Today was great. Kids were fun, fellowship was neat and I got to hear some amazing stories about Christianity in Nepal. Bakta, who became a Christian in the 60's in Nepal, is here in America for his son's (Mohan's) graduation. Bakta is friends with Mukti, who helps run a church in Nepal that our church helps with. Still with me?? We had an authentic Nepali dinner that Mohan made and which we ate with our bare hands!!! It was actually not too messy and incredibly delicious!!! I was so full but now I'm wishing I would have had 2nds!!
Anyway, hearing Bakta's testimony was incredible. Just seeing how he sought out the truth, and in an isolated country, where no one around him had even heard of Christianity, he was given a bible and came to know God. He lived his whole life, making annual sacrifices to wooden gods to atone for his sin. Inside, he always wondered if that really was all there was to it. After reading about Jesus and how He willingly laid down his rights as God's son to atone for everyone's sin, Bakta realized that this was truly different from everything he had experienced. After all, an animal dying is only symbolic... it's just blood. But for a king to deny himself so others might experience God... what a demonstration of love!!
What impressed me most, was how Bakta had never heard the Gospel story, never heard of a "Christian" and had no clue what the bible was. He simply starting reading this "religious book" and God's Spirit opened his eyes and heart, making him humble enough to see that God is really it. Amazing. It's incredibly wild to see how 40 years ago God worked in his life and has been working in 100's of thousands of other Nepali's lives since. God is wilder than I can understand.
Anyway, hearing Bakta's testimony was incredible. Just seeing how he sought out the truth, and in an isolated country, where no one around him had even heard of Christianity, he was given a bible and came to know God. He lived his whole life, making annual sacrifices to wooden gods to atone for his sin. Inside, he always wondered if that really was all there was to it. After reading about Jesus and how He willingly laid down his rights as God's son to atone for everyone's sin, Bakta realized that this was truly different from everything he had experienced. After all, an animal dying is only symbolic... it's just blood. But for a king to deny himself so others might experience God... what a demonstration of love!!
What impressed me most, was how Bakta had never heard the Gospel story, never heard of a "Christian" and had no clue what the bible was. He simply starting reading this "religious book" and God's Spirit opened his eyes and heart, making him humble enough to see that God is really it. Amazing. It's incredibly wild to see how 40 years ago God worked in his life and has been working in 100's of thousands of other Nepali's lives since. God is wilder than I can understand.
