The Christian Messenger launches PM for PEM project
By Our Correspondent
AS many as 12 believers participated in the first Preparatory Meeting for Prospective Evangelists and Missionaries (PM for PEM), a project launched by The Christian Messenger newspaper, at the Shepherd Jesus Church in Salavedu village in Vandavasi district of Tamil Nadu on Jan 8.
Evangelist Bro N L Hariharan, founder of Cross Blood Foundation, a Christian non-governmental organization working among cancer-affected children in Tamil Nadu, was the key note speaker at the meeting.
“Hospital ministry is an excellent way to do personal evangelism,” Hariharan told the participants. “You need to have wisdom and God’s guidance to do it. But above all, you need compassion that Jesus displayed towards people often while on earth.” | Photo gallery: View pictures from the meeting |
Jesus’ ministry sprung from His compassion towards people. In Mark 1:41, we find Him filled with compassion and healing a leprous man. The first and the foremost requisite to do the Lord’s ministry is you need to have compassion for your fellow human beings, Hariharan said.
“Those who intend to do the Lord’s ministry need to be courageous. They must realize that they have God-given authority to overcome all the powers of the enemy as stated in Luke 10:19. If you believe this promise, nothing will harm you,” he said.
“Finally, ministers of God must learn to persevere in the ministry. There will be trials and tribulations, people may turn hostile towards you; your family may not appreciate the things you do. But hang on in there, at the appointed time God will turn things around for you,” he added.
Listing out the dos and don’ts of the hospital ministry, Hariharan said: “Pray always. Pray that God prepare you for the ministry. Pray for those to whom you minister.”
Remember not to pray aloud and disturb patients in the hospital ward. Don’t do the ministry as a token service. Don’t ask for offerings after you have prayed for someone. It will only spoil your efforts to evangelize. Areas such as the ICU are out of bounds for most people. Do not step into prohibited areas in the hospital. Always make sure you visit the patients only during visiting hours. When you share your testimony with them, be brief. Do not attempt to denigrate their gods to lift up the name of Jesus, he added.
Earlier, Robin Sam, founding editor of The Christian Messenger newspaper, spoke briefly about what the Lord’s ministry really is.
“Ministry is the outcome of God’s love for mankind. Jesus said those famous lines in Matthew 9:37 (‘the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few’) after He saw multitudes and had compassion on them because they were harassed, helpless and like sheep without a shepherd,” he said.
God instituted five types of ministers as mentioned in Ephesians 4:11 for three distinct results, he said. “All ministers of God exist to fulfill these three expectations of the Lord: for equipping the saints for the work of ministry, for the edification of the church and for all to grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ,” Sam said.
The apostles looked for three qualifications from those who would serve at the tables in the early church. They had to be filled with the Holy Spirit, they had to be wise and needed to have a good testimony among people.
“Stephen and six others fulfilled those conditions as we see in Acts 6:3. When such men joined the apostles, three things happened – the Word of God continued to increase, the number of the disciples multiplied and several priests submitted themselves in obedience to the faith,” he added.
He said The Christian Messenger newspaper sought to raise evangelists and missionaries from local churches through these preparatory meetings. Many such meetings were planned across several village churches in Tamil Nadu this year.
Pastor Peter Amasikan of the Shepherd Jesus Church said he was excited and happy for his believers as the village church was entering a new phase in its ministry.
“From being a church that needs support and assistance, by faith we hope to reach a stage where we become a church that sends missionaries across India,” he said.
To partner with The Christian Messenger in organizing PM for PEM (Preparatory Meetings for Prospective Evangelists and Missionaries) at your church, call us at 0-9884063345 or 044-65145334.
| Photo gallery: View pictures from the meeting |
