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Lifting Up Our Eyes - Part 4
K.P. Yohannan

K.P. Yohannan (1950 - 2024). Indian-American missionary, author, and founder of GFA World, born in Niranam, Kerala, to a St. Thomas Syrian Christian family. Converted at eight, he joined Operation Mobilization at 16, serving eight years in India. In 1974, he moved to the U.S., graduating from Criswell College with a B.A. in Biblical Studies, and was ordained, pastoring a Native American church near Dallas. In 1979, he and his German-born wife, Gisela, founded Gospel for Asia (now GFA World), emphasizing native missionaries, growing to support thousands in the 10/40 Window. Yohannan authored over 250 books, including Revolution in World Missions, with 4 million copies printed, and broadcast Athmeeya Yathra in 113 Asian languages. In 1993, he founded Believers Eastern Church, becoming Metropolitan Bishop as Moran Mor Athanasius Yohan I in 2018. Married with two children, he faced controversies over financial transparency, including a 2015 Evangelical Council expulsion and 2020 Indian tax raids. His ministry impacted millions through Bible colleges, orphanages, and wells.
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Sermon Summary
This sermon emphasizes the importance of prayer, fasting, and evaluating one's lifestyle in order to align with God's heart. It challenges listeners to invest their lives in eternal things, serve God wholeheartedly, and support missionaries in various nations. The message encourages taking risks for God's kingdom and being willing to step out in faith, even if it means sacrificing comfort or security.
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And they never want to come back. You know what happened? They understood the heart of God. I'm not saying you have to run off to some country, but prayer. They say, what am I going to pray for? Go to our website, we can bury you with prayer request. You will believe it. Fantastic exercise. And just fasting one day of the week, you will not die. If you die, please let me know. Second application. You know, for me, everything in me died. I couldn't touch godliness anymore, while I was in the ministry, because of materialism. And the Lord had to set me free. That means different thing to different people. I have friends who are multi-millionaires, who are intense in their work with God, touching the lost world. But there are poor people who are nothing but greedy like the devil. I'm not promoting, selling your stuff and house and car. That's not what I'm saying. But when half of the world go to bed with empty stomach and naked bodies, let's not fool ourselves and be superficial about it. How many more clothes you need to make you look nice? How many more diamonds you need to prove His love for you? How many more new cars and trinkets we need to make us happy? Listen, find happiness in suffering that you accept in the flesh. Why I say it? I still fight this battle. It is not over. Invest your life for things that will not perish. But please don't do it out of guilt or condemnation or need or whatever. You seek the Lord. Don't be careless about it. The next recommendation I have, the third one, if the Lord is calling you to serve Him, listen, take the risk. You will never be abandoned by Him. Okay, get a one-way ticket. You die, don't worry, heaven is a much better place. This is what we tell our missionaries when they go to the mission field, by the way. If you get killed on the mission field, you wait there for us and we'll come and see you later. Excitedly we tell them this, because the persecution is so severe in many places. Now, you may not be able to go to India or these nations and live there, but you can serve God in all kinds of ways. And we are even looking for people to work with us in Dallas, Texas. If you are skilled, unskilled, anyone who wants to serve God, we will talk to you. We need people in Canada, we need people in Australia, in all kinds of places. And we are looking for people with skills like television and all this we are trying to launch a television channel in the next two months. We need people to come and help us. People who can work with cameras and editing and all. These are skills we cannot find in these places. And if you are one, there could be any kind of skill in these kind of areas. Media, please talk to us. We'll buy a one-way ticket and throw your passport away. And we will take care of you. Please don't worry about that. And then they rejoice in wonderful things. And a fellowship like this, what a place for people to pray and help you. As a matter of fact, we are so happy we have a couple from this church that is going to be joining us this year. And please, I think it's Jonathan, his name. And please pray for the family. The last recommendation I have for you is that, you know, my first choice was not to be in America or anywhere. I just wanted to go to India or Nepal somewhere. That's when the Lord said, listen, do this and you can do more. And that's when Gospel Fellowship began. There is a card given to you in the bulletin. Would you please pull it out? And it is right there with you in the bulletin. And be kind enough to look at this. If you want to read it on the screen, you can also. What it is, simply this. As I told you, we have thousands of brothers and sisters in all these nations who speak the language, living like their people, with a passion burning for Jesus. But they come from terribly poor backgrounds. And this is where we can become Romans chapter 10 fulfillers. That is, how will they go to preach except they be sent. What I'm asking you, would you pray and ask the Lord, He will give you the grace to help someone's native missionaries in Nepal, India, Bhutan, any of those countries. As a matter of fact, you're looking at the card. This guy here on the card, I know him personally. When he came to Christ from a Sikh family in Punjab, his parents literally threw him out of the house. He came to a Bible college, finished his three-year study. We sent him to the mission field. He planned and saw for five churches in that state. Can you imagine, you are given the privilege to be the sponsor of that missionary. Or hundreds like this dear brother. What I'm asking you, would you please help us? We have literally hundreds of missionaries who are ready to go to the mission field. But we need someone to pray for them and help them. You say, Brother KP, what does that mean? My wife and I, we began to help four missionaries giving $30 a month. And each one of these missionaries, God used them to establish churches on the mission field. And you can do the same. All you need to do is to fill this card, your name and address, and see how many missionaries you would like to support. We have a medical doctor who helps 50 missionaries a month. He has more money than I have. And the Lord bless him for that. And at least one or two or three, whatever you can help, please do that. All you need to do is just sign this up. And if you want to make the payments, throw a credit card and all that on the back here, the information. And you know what we are going to do? When you bring the card to the table, we are going to give you your missionary or missionaries take home with you today. Start praying for them. Name and information, testimony. They write you a couple of times a year. And they become your family members. For you to pray for them. And see God's work done on the mission field. And every penny you send for that missionary, actually go to the mission field to the missionaries. We don't take nothing out of that. Our staff raise their own support. And we meet our needs like that. So, there are four things I pray that you consider. And prayer. Evaluating our lifestyle. Seeking the Lord's call on your life. But you can start today by saying, Lord, at least this I can do. And start helping some of those missionaries. Whatever the Lord asks you to do, He will give the grace. All I need to say, Lord, give me the strength. And that is beautiful. May the Lord speak to us. Amen.
Lifting Up Our Eyes - Part 4
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K.P. Yohannan (1950 - 2024). Indian-American missionary, author, and founder of GFA World, born in Niranam, Kerala, to a St. Thomas Syrian Christian family. Converted at eight, he joined Operation Mobilization at 16, serving eight years in India. In 1974, he moved to the U.S., graduating from Criswell College with a B.A. in Biblical Studies, and was ordained, pastoring a Native American church near Dallas. In 1979, he and his German-born wife, Gisela, founded Gospel for Asia (now GFA World), emphasizing native missionaries, growing to support thousands in the 10/40 Window. Yohannan authored over 250 books, including Revolution in World Missions, with 4 million copies printed, and broadcast Athmeeya Yathra in 113 Asian languages. In 1993, he founded Believers Eastern Church, becoming Metropolitan Bishop as Moran Mor Athanasius Yohan I in 2018. Married with two children, he faced controversies over financial transparency, including a 2015 Evangelical Council expulsion and 2020 Indian tax raids. His ministry impacted millions through Bible colleges, orphanages, and wells.