Pastor’s Book Review
“Revolution in World Missions”
by K.P. Yohannan
It was early January 2016 and I was preparing to leave for India. It would be my fourth trip to this amazing nation. I stumbled across a book, “Revolution in World Missions”, in my home library. My son, Jesse, had read the book in 2010 before going into China and Hong Kong as a missionary of sorts. K.P. Yohannan, author of this book, is also the founder of Gospel for Asia which is one of the largest and most efficiently run missionary movements in the world.
During my most recent trip to India, while preaching the Gospel at a crusade in the southeastern part of the country, I heard the name of a national missionary evangelist, Jesu-Das. K.P. had shared a fascinating story about Jesu-Das in his book on pages 21-22. At the end of the crusade, I approached the young Indian evangelist who had just preached the Gospel so passionately. I asked him if he was aware that this story was in K.P. Yohannan’s book. He seemed a bit confused by my question. After I explained further, he stated humbly that the story is true and authentic but he was unaware that it was in a book. This only put greater weight on the main theory of Yohannan’s book.
In the book, K.P. challenges believers in the West to re-think what is the best way to support the growing church and advancing God’s kingdom in India and throughout Asia. Having been to the nation of India four times, I felt as though I had a somewhat unique perspective on K.P.’s premise that the most effective way we can support the Christian movement in India and throughout Asia is through the wealth and blessings God has bestowed upon us in the Western world. This is a very challenging word for many of us!
I have seen first hand how God has and is continuing to raise up national missionaries from within these nations. They are far more productive in reaching the “unreachables” in their own nation. They speak the language. They know the customs. The can handle the rigors of Indian travel and food much better than most western Christians. K.P. Yohannan suggests strongly the call to actively support these nationals from our wealth and abundance. I wholeheartedly agree! That is not to say that American Christians cannot go to other countries to encourage our brothers, offer medical clinics, or provide some specialized training or service projects. But more than anything else, they need our financial support.
Let’s do our homework and research different missions, such as Gospel for Asia, Compassion International, Samaritans Purse, and Hope Ministries International. After we do so and are comfortable, let us invest in their ministry by being faithful stewards of God’s blessings by supporting national missionaries to preach the Gospel to their own people.
Whether you have a heart for missions or really do not have much of an interest at all, I definitely recommend you read this book! Once you do, you will not – cannot stay the same!
“If only a small percentage of the 80 million people who claim to be born-again Christians in this country were to sponsor a national missionary, we could have literally hundreds of thousands of evangelists reaching the lost villages of Asia.” (Page 95 from “Revolution in World Missions”)
Pastor Greg Di Meolo