Jossy Chacko

Brothers and sisters, I’ve spent the last few days in Singapore, meeting with business leaders and motivating them to lead a life of significance… it’s impressive, probably one of the most organised and cleanest cities in the world. 

Then the contrast – today I’ve woken in Lucknow, North India, it’s noisy, polluted, and it’s SO hot. There’s no air conditioning, but my hotel is still better than 90% of the homes in India.  I pick up the newspaper and its headline grabs me at the throat – “Not Enough Food… So Children Learn To Eat Mud.”

 The mud is laced with silica, it fills their distended bellies so for a brief moment, they imagine they are full. I think of my own four children, especially Joshua and Jasmine, aged 3 and 5. As a parent, how would it feel to watch your children eat mud because they are starving? You are helpless because you cannot feed yourself.

 Yet this is what is happening in one of the fastest growing economies in the world, a country with more millionaires than the entire population of Australia.  The song, “What a Wonderful World’, enters my mind but it’s an irony. How can we live in a world of such contrasts, a world with riches and excess and success, while one billion of our children live, and die in poverty? That’s one out of every two.  Asia, alongside Africa, accounts for the majority of underweight or stunted children. 

This is a huge problem. But not too huge that we cannot offer solutions.  There’s more than enough money in the world to solve all of the problems of poverty and health. But is there enough political and moral will?  Are there enough people willing to share their wealth? It made me think, if I had a billion dollars, what would I do?  Where would I spend it first? Who was most needy? It still wouldn’t be enough… the problems are insurmountable.  It’s all too hard…

But then I realised I was doing what we all do – getting stuck on the big problem, on the macro. We think about the big problem and become trapped… so we reach the conclusion that we can do nothing. The solutions required for such a huge problem are exactly that, HUGE.

Instead, we should be asking, what do I have, and what can I do?

 Today, through Empart’s initiatives, more than 3,500 children are cared for, given education, food and hope. And that’s because there are so many individuals who haven’t been overawed by the bigger problem. Instead they care to give and share what they have, rather than being paralysed by what they don’t have.

 So here’s what I can do – I can ask you for help – for the children who have to eat dirt. Go on, do a stock take of what you have? Take a chance – decided to use your skills, your gifts, your passion to change the world.  Could you tell me now, via this blog, commit in writing, what you’re willing to risk?  With this image of a little girl eating a handful of mud in your mind, what will you do?

Log onto www.empart.org and learn how your skills and your passion can help immediately.  In eternity you’ll be so glad you did.

It’s Easter… a wonderful time to remember what our faith is all about – both the pain, suffering and the great hope we share for this world and for eternity.
I believe the Easter message is just as relevant today as it was when Jesus hung on the cross then defeated death three days later. It is particularly important for the 1.8 billion people who have never heard, who are still waiting to hear this message for the first time.

It is also important for the millions of people who are faced today with war, fear of terrorism, natural disasters, poverty, loneliness, broken relationships, sickness and pain. While it can be overwhelming that so many innocent people experience such pain and grief, the Easter message is one of hope. Consider Jesus, Himself an innocent man, who experienced such horrific physical and emotional suffering on the Cross… in doing so, He identifies with and relates to the pain we experience here on earth. This enables us to seek God in those times of despair and sorrow, and know that He relates to the challenges we face.

This Easter, would you take time to pray for the persecuted Christian brothers and sisters around the world? While we enjoy Easter eggs and new life in Jesus, three of our own Empart brothers are in jail and 12 others are still in hospital recovering from the beatings they received. Why? Simply because they have chosen to believe the Easter message!

My heart goes out to these precious brothers and sisters that are persecuted – they are so special to me. At times I find it difficult to know why God gives you and me such freedom and others such extreme persecution. But I do know that when one member of the body hurts, the whole body hurts with them – including the head, Christ Himself! And I also know that ALL things will work together for good because we love Him.

No matter what your situation might be this Easter I encourage you to take hope because the suffering on the Cross wasn’t the end of the story, and neither is our current situation. The Resurrection reminds us that there is hope in the midst of the dark days. The Christian faith is not one of denial where we bury our heads in the sand and pretend that adversity is not around us. Rather, in the midst of our adversity, sickness and challenges, our faith in Jesus gives us the strength to rejoice like Paul and face life and all its obstacles head on! We know that God meets us where we’re at and takes us through.

