On the last day of the trip, I preached a sermon from Scott and Wendy’s apartment that overlooks Mumbai. On June 24th we are going to show this sermon and launch our Global Mission. I preached on a passage of Scripture that I preached in 2008 when we started Vintage Church. Matthew 9 & 10 guarantees us that people need Jesus, people are ready to receive Jesus, few people are willing to share Jesus. Jesus has called us, empowered us, and sent us out with the Gospel. This mission is going to be difficult but we can trust that Jesus will continue to bless His name advancing around the world. These truths about Jesus and our mission came alive while we were in India. The Holy Spirit has encouraged my soul by exposing these truths about the Gospel:

1 – Surrender to the Gospel

On our first day Wendy led a devotion talking about the importance of the spiritual world in Mumbai. She shared how vital it is that we soak our time up in prayer believing that we are waging war against the enemy. Too many times I’ve tried to accomplish the mission of God without God. Don’t try and act like you haven’t done the same. To be honest (and this will hurt a little), we don’t really need the Gospel because we aren’t looking to do something radical for God. Our mission is too safe and we aren’t looking to “battle within a foot of hell” (CT Studd). When you truly engage in a spiritual battle, there is desperate surrender to the Gospel.

2 – Power of the Gospel

Pastor Gary is a regional pastor of New Life Fellowship. I am really looking forward to our partnership with him and this church in the future. Pastor Gary grew up Muslim in Mumbai and was radically saved by the Gospel. Not only did God save him but he called him to preach the Gospel. For the first years of his ministry he worked extremely hard trying to be a Christian, reading and living out the Word of God, and leading others to Jesus. After seven years of ministry he came to a bad place. There was major depression and doubt and he considered throwing in the towel. Around that time a preacher from another country came to Mumbai to preach the Gospel. The book of Acts came alive through this man’s ministry and many signs and wonders took place. Pastor Gary sought out this preacher and asked him if he could spend some time learning from him. This preacher went back to Pastor Gary’s home and shared something that changed his life. He basically said, “Stop trying to live for Jesus and simply enjoy and surrender to the Person and work of the Holy Spirit”. This one message changed everything for Pastor Gary. That week he was leading a house church and instead of trying to lead anything he told everyone that the Holy Spirit would lead their time. What happened next can only be explained by the power of the Gospel.

From that moment on the power of the Gospel has displayed itself throughout Mumbai. Right now they are praying for a great movement to spread throughout the Muslim community. As I asked Pastor Gary how that was going to happen. He kind of laughed at me and said “SIGNS AND WONDERS”. God has used this conversation to help me not only believe in the power of the Gospel but to expect it. I too believe that God will do amazing signs and wonders in New Orleans in order to bring glory to His name by the power of the Gospel.

3 – Transformation of the Gospel

The city of Mumbai is an incredible city with incredible people. 22 million people packed on top of each other. As you drive a rick shaw through the city you come across a ton of different types of people. For the most (and I’m overgeneralizing) people are pretty stone cold. They don’t show a ton of emotion and they definitely don’t show a ton of joy. Most people are jammed into this city with very little hope.

I was really bothered by how depressed everyone looked until I visited a house church and interacted with some believers. Of course what a person does externally isn’t the most important thing, but it was extremely obvious the difference between those in the city and those who were the church. The transforming power of the Gospel is clearly evident on the faces of those who have experienced Jesus. Their smiles and their joy is contagious.

I have been challenged by this as we proclaim the Gospel in New Orleans. There should be a significant difference between those who have been saved by the Gospel and those who haven’t. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, they are new creation”. Unfortunately we have made salvation in Jesus something that is culturally convenient and watered down. When someone meets Jesus there should be a real difference internally and externally. The transforming power of the Gospel is real and we shouldn’t settle for a simple prayer or emotion to be what determines salvation. We are certainly saved by grace alone through faith in Christ alone, but when we meet Jesus there should be a real difference.

4 – Sufficiency of the Gospel

One of the most powerful stories that I heard was the story of a widow. They call a widow a Moeshie or Auntie. New Life Fellowship has a ministry that cares for widows and orphans. They house them, feed them, and love them in the Gospel. One particular widow had been given a tough dose of life as she lost her family through death and because she became a Christ follower. Pastor Gary led the church to raise money for her to move her out of the slums and into a nice apartment. After a few days of living in this apartment the Moeshie contacted pastor Gary and asked to be placed back in the slums. She explained that she was very grateful but that all she needed was Jesus and her church family. The new apartment was away from her new family that loved Jesus. Wow!

