petras and Stephen when the films were over.
Petras and Stephen presented the gospel message to him. Without
hesitation, Khan decided to give his life to Jesus. He also
started attending worship services at the local church.
A Door Opened, a Life Transformed
Two days later, GFA-supported missionary Badal Mehra and his film team
sought permission to show a movie about Jesus in a village normally
closed to Christian missionaries. However, the villagers’ curiosity
about the film gave Badal and his team the opportunity to show the
movie.
As Dheer Sharma watched the film, the Holy Spirit
convicted him and compelled him to leave these dangerous habits behind. That night, Sharma chose to completely surrender his life to Jesus.
After the movie ended, Sharma approached the
missionaries to share how the film had impacted him. A nominal
Christian, he had struggled with addictions to both alcohol and cigarettes.
As he watched the film, the Holy Spirit convicted him and compelled him
to leave these dangerous habits behind. That night, he chose to
completely surrender his life to Jesus.
Film Impresses Politicians
During the same month, GFA-supported missionary Poojan Bhatnagar led a
film team that had the unlikely opportunity of showing a movie about
Jesus to members of a powerful political party. In fact, the politicians
asked the missionaries to screen the film in their office—even though
this particular political party had opposed Christian ministry in the
past.
After watching the film, the party members told Poojan and his team,
“We felt very good after watching the film about Jesus. … Please come again
with more Christian films. … Thank you!”
Christians Face Excommunication
In recent months, however, another political faction has caused problems
for believers in this region. Ranajit Jaiteley and Anshul Mistry,
members of a GFA-supported film team, learned some disheartening news
after they presented a movie about Jesus to more than 300 villagers.
Many of those who watched the film told Ranajit and Anshul about a new
law in their community which forces people who show interest in a
religious faith different from the community’s traditional beliefs—and
then choose to accept it—to abandon all their property and move to
another district. Moreover, they must leave behind all previous
relationships. If they refuse to abide by these stipulations, then their
families will also have to abandon their property and leave the
district.
Despite the threat of danger and persecution from political factions
and rebel groups, God’s light is flooding this region as He allows
missionaries to proclaim His love there through film. The missionaries
desire prayer for:
•Both Khan and Sharma to stand firm in their new relationship with Christ, and for their families to choose to follow Jesus
•Open doors to sharing the Good News in every village and town
•Wisdom and guidance for the leaders in this region
Endurance for the film teams to continue touching many people with God’s love
•Political leaders—including those who saw the film about Jesus—to open their hearts to Christ
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