Asia is the biggest continent in the world. India is a subcontinent. In the Asian region there are so many countries: India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malasya, Thailand, Myanmar, Butan, Nepal, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and the Middle East gulf countries - all of these together we call the Asian region. This region is known for religions, as it gave the world so many of them, such as Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Islam, and several others. When we come to India, 83% are Hindus, 11% Muslims, and less than 3% are Christians. The remainder is everything else. The Hindus love their religion very much and guard it jealously. As Christians we need to go into these countries because God has told us to “Go ye into all the world.” So we go.

Despite all the difficulties and problems, the work is progressing well in the Asian region. God is paving the way for us to go in. With all the many obstacles on our way, so far nothing has happened to us yet. The work continues to go forward and God is leading us all the way.

As I have mentioned, there is intolerance between Hindus and Christians. In one place in India a family of foreign missionaries from Europe was traveling by car - the father, mother and two children. Some Hindus came and ordered the car to be stopped. The missionary asked, “Why are you stopping us?” “We don’t want you here in India . . . not even in this world.” They poured gasoline all over the car and set it on fire. This family of missionaries was burned alive. Why? Because they were Christians.

I witnessed the scene of one Christian missionary being cut in pieces. Why? “India is only for Hindus all others should not enter in.” Even the Muslims have difficulties there. In India there are constant fights between Hindus and Muslims. Because of this conflict, thousands are killed in India, and in this India God says, “Go ye.” How can we go? Only because the same God gives us the assurance in the book of John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

What a wonderful encouragement. The throbbing heart of God resounds, “My son and daughter, I ask you to go into the world, I know very well there is tribulation, but be sure of what I have spoken: In me you will have peace, I have overcome the world; be of good cheer. Don’t be scare of death. You go, I send my Spirit with you and will protect and lead you and bless and pave the way for you, and I will open the door for you and remove all the obstacles in the way, but go into the world.” With these words in mind, we go!

Most of the nations in Asia belong to the Muslims. In not even one of all these countries are Christians the majority. I was put in prison because I was baptizing someone. God saved me from a 2-year prison sentence, and in one week He delivered me. When we enter in Nepal, another country where Christians are not welcome, we must give Bible studies underground. Publicly we cannot conduct any meetings. If we perform a baptism, we must go out somewhere. They don’t like people from India, and they don’t like tourists, either. If I go into that country, they say, “He is from India, he is a tourist, and he is a Christian, and we don’t like him.” But Jesus said to go in. Secretly we give Bible studies, and since we cannot baptize them there, we bring the candidates to another country and after the baptism he or she goes back to Nepal.

Once I was traveling by bus when three terrorist extremists entered the bus and ordered everyone, “Give me all you have.” One of them stood in the front by the driver, another by the door, and the third stole items from the passengers. After looting all the valuables, the third man put the bag with the booty on the floor, took a gun and said to the one near the driver to point to me. “Shoot him!” he said. On that bus I was the only one from India, the only Christian, and the only tourist. The man repeated, “Shoot him, go ahead!” I could not say anything, I was very afraid and cried to the Lord, “Please bless me and save me.” I thought I would be dead any second, and was very scared. Then the man near the door told the shooter, “come quickly!” So he took the booty and left me and ran away. God gave me life.

Before coming here to Jeju, I went to Nepal and after finding a lodging please, I was hungry, so I went out to shop for food. I saw a big crowd shooting at each other and a battle was going on. All the shops were closed and I could not go back to my room. I was hungry. I managed somehow to go back to my hotel, and I asked the owner to please give me some food. So he gave me a little, and for the next 10 days I could not go out of the room lest I be killed. That was a real obstacle to our work. On the 11th day I finally had a chance to come out and run away to my country - hungry and tired. These are obstacles against Christianity and God entrusted into our hands the gospel commission, “Go into all the world, I will be with you.”

We expect tribulation and it’s true that it will come, but we are to commit everything to God, He will take care and He is there with us. We need to be purified and strengthened through tribulations and under stress. If there is no tribulation we may not know what we are. God permits tribulation to develop characters after Christ’s pattern. It is permitted because of love to us and to make us understand our responsibility of the gospel commission.

In Nepal we have 4 churches now in different parts of the country. The work is flourishing and developing. Our brethren have to work among Buddhists and Muslims. It is rare to see Christians in that country.

Bangladesh is another Muslim country. We cannot go in easily there. Bro. Sureshkumar and some of our brethren once entered into that country to distribute literature. We almost covered half of the country and when we were on the station’s platform we opened the packages and began distributing to people who were coming and going. A group of people came with gasoline, poured it over the literature and set it on fire. Then they began to pour gasoline on us and we ran for our life. We later saw the daily paper and our pictures in there with the message, “If you see these people, hand them over to the police.” We needed to go more than 500 kilometers to get to the airport and were still running for our life. God blessed and saved us, and we left the country. But to that country God said, “Go ye.” Today we have one good family in Bangladesh. God has opened the way.

Pakistan is still dangerous. If you ask Bro. Williams, he can tell you of the difficulties he faces there. In a Christian church (not ours), the people were worshipping and a group of men entered the church with a guns and began to shoot. Nine people were killed in the church in the very act of worshipping while asking the Lord to bless them. Christians cannot move freely. Two of our brethren were on their way home with their two children after a worship service when some men in a motorcycle came and shot them. Some time ago, together with Bro. Sureshkumar and with the help of Bro. Williams, we gave health lectures there. On that first time we baptized 52, but today after the hardship, hard work and effort of Bro. Williams and the cooperation of the brethren there, we have 200 brothers and sisters in the faith.

Sri Lanka is still worse. In other countries we have the enemies mentioned already, but in Sri Lanka we have Christians against our church; they have threatened and troubled us. “You don’t stay here, you go out of here,” they say. How many trips Bro. Sureshkumar had make to defend our name in court! Now the brethren are threatened with losing their life. What are we going to do for them? I told them “Go to another country. God will be with you and protect you.”

When we go out of the home we are not sure if we will come back alive. For Jesus’ sake we are killed. In Matthew 24 our Lord explained that this is the beginning of sorrows; you will be hated for my name’s sake, offended and betrayed by one another. We expect losses, disappointments, but we have the Saviour’s promise for us. What kind of promise? “My son, My daughter, My grace is sufficient for you.”

The Lord is pleading for laborers and there is a great work to be done in the highways and byways. People are hungering and thirsting for the words of life. How many in this group today will say, Here am I send me? How many of us are ready for this commitment? We are responsible for souls that are perishing. Let us go with determination, through tribulation or whatever may come. Our motto is “Christ.” God created us for that purpose, to preach Christ, then let us rededicate ourselves and work for our Master.