When you walk through the slums of Mumbai and experience the poverty immediately you want to fix their lives by providing a nicer place for them to live. The superficiality of the American dream has certainly brainwashed our lives. People somehow think that if they can acquire enough things or live in prosperity then they will have everything that they need. This is a lie from Satan himself.

There is amazing sufficiency in the Gospel. I pray that as we continue to serve Jesus that we will display that He alone is all that we need. Nothing will ever satisfy this world like the beauty of the Gospel.

Thank you Jesus for this amazing trip!

Reflections from Saturday-Monday

The past three days have been amazing. I’ve struggled to put into words all that God has done and been teaching me. Right now I am back at my favorite coffee shop by myself. I was so whooped from the past few days and slept till 10. Everyone had already left but I told them that I was going to lay low today to process my thoughts and recover. Tonight we are going to do an interview with Pastor Gary and some more training of House Church Leaders.

The following reflections will be more of a description of what we did. I am going to share some personal thoughts and reflections soon.

Saturday, April 21st

The girls went to go and hang with some of the other friends who are in the same company as Scott & Wendy. The guys hung out at Scott’s house and prepped for teaching the House Church leaders. Pastor Gary picked us up and took us into a Muslim area where his church has started a lot of house churches. I’m so inspired by this man and this church family.

The highlight of the day was our training time with the house church leaders. Here are a few pics and videos from the day.

Scott, Brick, and myself taught Gospel Multiplication. I taught the biblical basics of why and who is the church and then we unpacked the importance of the individual, house church, and large gathering mission of the church. Scott gave them some tools on how to share their faith, Brick taught on the importance of small group ministry, and I wrapped it up by teaching on the importance of corporate gatherings.

When we were done Pastor Gary asked for the leaders to respond by committing to take these teachings to others and to multiply the Gospel in their community. We wrapped up our time by praying over each leader believing that they would be empowered by the Spirit. Pastor Gary currently had 60+ house churches and is praying for over 200 in the next year.

I am so thankful for this opportunity to serve Jesus and His church in Mumbai.

Sunday, April 22nd

We woke up and headed to Scott and Wendy’s home. Now when I say that we have gone somewhere, it isn’t an easy trip. We are staying in a condo about 4 miles from them. You get everywhere by rik shaw (not sure how to spell it). These little mini taxis are like hot crazy ovens flying all over the city. Scott used a good illustration. They get around like a school of millions of fish in the sea. No rules just crazy flow with a ton of horn honking. I will never complain about American traffic or driving again.

Scott & Wendy have a great home. Wendy has decorated a little oasis for them and I’m thrilled to see them taken care of like this. One thing that I want our church family to provide is a new air conditioning unit. Their living room unit is not working well and this country is crazy hot. For those who know me, I sweat in a freezer. But this country is smokin hot. I think I have sweated every second of this trip. I won’t be able to sleep back home knowing that Scott & Wendy don’t have some good air conditioning at home. Let’s step it up and buy this for them.

After some coffee and muffins we headed to their church gathering. Everyone was very friendly and excited to have us.

Brick and I preached in two different locations. Brick preached at this place and after some music Pastor Gary took me with Scott to preach at a place that he described as a little more raw. I’d saw he was pretty accurate. Scott had never been here so he really couldn’t prepare me for what was about to happen. We headed east toward the mountains in a muslim area and pulled up to a remote school. Before I explain what happened here is a pic of the place.

There was no air conditioning, no band, and no fancy set up. Just a simple classroom filled with people who came expecting the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit. The night before at our training, Pastor Gary asked for me to be prayed up because these people were desperate for spiritual and physical healing. He had witnessed many miracles in this area because it was a very difficult place to be a follower of Jesus. God’s church was growing in this area because signs and wonders were happening that could only be explained by the hand of God. “God move in a such a way that you alone get the glory” was alive in this area!

As I prayed about what to preach, God led me to preach Acts 3&4. God using Peter and John by the power of the Spirit to heal a crippled man. I preached with my translator Shaekyr (pronounced shaker). He did a great job keeping up with me and even using some of my mannerisms. When I finished preaching, I lifted up my hands asking for God’s Spirit to show up and bring healing into these people’s lives. What happened next was something that I have never witnessed.

I can’t really put into words what happened but I believe that I witnessed people being saved by the Gospel, people receiving healing from sickness, demons being cast out of people, and many other miracles. The time of response was close to a couple of hours. Pastor Gary asked for me and Scott to walk around touching people and praying the power of Jesus. People were weeping, people were yelling, people were convulsing and shaking, and I believe the Holy Spirit was at work.

