Week of Prayer:
His heart, His hands, His voice - I am Southern Baptist missions
Before he found Christ, Bishwa
Karmacharya was destined to become the temple priest, making sacrifices on
behalf of others. Instead, the Nepalese church planter grew up to tell others
about Jesus’ sacrifice.
Karmacharya is Brahmin, the
priestly and highest caste in Hinduism, the religion followed by most Nepalese.
It’s typically unthinkable for Brahmins and high-caste Hindus to associate with
lower-caste Hindus.
But Christ has no caste, says
Karmacharya, who was trained in church planting by IMB worker Carl Russell.*
Russell watched God develop in Karmacharya a gift for sharing the Gospel and
church planting. Now he and his wife, Ramila, plant churches among all castes
and people groups in Nepal.
His radical obedience has
permeated a growing generation of Nepalese pastors who, like Karmacharya, have
chosen the road less taken, braving threats and bombs to see Christ’s name
glorified in the Himalayas.
“We don’t pray for one more
church,” Karmacharya says. “We pray for one more healthy church.” This means
having local, indigenous leadership. That’s why the Karmacharyas regularly pile
into their car and drive down roads that hug the hips of mountains to train
these leaders.
Many Nepalese would call
Karmacharya a radical because he’s chosen obedience to Christ over caste,
culture, family and Hinduism. He sees himself as only obedient.
Pray for healthy churches and other godly leaders to be
raised up in the Himalayas; pray for safety for the Karmacharyas.
Pray that the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering goal will be
met so more obedient workers like Carl Russell can disciple and train national
leaders.
Scripture to Claim:
And
this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness
unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Matthew 24:14
