In this sermon, the speaker shares a powerful story of a Hindu man who was on the verge of committing suicide but was saved by reading a gospel tract. This man had never heard of Jesus before and was amazed to learn that Jesus died for him and that he didn't have to go to hell. Two missionaries shared the gospel with him, and within a few months, a church was established with the man's support. The speaker emphasizes the importance of sharing the gospel and reaching out to the billions of people who have never heard the name of Jesus.

Christ suffered for us, leaving an example that we should follow in his footsteps, but what does it mean to follow in his footsteps? That's next on The Road to Reality. Hello and welcome to another edition of The Road to Reality with K.P. Yohannan, the radio outreach of Gospel for Asia. Today, Brother K.P. shares a portion of his testimony of how the Lord burdened his heart to reach out in a tangible and practical way to the many who have never heard the Gospel. It began with a willingness to embrace the cross and accept suffering. To help us follow in the Lord's footsteps, here's Brother K.P. on The Road to Reality. 1 Peter 2, verse 21, To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps. If you read the following verses, which I'm not going to read, it talks about he committed no sin, all those things, and come to verse 24, He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. Knowing all about being spiritual, understanding all theology, listening to Chuck Smith, Lloyd Pauley, and everybody else you are listening to, read the thousands of Christian books that are available on every subject, buy a new CD every week with new songs and new music, go to every seminar that is available, the counseling sessions, none of those things will make you a radical follower of Jesus that will not make you like Jesus. The thing that will make you like Christ is your willingness, my willingness to embrace the cross, accept suffering and walk on the most rigid narrow road and walk, become doers of the word, otherwise we will remain like those people that day. Jesus, don't you know me? I went to church every Sunday, I prayed for the sick, they even got healed and I gave money, I did everything, I went to every seminar, I was a very nice, wonderful American. Jesus says, I'm sorry, I just don't know you, you don't know me? No, you knew all the answers, you said the right words, everybody thought you are the most spiritual person walking on earth, you even did wonderful spiritual gymnastics, you worshipped, but it was all product of the flesh, it was all for yourself, you did it. When I was in mainland China some time ago, the Chinese brothers pulled out a bunch of color photographs and showed me of baptism service taking place in the middle of night in icy waters for hundreds of new converts and they said, we must do like this because daytime if you did it, we'll be arrested and go to jail. Something that shocked me more than that was when they said, Brother KP, we have congregations all over mainland China, 500, 700,000 members, underground churches and they said, we are lucky if you have two Bibles to the name of the entire congregation. I said, I didn't hear you, can you repeat that, explain that? They said, we just don't have Bibles, so we tear the Bibles, the couple of Bibles you have, 20 pages, 30 pages, give it to families, they can take it home, copy it by hand, bring it back, then they keep circulating that. They hear radio, shortwave radio broadcast, Bible being read and they copy that. For 1.3 billion people in mainland China, not one Christian bookstore. You go to here, just walk out from your church, go out there, there's a door, Christian bookstore. In Dallas, Texas where we are, 12 Christian radio stations. For 1.2 billion people in Indian subcontinent, there's not one Christian radio station. What I'm telling you, my brothers and sisters, is that it is wonderful to have knowledge, information, worship, freedom and all those things, but I tell you, unless you are deliberately careful, don't follow the crowd, choose the narrow road, embrace the cross, be real in your walk with Him, is all be just playing games. The plastic, jellyfish, superficial Christianity, you are okay, I am okay, I'm better than them, everybody's bad, I am just doing the right thing. I tell you what, Evangelical Christian, somebody gave him a gospel tract, gospel note of Jesus. Atheist, man who mock at the very idea of Jesus and God you talk about. And this man wrote, if I believed what you say you believe, faith in God determines the destiny of human beings, if need be, I will crawl on broken glass all over the world until the last minute of my life and cry out this gospel. Husband, wife, children, hobbies, job, ambitions, desires, all will become secondary compared to the task of reaching this world with this good news. Who wrote it? Not a checksmith, not KP, this atheist wrote that. When atheist read that thing, he said to himself, this is funny, shocking. This man who says, if he believed what I say I believe, what he will do is this, no more evangelical, self-centered, please me, bless me, religion. He was convicted. He took his millions, sent to mission work all over the world, kept 600 pounds in his bank, English pounds, because he was engaged. Now he thought he would get married and go off to the mission field. His Jesus said to you, he said to forsake all and follow me. She said, then why are you keeping 600 pounds in the bank? The last 600 English pounds he took, sent it to William Booth of Salvation Army in London, then later got married, went off to the mission field to die in a young age, Charles Studd. I ask you, when was the last time when you saw 100,000 people died