One time I walked toward a lady who was calm and whose eyes were closed. As I reached out my hand to pray for her she started to shake in an uncontrollable way. I cried out for the power of Jesus to set her free and for the peace of Jesus to overcome. After waging in spiritual battle she calmed down and slowly sat down. Without understanding what she was saying she looked at me and I saw the peace of God. Another lady was weeping in a painfully loud way with her eyes closed. As I came close to her she all of a sudden opened her eyes and looked at me. I knew that I was staring down something demonic inside of her. For the next few minutes I declared the victory of Jesus over whatever was oppressing this lady. Her weeping turned from aggressive to somber to calm. As I left her all I could do was praise Jesus for the freedom that He brings this world.

This is just two stories of many that I witnessed. After some time, Pastor Gary asked for Scott and I to stand up at the front and pray for people. During the entire time that Scott has been here, he has never experienced anything like this. This wasn’t something that he went through in our orientation…lol. People lined up asking prayer for everything. Sickness, provision for a job, anointing, salvation for family, children to be obedient, wisdom during their education, and many others. Every person came forward for prayer and then took off into their neighborhood. I remember believing that Jesus was going to multiply whatever He did during our time for His glory throughout this community.

After our time Pastor Gary took us to join the rest of our team at a nearby mall. I was really shook up and drained. I asked Pastor Gary if what we just experienced was the norm. He explained that God’s presence was rich but that they always expect the Supernatural. I was humbled.

Believe it or not we had lunch at a California Pizza Kitchen. There are quite a few restaurants from the west which is nice for Scott & Wendy to have an occasional taste from home. Brick’s team had already been finished for a while but he joined us for lunch. I showed him some of the pics and videos but for the most part I told him that I need time to process everything. I had to prepare myself to preach at a larger gathering in just a few hours.

After another long rik shaw ride, we arrived at a large school and walked into this auditorium.

New Life Fellowship had the same problem that we have…people arriving late. I took this picture at the beginning. It was packed by the time that I got up to preach. They have a ton of music that is very expressive with clapping and jumping around. I loved it. Then they have a time of testimony. This is open to everyone. The stories that people shared were stories of miracle healings and the Gospel advancing in their community. No matter how big or small, they were praising God as the reason why it happened. Too many times in my life I haven’t given God a testimony of praise. This has been a great teaching moment for me and I am processing how our Vintage family can spend time in our gatherings and community groups giving testimonies of praise.

This was a new group so I preached the same message and a very similar experience happened. I prayed the Gospel over the entire congregation and then we had a long time of prayer. Everyone on our team stood up in the front (including Sarah, Travis, and Wendy) and people lined up to receive prayer.

I remember at one point looking over at Brick and seeing a man shaking uncontrollably. He told me later that this man was being oppressed with sickness and as soon as he started praying the man began to shake. Brick kept praying the power of Jesus over him. I was so proud of our team as we all stood for over an hour interceding for these people. It was an incredible time of ministry.

We wrapped up the night having dinner with Pastor Gary’s oldest son Cameron. He is one of the leaders of a band name Yeshua (Jesus). They are not only popular in this area but also around the world. You can find some of their music on YouTube.

The rest of the night was a blur for me. I think we got in a rik shaw, I think we made it back, I think I took a shower, and I think I passed out in my bed. I think.

Monday, April 23rd

Yesterday was a tourist day. We took a trip downtown and traveled on their train system. Okay, I’m about to share something that I am not proud of. When you get on these trains it is a crazy free for all. Picture Black Friday on steroids. As we were about to get on the train everyone was calm. As soon as the train pulled up everyone started pushing and shoving. The others somehow made it on and I found myself getting pushed out of the way by a bunch of old men. Honestly it caught me by surprise but I got man-handled. I was forced to go down to another entrance and force my way on the train. I think I stabbed a guy with a triton (for any Anchor Man fans out there). The others thought that I didn’t make it but eventually they saw me. On a serious note they have a real problem with these trains. Last year over 3000 people died on these trains. It was quite a crazy experience. Google it and you will see what I’m talking about.

We finally made it downtown and found a different setting. You could recognize the British influence. The roads were a little cleaner and the architecture was different. We found a nice bakery for lunch and then visited the famous “Gateway to India”. We also had some hot tea at the Taj Majal Palace Hotel. This is where there was a huge bomb that killed a bunch of people. President Obama also stayed here as a statement against terrorism.