I had the privilege last year of visiting the tomb where they buried Jesus in Jerusalem – and it’s empty! He is not there – He has risen. The Resurrection of Jesus remains the foundation of every believer’s faith in God.  It gives us hope against all odds.

Jenni and I are believing that your life, ministry, business and family will be anointed with the Resurrection power this Easter. We pray that you will be filled with hope beyond your circumstances and situations.
Blessings and love in Christ
Jossy Chacko

PS. As you celebrate this Easter you might like to help someone who has never heard about Jesus. You can at https://secure.empart.org/get_involved/give/projects/13300022/13304233

“Thank you so much for helping me get out of this place. I thought I was going to die here!”
Brothers and sisters, our prayers have been answered. After 15 days of harassment and interrogation in prison, Kusulia, one of our church workers, has been set free. Why was Kusulia thrown in jail? For the simple act of sharing the word of God with some of the poorest people in Asia.
It’s going to take Kusulia a long time to recover – he’s physically and emotionally drained and his body is bearing the fresh scars of abuse and torment. We’ve already organised emergency medical care and counseling for him. He said of his ordeal, “I hope none of our brothers and sisters ever have to go through this.” I just want to thank every one of you who has prayed non-stop for Kusulia’s release, and also for others facing incredible persecution. Your devotion and dedication was worth it. It took much negotiation with the Government, and continued prayer from our Empart supporters around the world, to ensure that he was released safe, and alive.

Although Kusulia is now free, he was released with a warning from local police,” Be careful – next time things might be different”. Kusulia lives and works amongst an unreached tribal people in a remote forest area of Northern India. Despite his work in assisting the untouchables with literacy and education programs, not all are impressed with his teachings. You see, Kusulia, along with our Empart workers, teach the people of Asia the word of God, that they are all equal in His eyes. But not everyone wants to be considered equal with a dalit, especially not those who profit from their enslavement.

This remains the biggest opposition faced by Empart workers – they teach people that they are created in the image and likeness of God; they have equal value, worth and dignity to every other human being. But this teaching cuts to the core of “castisam and re-incarnation” through which India is able to keep 760 million people as ’slaves’. Yet some of these so-called ’slaves’ are no longer bowing to the wishes of the ‘higher cast’. Some members of the higher caste are retaliating, and these workers of God have become the enemy.

Please continue to pray for Kusulia and other Empart workers in these dangerous regions, that they will know God’s peace and presence. The Empart leaders and I remain unfazed, and more determined than ever to continue to take the liberating teachings of Christ to everyone of these 760 million people. Will you consider joining with me so that together, we can bring them the freedom that they deserve? Log onto www.empart.org or www.empartusa.org now to learn just how easy it is to bring the word of God, and courage and freedom to our brothers and sisters in Asia.

A few days ago Empart had a planning session for 2010 and one of our US partner’s said, “Please make sure that we don’t put events on during the American Thanksgiving time!” He then went on to say that Thanksgiving is the biggest family event in the USA and it is almost impossible for people to get away during this time.

This comment made me do some research about American Thanksgiving and I learnt that this special holiday has been an annual tradition in the United States since 1863, becoming a federal holiday in 1941. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated to give thanks to God for helping the pilgrims survive the brutal winter and the first Thanksgiving feast lasted three days providing enough food for 53 pilgrims and 90 Indians. Although Thanksgiving was historically a religious observation to give thanks to God, it is now primarily identified as a secular holiday that is a time of parades, spending time with family, watching grid iron football games and feasting – especially on turkey!

The Bible teaches us to give thanks to the Lord – not just once a year but every day, in ALL situations. But I think it is a great thing to have a dedicated day to count our blessings and to honour the Lord and thank Him as individuals, as families and as a nation. Along with my Christian friends in America, I pray that the nation of America will re-discover the original intent of Thanksgiving. How wonderful it would be to see people everywhere stopping to say thank you to God.

Why don’t you take a few minutes to think about all the things that you can thank the Lord for? If you can’t think of any – well, if you are reading this means you have life, you can read, you have a computer, internet…so just say, “thank you, Lord!”