in Rwanda overnight, 200,000 in Bangladesh in the typhoon, 17 million people in Afghanistan without one church, one Christian, 22 million Northern Bihar without one missionary, over 100,000 die every day and plunge into hell every day? When was the last time you wept, you prayed, you fasted, you rather go for diet systems and exercise machines rather than fast and pray for the lost world? You realize half of the world go to bed with empty stomach every day? You realize that 100,000 children walk on Bombay streets not knowing who their parents are? You realize near 3 billion people live on planet earth that never heard the name Jesus? And I say, Jesus I love you and I don't want you to break my heart because I want to be taking care of myself. Is it a strange gospel? No sir, I lived like that too one time, long, long time ago. I had a library I was building up with Evangelical Sound, wonderful library, thousands of books, books I may never read but look nice. Newsweek, Time magazine, I mean people walked in a house in Dallas, they saw in this nice wonderful living room with nice furniture, the sports magazine, I hate sports, fishing magazine, I don't know what that stuff is but it looked nice. People thought this guy is smart when they saw this expensive leather-bound book sitting in my on my shelf, I mean books, Shakespeare, I hate that stuff but it looked nice being American. But you know what, with all my preaching, all my teaching, a seminary student while in the ministry, I can't cry anymore, I was just like you. They talked about hell, it didn't touch me, it didn't bother me at all. I was buying the best clothes I can buy for Neiman Marcus and other places, it didn't bother me until one day the Lord began to speak to me and said, son you don't know me, this is not what I said. Oh no, I didn't hear any voice through my ceiling but I was reading the New Testament, the even your own very life, you cannot be my disciple. Oh, if I were to make up those words, you know what some people say to me in America, this guy, where is he from? He's off the wall, he is here to put us on a condemnation trip, guilt trip, beat us up, get our money, get him out of this place or crucify him. They crucified him because he said those words. You think Jesus already told disciples, you are mistaken, he had hundreds and hundreds of them and the very moment he said, hey fellows, I am not promising you prosperity, a new CD every week, nice house, better clothes, great future, healthy bodies, peace, comfort, nice American life, I promise you the cross, give up and come with me and die. They said, wow, what did he say? They all walked away from him and a few remained. You read in the original text with sorrow, he says, aren't you going to leave me also? And Peter said, where are we going to go? You have the words of eternal life. When majority saw the cross, the suffering, the inconveniences, the fasting, the prayer, the narrow road as the end of all, a few people saw that the way of life. And I tell you, when the Lord began to speak to my heart, I say this no matter where I go, I prayed a very simple prayer that afternoon, kneeling beside my bed. I said, Jesus, take eternity and stand on my eyes. Well, in just a few moments, Brother KP O'Hanlon returns to the road to reality to explain how the Lord touched his heart that day. Before he does, I'd like to mention an important book authored by KP. It's called Road to Reality. It's designed to encourage you to come home to Jesus from this unreal world that we find ourselves in. Now, as a way of thanking you for listening today, we would like to offer you the road to reality for just $10. You need only to go to our website at winasia.org to request yours today. Again, the book is called Road to Reality, same name as our program. And once again, our web address, winasia.org. With more on the Lord's call to take up the cross and follow him, once again, here's Brother KP. Jesus answered that prayer. He began to break my heart for the lost world, and I started weeping nonstop almost for two weeks. People thought I got eye disease because when I saw India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, when I read about people going to hell, it was no more how I'm going to make me feel better. Everything changed. I got off all the clothes I had except a few shirts and a couple of ties and a couple of jacks. The rest was sold or given away. Brand new cars were gone. My house was gone. Life insurance, check account, everything changed. Not that I am promoting you to do these things. That is not the issue here. You see, one of our native missionaries was working in Rajasthan in the northwest of India. A Hindu man came and got a gospel tract while they were preaching. It's for spiritual loss, you know, it is in the Hindi language. This Hindu man in his late 50s, a Brahmin landlord, very rich. He had cancer in his body. Not to bring shame to his family, he was running away to commit suicide. After having written the suicide note, he was on the way to kill himself. And on the way, he got this gospel tract. And on the street there, he read for the first time in his life on planet earth, that Jesus died for him, that God came into this world, that he didn't have to die and go to hell. First time. Hey, listen, process that. To live 50 years and never to hear the name Jesus. And he said to himself, this is unbelievable, that I don't have to die. My sins are forgiven. Jesus died for me. All I must do is believe in him. And there was a prayer. He could pray the end of that tract. And on the street, this man prayed the prayer to a God he never prayed before. And peace came into his heart. He felt something happened to him. He didn't kill himself. He ran back home to Kota, to the