After a little shopping we took a cab to a famous Mosque by the sea. Honestly I haven’t felt so spiritually drained because of an area in a long time. Maybe it was all the stares that we got, maybe it was all the needy beggars with missing legs and arms, maybe it was the Muslim worship of a dead body. Regardless, it was heavy. At one point I got overwhelmed while I was prayer walking and put some worship tunes in my ear that proclaimed that no one is greater than our God. Lost is lost, but I always feel an extra heavy oppression around Muslims. If you have ever been to Jerusalem you feel this when you cross into the Muslim quarter. The true God of the universe loves all the Muslims in this world and I am going to continue to pray that the power of Christ would destroy the power of Islam around the world.

We wrapped up the night at the Hard Rock Cafe. I had a great chicken sandwich but was pretty spent. Our trip home took us back to that crazy train experience, those crazy rik shaws, and then back to our apartment. Once again, I don’t remember hitting the pillow. All I know is that I woke up this morning at 10.

Thank you Jesus for this amazing journey. Give me the strength to finish well. I miss my family, my Vintage family, and my city like crazy but I know that God has called me and Vintage to this amazing mission field with Scott & Wendy. He has big plans for His glory in Mumbai.

Some more personal thoughts are coming soon from the last few days.

Thursday, April 19

We are about to hit the town. I went for a run and dang its hot. Ready to get my sweat on some more today. Each morning we have gone to BRU World Cafe for some good cappuccino. The girls at the cafe already know my order when I walk through the door.

Yesterday Wendy gave us a great devo in the morning. She talked to us about the reality of spiritual warfare out of 2 Corinthians and Ephesians 6. Everything is spiritual over here and we have to be alert and equip ourselves with the armor of God. One interesting point that was shared was how sometimes we don’t experience the spiritual because we don’t expect the spiritual. Scott & Wendy went to Beijing for a little vacation time. They shared about how they didn’t feel much oppression because they weren’t really looking to engage people in the Gospel. Other friends feel extreme oppression when they arrive in China because they are arriving with a mission against the enemy in that country. We have arrived to wage war against what the enemy is trying to do in India and we need to expect the spiritual.

Our schedule for the next 2 days is the same. We will go into the community to pray and hopefully begin some conversations with neighbors. Translators will be with us for most of the day. Tonight we are going to spend some time with some of the house churches. I am really eager to see how God wants to use our group to encourage our family in Mumbai to keep loving God and people in this city.

Friday, April 20

After yesterday I am truly spent. It is going to be really hard for me to put into words what I saw, what I learned, and what God did.

We spent the afternoon with Pastor Gary and some of his staff. Pastor Gary is the lead pastor over a particular region of Mumbai. This church family called New Life Fellowship is truly amazing. Their strategy is actually pretty similar to Vintage as they multiply in regions through homes and gatherings. This church launched over 40 yrs ago with missionaries from New Zealand who had a vision for reaching 10% of the city. Right now that would be 2 million people. Currently the church is 100,000 people. Pastor Gary’s region has around 65 house churches and they are believing God for 200.

Honestly this vision is truly inspiring. It is powerful, decentralized, and huge! I love it and I’m inspired to dream bigger for Vintage.

Pastor Gary’s staff walked us around through slums and we met with some of the house church leaders. One favorite moment was when Brick and I jumped into a street cricket game with some kids. It was crazy fun.

As we walked through the slums I’m not gonna lie it was draining. The heat combined with the smell combined with the poverty really humbled me. I realized how weak and pathetic I am. I also realized how petty our issues are in America. I can’t really describe everything that God is teaching me through what I saw but I know that I’m humbled.

We took a little break from the heat for some Chinese lunch and then went to the mall for some coffee. There aren’t many reflections of America in Mumbai but this mall competes with the best of them in the US. It was hard to enjoy this luxury only a few miles from what we saw.

At night we returned to the house churches. Travis and I went into one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had. We were welcomed into a home for two hours of worship. The room was packed with around 30 people who were mostly women. Basically here was the format of our time:

Welcome & Greetings / Opening prayer / Singing / Intense prayer (a ton of weeping) / Testimony time (people sharing praises of what God has done / Travis & I shared testimony (I taught from Psalm 47 & Travis shared his story) / Offering and singing /
Healing Prayers (We prayed for sore joints, lack of hearing, peace, salvation for family members, and were asked to cast out demons – literally a woman was set free by the power of Jesus tonight as I prayed)

These people believe in the power of Christ as they gather in community! Yes!!!! I am praying that I can anticipate and expect the same for our Vintage family as we gather in our Community Groups and Gatherings around New Orleans. He is alive!

