This sermon reflects on a humbling experience in Orissa, India, where the speaker encountered individuals who faced immense persecution and loss for their faith in Jesus Christ. Despite their lack of formal education or theological knowledge, these believers displayed unwavering commitment and love for Christ, even in the face of extreme suffering and tragedy. The speaker acknowledges his own feelings of inadequacy and emphasizes the importance of humility, growth, and readiness to face challenges for the sake of faith.

I want to ask you a question. Have you ever felt so tiny, you just feel like you want to run away and crawl under the rug, you just don't want to face anybody? You feel so bad about yourself? Well, whatever the answer is, I can tell you it happened to me a few times. And just a few weeks ago, I happened to be in the state of Orissa, that is the northwest of India. Well, I went there to meet a few thousand people that went through huge persecution and problems in Kandamal. I do not know how much you are aware about all these things. Last few years, in the state of Orissa, over 4,000 Christian homes were destroyed, completely or partially, by the anti-Christian radical fundamentalists. Over 500 people's lives were taken. Many were brutally killed. And the pain was so much. But when I was there, meeting with hundreds of these people, I felt so tiny, so small. You say, what happened? Well, you see, I was talking to individuals who would say things like, they killed my brother. And then scars on their foreheads, and the story of their house being destroyed, and story after stories. Or a friend of mine would tell stories about some of these Christians, and missionaries, and pastors, and clergy, and nuns, and a story about a Catholic nun who was gang-raped and a priest murdered. I heard so many stories. And I looked in the eyes of some of these people, and I said to myself, Oh, who am I? Who am I that I'm qualified to speak to these people and instruct them? I'm nobody. The sacrifice, the commitment of these simple people, they don't have the college education or PhDs, and they don't know all the theology, but one thing I learned, they fell in love with Jesus Christ, their Lord. And they were willing to face such huge persecution, loss of everything, including their house and clothes, and their relatives, their children murdered, but would not deny Christ. Yeah, now you know why I felt so tiny. These kind of encounters always help us to remain humble. And I'm grateful for such opportunities. I do not know how God leads you, but I assure you, you will have plenty of encounters, not like the one I had, but someone telling you, Hey, you are wrong. This is sin. Don't do it. Repent. Make things right. Of course, they are on your face sometimes maybe, but that's an opportunity to look at yourself and say, I don't know everything. I am wrong. I can become better and learn and grow, and that's where God gives grace. I'm glad for the experience I had in Orissa. It helped me to appreciate others and ask God, Lord, give me strength, that if ever I must face something like this, that I will not deny you. I need to grow more.