Rajasthan region where he came from. And then, he went to the doctors. Said, can you check me again, doctor? They said, you got cancer. You are dying. Said, please doctor, would you? They checked him up, down, inside, everywhere possible. They said, are you the same person? You are totally healed. Nothing wrong with you. What did you take? The guy pulled out the booklet he got from our native mission. Said, doctor, this healed me. And the doctor said, we knew you had cancer. Now we know you are off your mind. But you know what that man said to our missionaries? After that, he went to our mission station, said, I got plenty of money. I'm a Hindu Brahmin. I'm the head of my village. Would you please come and make all my people Christians? How naive, how innocent. He just didn't know how it worked. Two of our missionaries went with him. Began to preach the gospel. Within a few months, a glorious church was established. Land was given. Money was given by that man to build the church. Now there's a church like here, worshiping Jesus Christ. You know how that began? You can talk back to me. With one little gospel tract. You know how much a tract worth? Costs less than the chewing gum you chew during the church service or while you work or drive. You realize Americans can't stop chewing? The dirtiest polluted waters in America is maximum luxury for more than half of the world. Come with me to Bombastin to show you millions drinking from the sewage that comes right out of toilets. And we install millions of dollars worth of equipments to make our water better. What's wrong with us? I'm not saying you should have filters and clean your water. That's not the issue. But we are just super human beings God brought from heaven. Americans or special people in Germany and this and that. You be nice people. Finally, when you die, I want to have you to be in heaven with me, a special place. Oh, how God must open our eyes to see reality of the lost world. You know what? There was a time many years of 18, 19 years ago in America, I was buying deodorant soap imported from Europe for this brown, dark Indian, deceived by demons. And when the Lord broke my heart, I repented for such selfishness. I changed to ivory. Yes, 35 cents ivory man, instead of $1.50 imported soap from England. Why did I do that? So I have become super spiritual, wonderful brother KP, nonsense. He poverty and having no shampoo and no soap and make a peace being spiritual. You go to Bangladesh in Africa. I just came from Africa. They are more spiritual. That's not true. I have friends who are multimillionaires who walk with God, serve God, give their money to reach the lost world. I'm not promoting you live on the street and have no makeup on your face. That's not the issue. But you know why I changed from the expensive deodorant soap to ivory 35 cents to $1.50. That means 200 more people will hear the name Jesus for the first time. I didn't have to have expensive imported soap. I used to go to a place during those days, $12 to get a haircut. That was too much. Then when the Lord broke my heart, I switched to an army place where they butchered my head for $3. I mean, what happened to us, everything I did, everything. I thought about taking a vacation. Many times I never did it. I'm not against vacation. Please go for vacation, go to India. You know, I mean, you work so hard during the year, make, get all your money. Then you go for Grand Canyon, look into that pit and then spend all your money and use a credit card, come home. Then you work again and you're so tired by now you have to work to get well. You realize the hardest, hardest working American, your life is maximum luxury for people by millions who live on the streets in Bangladesh, in Africa and on and on and on. And you are not an American, a German, Russian, you belong to Jesus. Please don't write me off thinking that I have an agenda. I have no agenda. All agenda, only thing I have is that you become radically real and God brought you here for that purpose. And you know, that change took place in my heart that many years ago. I'm still on the same road, not by power, not by might, not by my reasoning, nor by His grace. And I challenge you, my brothers and sisters, take Bible verses, not to interpret, explain and figure this out, but to live by, to live by. You know, I wish this clock would stop, it won't. The same Charles Studd, C.T. Studd said, some wants to live within the sound of the church bell, but I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell. That must be our commitment. You know, I just don't know how to communicate in words. My English is weak also, but I feel in my heart, especially after spending a week in South Africa with 4,000 mission leaders from all over the world, we were talking about nearly 3 billion people that never heard the name Jesus and on the way to hell. How are we going to reach them? And today, my brothers and sisters, you can do something about it. I can do something about it. They don't have to perish like that if we will take our responsibility, our place. Let me make a few recommendations very quickly. One is this, you get a world map, put in your house. If you can't find one, call us next week. We will send you one. We are making a very beautiful world map that fit in any house. You can color coordinate whatever you want to do with the thing. Let the world dominate your home because for God so loved the world. Let radio, TV, whatever news you get become prayer letter for you. And listen, become a radical. My children grew up in America, both finished high school here, straight top students. From the time they were born, they saw world map and they grew with that. And when they finished the high school, I didn't tell them go to the