Terror fails to stop the Gospel from bringing peace to India

[joanne_h]

Posted: 4 December, 2008India (MNN) ― Evangelist Sammy Tippit has just returned from preaching evangelistic meetings in Punjab, India. "The crowds almost doubled every night. The follow-up from those meetings of people who did respond--they've already baptized 2,600 people--because that's a public statement: 'Now I am a Christian. I am a follower of Christ.' It was really exciting to see the response." Tippit, on the invitation of Pastor Nazir Masih, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Chandigahr, traveled to Punjab in the middle of November to preach at a "Festival of Peace" near Amristar. There, Pastor Masih and other church leaders in the region worked together to conduct evangelistic meetings with Tippit. Tippit says people are hungry for the Gospel. Pastor Masih echoed that, adding, "They are very open to God's Word." Young people came from the First Baptist Church of Chandigahr and performed dramas and interpretive dance routines during the final night. Despite the turmoil, persecution, and terrorism in other parts of the country, Tippit says, "We actually had political leaders, who were non-Christians, who came to our meetings and condoned our meetings and said, 'This is good. We're glad that you're here. We believe that you have something to offer, and this is going to help our people.'" Pray that the movement would continue. With the overwhelming response, local pastors are making plans for the discipleship of the new believers. "The churches are growing in size, but they're also multiplying. We need to pray for that to continue. What they were looking for in these meetings that I held was sort of a 'momentum builder,' with people coming to Christ. Now, they want to take it to another level." Pray that the seeds of the Gospel planted in these meetings will take root and result in genuine faith in Christ.