NEWSLETTER May/June2006 - VOLUME 21
INDEPENDENT CHURCH IN INDIA PO BOX 238 FREDERICKSBURG, PA 17026
website: www.indchurch.org email:info@indchurch.org
|
The Healing Power and the Saving Grace of Jesus
|
One day we went to look at a destroyed hut that was located outside of the village of Seelapadi. Minutes after we arrived, Accaya and one woman named Bethammal, who practiced witchcraft for a living in Seelapadi, came walking from the village very rapidly because they had learned that we were there. Accaya and Bethammal shared that they were very glad we had come. There was a man named Vellian who was living in a village nearby and had been sick a long time. For the past three days, Vellian was urgently requesting them to call us so we could come and pray for him.
|
 |
|
Bethammal receives a bag
of rice at the rice outreach.
|
|
|
Bethammal also shared her testimony with us as we walked to the village. She shared, "I tried to do witchcraft on this sick man, but nothing worked. I know that there is power in Jesus, and if you come and pray for him he will be healed". She told us that she has psychic abilities, and when she touches people, she knows things about them. She also shared with us that the night we gave out the rice, she had told Pastor Britto about her 'gift'.
|
|
Pastor Britto told her that she cannot know anything about him through her fortune-telling because he has a greater power, and that is Jesus Christ. In the crowd, Bethammal had put her hands on both of us, but she later said she could not tell anything about us. After this, she realized that there was more power in Jesus. She asked for prayer, and we prayed that God would reveal Himself to her. After that prayer, she said that she has no power to do witchcraft now, and she was realizing that Jesus' power is much greater. She has also asked Jesus to be her Lord and Savior.
|
 |
|
Bethammal worshipping the Lord
at the Dindigul Church.
|
|
 |
|
Pastor Britto and Kathy sharing about the
Lord to the people at Seelapadi.
|
|
|
When we finally came to Vellian (the man who was sick), we first shared the Gospel with him and he was very eager and willing to accept the Lord. He also shared with us that he couldn't sleep because of fear. We prayed for his healing and that all fear would depart from him. After the prayer, Vellian said that while we were praying, he felt that the darkness was leaving him.
|
|
A few days later we returned to him and he shared that all fear had now gone away from him! A week after this we returned again and he told us, "Since you have been coming now I am feeling better and sleeping better".
He was realizing the love and grace of Jesus. The third week we visited him, we took Accaya with us because everyone in this village is familiar with him as well. Accaya immediately went through the village, walking quickly with his cane, and urging the people to come and hear the Gospel. We then showed a movie on our laptop computer on the life of Christ and after this we shared the Gospel, and many people accepted the Lord.
|
|
|