mission field. They could get almost any university or college in America with full scholarship. They chose to go to the mission field. Right now, they both are on the mission field studying in a Bible school to serve God. I didn't have to give them ski trip and hot dog trips and all kind of nonsense and make them spiritual. They saw their parents fasting, walking with God without beating upon them. They saw tears in our eyes. They saw the brokenness in our heart and on our face. And they saw the reality. The answer to your children is not bunch of new CDs and music and counseling and this and your pastor. The answer is you giving up materialism and ungodly selfish living and walk with God and they will say, I want this life. That is the way to do it. Second recommendation I have, if you read the book Road to Reality, one of the book I wrote, some people hate it, but people are reading it. Coming home to Jesus from the unreal world, but John will be talking about that in a second. But the book talks about the second recommendation I have, hey listen, you don't need another diamond ring for his love to be proven to you. He loves you anyway. You don't need brother a new car to keep up with some next door to you. Somebody, the old car he got, lay a hand on that dude and pray for it. It will run again. I know a medical doctor with seven or eight children. He wrote me a letter. He support 80 missionaries from Fort Wayne, Indiana with us on the mission field giving $50 a month. And he said, well KP, we need a new van so bad, but we came to us a family. We prayed and our children said, daddy, why don't we take our new vehicle money and send it to gospel for Asia to buy a van for the mission field and we will drive the old car or we walk to school. Wow. That is life committed to the cross for the lost world. Hey, trim down, slow down. You don't need, you'll never again need a garage sale, roomy sale, yard sale, because you don't have too much stuff, just enough to live. You don't need to spend half hour before the long mirror to color coded match all kind of things. You just can take what you got. I mean, listen, nobody's impressed by you. Don't make a mistake. I mean, you see this guy here. I got two of them. This is one of those. I mean, I had it for years. Now you wait for another year. This fashion will go back to Am I going to throw this away? No, it's going to come back. Yes, true. And, you know, oh, just to be set free from the bondage of materialism. Hey, God, so we can reach the lost way. Well, amen to that. No doubt you've been challenged as I have to not only get the map of the world, but also to simplify your life, even be willing to go where the Lord is calling you. May God help us to do so for his glory. You've been listening to the road to reality with KP O'Hannon, the founder and director of Gospel for Asia. If you'd like to hear this message again, drop by our website at WinAsia.org. Download the MP3. It's called Follow in his footsteps. And while you're at it, order your copy of KP's frequently requested book, Road to Reality. In this world of ours, it's sure easy to become distracted away from what really matters. How this book will help you get back on and stay on the road to reality. It's only $10 for a limited time through our website, WinAsia.org, or call us toll free 866-WinAsia. That's 866-WinAsia. And with that, we conclude our broadcast, but do join us again next week at this same time when the road to reality with KP O'Hannon returns with more on how to reach our world for Christ. Began to preach the gospel. Within a few months, a glorious church was established. Land was given. Money was given by that man to build the church. Now there's a church like here worshiping Jesus Christ. You know how that began? You can talk back to me with one little gospel tract. You know how much a tract worth? Costs less than the chewing gum you chew during the church service or while you work or drive. You realize Americans can't stop chewing? The dirtiest polluted waters in America is maximum luxury for more than half of the world. Come with me to Bombastin to show you millions drinking from the sewage that comes right out of toilets. And we install millions of dollars worth of equipments to make our water better. What's wrong with us? I'm not saying you should not have filters and clean your water. That's not the issue. But we are just super human beings. God brought from heaven Americans or special people in Germany and this and that. You be nice people. Finally, when you die, I want to have you to be in heaven with me a special place. Oh, how God must open our eyes to see reality of the lost world. You know what? There was a time many years of 18, 19 years ago in America, I was buying deodorant soap imported from Europe for this brown dark Indian deceived by demons. And when the Lord broke my heart, I repented for such selfishness. I changed to ivory. Yes, 35 cents ivory man instead of $1.50 imported soap from England. Why did I do that? So I would become super spiritual wonderful brother KP nonsense. He poverty and having no shampoo and no soap and make a piece being spiritual. You go to Bangalore, this in Africa, I just came from Africa. They are more spiritual. That's not true. I have friends who are multi millionaires who walk with God, serve God, give them money to reach the lost world. I'm not promoting you live on the street and have no makeup on your face. That's not the issue. But you know why I changed from the expensive deodorant soap to ivory 35 cents to $1.50. That means 200 more people will hear the name Jesus for the first time. I didn't have to have the expensive importer soap. I used to go to a place during those days, $12 to get a haircut. That was too much. Then when