Saturday, April 21

Yesterday was a little slower for us. We enjoyed a time of prayer at a private park, had some more coffee (I know I have issues) and then we grabbed lunch with Pastor Gary, his wife Gladys, and her sisters.

The restaurant was authentic Indian buffet and the place looked like Rainforest Cafe. The food was excellent but our conversation was even better. I really love this pastor and I barely know him. We shared our unique ministry philosophies and visions throughout the meal. Here are couple of things that I never want to forget:

1. Decentralize but step up and lead. Pastor Gary leads a region for New Life Fellowship and believes in a vision that scatters more than gathers. He is praying for 200 house churches and believes in investing in house church leaders as the core DNA of their future. However, he also believes that God’s hand is on him to lead this vision. This means that he doesn’t have to force people to follow or control their actions. Naturally those who are following the Holy Spirit will follow him because he is led by the Holy Spirit. Too many times I have tries to chase people to follow Vintage or control them when they get out of hand. This really challenged me to trust the Holy Spirits calling upon my life. Vintage is his and we all need to be obedient to what He has called us to do.

2. His story. Pastor Gary is a converted Muslim that is crazy in love with Jesus. He has spent most of his ministry street preaching. My favorite story that he shared was when he literally dressed in white, poured blood on his clothes, and carried a large cross from one mosque to another. This created a ton of crowds asking him what he was doing. He and his church family explained that Jesus had already come to save them. After seeing many saved the Mosques began saying over the loud speaker that what Pastor Gary was saying was not true and that he was a lunatic. I love this story and I’m inspired by his boldness.

3. Believe in the miraculous. I loved hearing all the stories about people being saved and healed. This church family is caring for the widows and orphans and believing in the power of God to save the sick. One lady had a severe case of leprosy. She was going to loose her arms and then she met Pastor Gary. He immediately prayed the power of Jesus for salvation and for healing and the Lord saved her and healed her. Today she is one of their most effective evangelists as she goes everywhere telling people that she was saved and healed by Jesus. The book of Acts is not a story book of the past, it is a reality of the present!

We got in last night after a pretty smooth flight. NOLA to DC to Switzerland to India. Check out this pic of the Swiss Alps.

I had two seats to myself from Switzerland to India and got some good sleep. Scott & Wendy and some company friends picked us up and gave us a great driving tour of the city. These are some crazy drivers. I love it! After a quick chat we went to bed. I could only sleep about 4 hrs but got to wake up this morning to this setting.

I’m already overwhelmed by the need in this city. Brick, Travis, and I went for a run and I couldn’t help but have a heavy heart. I am so thankful for this opportunity to grow and fall in love with a new people group.

As we begin this trip I am praying that we can accomplish two main goals:

#1 Encouragement. I am so proud of Scott and Wendy. They have been over here for over a year and I can see that they have really acclimated to their new home. This is no easy task and we are going to do everything we can love and encourage them.

#2 Education. I am clueless about India. This is my first time and I am so eager to learn. We are going to do a lot of listening and observing on this trip in order to mobilize a ton of future workers. We are on a marathon with Scott and Wendy, not a sprint.

About to hit the town. Let’s get to work.

Starting this Sunday we are going to jump into a new series called Real Marriage. We are going to take the highly popular and controversial book that Mark and Grace Driscoll have written and we are going to walk through it Vintage style. I am big time excited to co-preach this series with my pastoral team.

Here is going to be our journey:

4-15 Why Real Marriage? (Romans 12:1)
4/22 A Theology of Marriage & A Marriage (Ephesians 5:21-33)
4/29 Friend with Benefits (Proverbs 17:17-19)
5/6 Men and Marriage (Genesis 2:7-8, 18-25)
5/13 The Respectful Wife (Proverbs 31:10-30)
5/20 Taking Out The Trash (Psalms 51:1-6)
5/27 Let’s Talk About Sex pt. 1 (Song of Solomon 4:1-5:1)
6/3 Let’s Talk About Sex pt. 2 (Isaiah 61:1-11)
6/10 Reverse Engineering Your Life and Marriage (Ecclesiastes 7:8)

Mark Driscoll gives us a few reasons why you should be a part of this journey.

Why Real Marriage?
-About biblical relationships
-Study guides will be for married & singles
-Most people get married
-It will help you counsel others
-It will help you evaluate family of origin
-Allows you to investigate your idols of independence or dependence
-It will help those who have been sexually sinned against
-It will help you live a full life as a single
-It may help you find a spouse
-It’s all about Jesus!

For more information on this series and Vintage Church: http://vintagenola.org/realmarriage/