Amazing Report from South Asia
This past December was an exciting one. God is at work in amazing ways in South Asia! The first week of the trip, more than 30 pastors gathered to learn how to study and preach the prophetic books. Several times, they expressed that the class was not only helping them better understand the prophetic books, but also helping them interpret the whole of Scripture.
It has been encouraging to see how a right hermeneutic has impacted their theology. That has been greatly helped by good resources such as the MacArthur Study Bibles I was able to bring (provided by TMAI).
I also had the privilege to preach at two churches pastored by two of my students.
This gave me the honor of not only equipping the saints from God’s Word, but also provided an opportunity for the pastors to see the impact of expository sermons.
Christmas Banquets
I had the opportunity to participate in three Christmas banquets in three different cities. The banquets included a Christmas story presentation by youth from a church which is pastored from one of my students. I then followed the presentation with a gospel message entitled, “Why The Virgin Birth?”
Many Muslims came in response to invitations by pastors and local church members.
Following the message, Urdu Bibles were given out as gifts and were gladly received by the Muslims who attended. In fact, many asked if they could take more with them to give to friends and family. Over 1000 bibles were given out at these banquets.
The overall response was quite stunning! By God’s grace, there were no incidents from any extremists and those in attendance listened carefully.
In fact, several Muslims, including teachers from Islamic schools and local imams, expressed being challenged by the message and wanting to speak further about it. Others said they now understood why Jesus was born of a virgin and the sin nature.
All of the pastors who attended were amazed at how the attendees responded to the open and direct message which included a call to repentance and faith in Christ. God gave great boldness to present His gospel accurately and clearly. They were also greatly encouraged to see the gospel go forth among a group of people that is a big challenge to reach in this country. It gave them courage to stand for Christ with more boldness. Many also expressed a desire to be trained in expository preaching after hearing the message – an unexpected but welcome response.
There were several national and local new organizations at the banquet in Lahore due the presence of many prominent attenders. Here is a link to one of the newscasts which presented the banquet in a very positive light. In fact, one of the news stations had recorded the entire banquet presentation and nationally aired a large portion of it on Christmas day.
To openly preach the gospel here was an amazing experience and privilege. I am extremely grateful for the prayers of God’s people on this trip for I could see His hand at work in remarkable ways. God used these events not only to allow many to hear the gospel but also to galvanize God’s people to proclaim Christ.
The Persecuted Church
I also had the opportunity to go to the city where, a few months ago, 26 churches were destroyed along with the homes of over 300 Christian families. As a result, many of them have been hiding in fields outside of the city, having little food or fellowship. Nearly 500 were gathered together for a special service to provide them with food and Bibles and to hear from the Word.
As result of the service, many expressed how they had first come just to receive the food but then were more glad they came because they were spiritually fed. We were also able to provide the pastor of each church with a box of Bibles for their church members, many of which had been burned by extremists.
It is hard to capture in this report all that took place on this trip but hopefully I was able to give at least a taste of God’s work during this trip. We praise the Lord for what He is doing in this nation and for the opportunity to further equip pastors to feed and protect the flock. Thank you for your partnership in prayer. Please consider these prayer requests.
Prayer Requests
For the pastors in the training program that they would understand what they are learning, especially as they prepare to preach from their assigned passage in Zechariah.
My next trip in March where Tina plans to attend with me. Pray for my preparation and also that we would get our visas approved.
The protection of our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially after these banquets.
Those who heard the gospel they the eyes of their heart would be opened to put their trust in Christ.
Tina and I would appreciate your prayers for our upcoming trip to the Philippines from Jan 26 to Feb 12. We will be speaking at two couples conferences and I will be preaching at three different churches pastored by my former students.
Please also pray for a surgical procedure Tina will be having on her thyroid in the next few weeks.
If You Wish to Support South Asia
If you would like to support the ministry in South Asia, you can do so in three ways (and also receive a tax deduction):
To support the ongoing missions work through church planting and outreaches: make a check out to “Ambassador Bible Fellowship” and write on the check memo line “For Missions Fund: Pakistan”. Then mail to the following address:
Ambassador Bible Fellowship
ATTN: Karen Cotter
3327 N Eagle Rd Ste #110-53,
Meridian, ID 83646
To provide Bibles: donate online at https://www.tmai.org/donate/. After filling out your payment information, look for the box title “Where needed most” and select “Philippines”. Then below that there is a box titled “Comments/Instructions” where you need to type “For Pakistan Bibles”.
To support the pastors training through TMAI:
Online: go to https://www.tmai.org/donate/. After filling out your payment information, look for the box title “Where needed most” and select “Philippines”. Then below that there is a box titled “Comments/Instructions” where you need to type “For Pakistan training.”
Check: make your check out to TMAI and on the memo line put ‘student support – South Asia’. Then mail to the following address:
The Masters Academy International (TMAI)
13428 Roscoe Blvd.
Sun Valley, CA 91352
If You Wish to Support Us
If the Lord leads you to support this ministry, you can do in several different ways:
Credit Card: go to our GMI link. Note that GMI covers all online expenses so that 100% of your donation goes to our support.
Direct Deposit: print out the form from this link and follow its instructions. The missionary/project name is “Tim Carns”.
Check: make it payable to “GMI” and write “Tim Carns” on the memo line. Then mail it to Grace Ministries International, 13248 Roscoe Blvd., Sun Valley, CA 91352.