the Lord broke my heart, I switched to an army place where they butchered my head for $3. I mean, what happened to us? Everything I did everything I thought about taking a vacation. Many times I never did it. I'm not against vacation. Please go for vacation. Go to India. You know, I mean, you work so hard during the year make get all your money, then you go for Grand Canyon, look into that pit, and then spend all your money and use a credit card, come home, then you work again. And you're so tired by now you have to work to get well. You realize the hardest, hardest working American your life is maximum luxury for people by millions who live on the streets in Bangladesh, in Africa, and on and on and on and you are not an American, a German, Russian, you belong to Jesus. Please don't write me off thinking that I have an agenda. I have no agenda. All agenda only thing I have is that you become radically real. And God brought you here for that purpose. And you know, that change took place in my heart that many years ago, I'm still on the same road, not by power, not by might, not by my reasoning, nor by his grace. And I challenge you, my brothers and sisters, take Bible verses not to interpret, explain and figure this out, but to live by, to live by. You know, I wish this clock would stop, it won't. The same Charles Sturt, C.T. Sturt said, some wants to live within the sound of the church bell, but I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell. That must be our commitment. You know, I just don't know how to communicate in words. My English is weak also, but I feel my heart, especially after spending a week in South Africa with 4,000 mission leaders from all over the world. We were talking about nearly 3 billion people that never heard the name Jesus and on the way to hell. How are we going to reach them? And today my brothers and sisters, you can do something about it. I can do something about it. They don't have to perish like that. If we will take our responsibility, our place, let me make a few recommendations very quickly. One is this, you get a world map put in your house. If you can't find one, call us next week, we will send you one. We are making a very beautiful world map that fit in any house. You can call a coordinate, whatever you want to do with the thing. Let the world dominate your home because for God so loved the world. Let radio, TV, whatever news you get become prayer letter for you. And listen, become a radical. My children grew up in America. Both finished high school here, straight top students. From the time they were born, they saw a world map and they grew with that. And when they finished the high school, I didn't tell them, go to the mission field. They could get almost any university or college in America with full scholarship. They chose to go to the mission field. Right now, they both are on the mission field, studying in a Bible school to serve God. I didn't have to give them ski trip and hot dog trips and all kind of nonsense and make them spiritual. They saw their parents fasting, walking with God, without beating upon them. They saw tears in our eyes. They saw the brokenness in our heart and on our face. And they saw the reality. The answer to your children is not bunch of new CDs and music and counseling Sundays and your pastor. The answer is you giving up materialism and ungodly, selfish living and walk with God. And they will say, I want this life. That is the way to do it. Second recommendation I have, if you read the book Road to Reality, one of the book I wrote, some people hate it, but people are reading it. Coming home to Jesus from the unreal world. But John will be talking about that in a second. But the book talks about the second recommendation I have. Hey, listen, you don't need another diamond ring for his love to be proven to you. He loves you anyway. You don't need, brother, a new car to keep up with some next door to you. Somebody, the old car he got, lay a hand on that dude and pray for it. It will run again. I know a medical doctor with seven or eight children. He wrote me a letter. He support 80 missionaries from Fort Wayne, Indiana with us on the mission field, giving $50 a month. And he said, well, KP, we need a new van so bad, but we came to us a family. We prayed and our children said, daddy, why don't we take our new vehicle money and send it to gospel for Asia to buy a van for the mission field. And we will drive the old car or we walk to school. Wow. That is life committed to the cross for the lost world. Hey, trim down, slow down. You don't need, you'll never again need a good. I say it remains in yards in because you don't have too much stuff, just enough to live. You don't need to spend half hour before the long mirror to color coded match all kinds of things. You just can take what he got. I mean, listen, nobody's impressed by you. Don't make a mistake. I mean, you see this guy here. I got two of them. This is one of those. I mean, I had it for years. Now you wait for another year. This fashion will go back to narrow. Am I going to throw this away? No, it's going to come back. Yes, true. And you know, Oh, just to be set free from the bondage of materialism, may God deliver us. Amen to that. No doubt. You've been challenged as I have to not only get the map of the world, but also to simplify your life, even be willing to go where the Lord is calling you. May God help us to do so for his glory. You've been listening to the road to reality with KP O'Hanlon, the founder and director of gospel for Asia. If you'd like to hear this message again, drop by our website at winasia.org, download the MP3 it's called follow in his footsteps. And while you're at it, order your copy of KP's frequently requested book road to reality.