If you have met Victor you will never forget him, he is tall and passionate, a man deeply in love with Jesus and on a mission to take His love to those who have never heard it.
I first met Victor 10 years ago, a very young man with a dream to see churches planted. He joined my first team of church planters and we have been serving the Lord since the beginning of our ministry.  In a very difficult region of North India God has used him to plant over 120 churches.
Along the way we have seen mighty miracles and also some incredible challenges but nothing like what he is facing right now. On the weekend he went to a special prayer meeting in a remote village. They had an incredible evening of prayer hundreds of people gathered inside and outside of a village hut, Victor and team did not want to disappoint anyone so they did not want stop until everyone was prayed for.  After four hours, exhausted and tired, they got in their vehicle and started the journey home.
It was very dark and all they could think about was a good night’s sleep. They suddenly noticed a group of people blocking the road. They stopped and got out to talk to them  but they did not get many words out before they heard shouting from a distance “yes it is them – kill them”.  Then they heard shots being fired. They started to run but they were caught and beaten up with metal rods, they pleaded with them to stop but then he and Pastor Ashok both were hit with the bar on their heads they both fell to the ground and bleeding heavily, they were unconscious.  Everyone thought they were dead, so someone called the police and reported that some robbers came to rob them and that they took defensive action and it seems that they might be dead please come and get them. So the police came and took them to the office and after four days they are still unconscious and on life support.  Their hands and legs are broken and have serious head injuries and internal bleeding.  And now they also have potential court case because of false accusations that they were robbers.
Friends, please pray for Victor, Ashok and their team as well as for them families and church members. There have been further threats made to believers that if they don’t stop worshiping Jesus they also could face a similar situation.
In this hour we also need to do more than praying, they need significant financial support to help with medical bills and also for the long road to recovery. If you are able to help in any way please make a donation online www.empart.org  or please send your contribution designated to “for Victor and team support”.
Please share this with your friends, family and church and remember them in your prayers.
I am on my way to India, you can find my updates on Twitter, face book also – please stay connected we need every bit of prayer and support that we can get right now.
Thank you for partnering with me – Jossy Chacko

I was so encouraged by this story from one of our Empart church planters, as to how the Lord is able to bring something good out of a bad situation.

Jagthar graduated last year from an Empart training centre and the Lord sent him to a village in Punjab. The Lord began to do some miraculous things and people began to be saved. Very soon he had no more room in his little one-room home for everyone to meet for worship.

Jagthar approached a local government officer and was able to get the use of the local government building – free of rent. The church continued to grow and things were going very well until the news about the growth and impact of the church reached some antichristian people. They began to create problems for Jagthar and last month he had to give the building back. With no place for worship they were not able to have a church service.  They were so disappointed by this antagonism – they had done so much to bless this village.

Disappointed but not giving up, Jagthar and some of the believers started to fast and pray. Then, just last week, one of the village leaders came to Jagthar and said, “You people are so good and you have been a blessing to the village. You have helped many of our widows and young women through the tailoring programs; you have educated us about health and hygiene; many people with alcohol and other problems have been helped. It is shameful on us all that you have no place to worship. So I want to give you 1000 square metres of my land so that you can build your own church and have freedom to worship your God.” And this village leader, a Sikh man, has given the land to the church – for FREE! What a wonderful God we serve.

The believers are now collecting funds to build a building on this land. Will you join with them in prayer for provisions?. Friends, no matter what you are going through, if you love the Lord, remember that He is able to bring good out of every bad situation in His time. Trust Him; fast and pray like Jagthar – let the Lord know that you need Him and that you are so dependent on Him. Hang on to His word and do not lose hope – no matter what.

May the Lord bless you and make His face shine upon you.
Jossy Chacko

Two days ago I had the privilege of doing my morning walk around Galilee! It was incredible to walk where Jesus walked. I was thinking about some of the things He said and did while he lived in this part of the world. This region is where he lived during his ministry and performed so many of the miracles. It is not a big place – just a small town, about 3 days walk from the biggest city in Jesus’ time, Jerusalem.

Today we think a lot about the strategic importance of cities for ministry (and I believe they are strategic), however I wonder why Jesus chose a small town instead of the big city to be his ministry base? And we know that people from all over the cities and the region came to this small town to hear his teachings and experience His miracles. Even though it would not have been easy for some of them to get there – with days of walking through the desert or mountains – we know that they did come to him.

While all this was going through my mind as I walked, I saw a man sitting by the side of road. It was only 6am and he looked like he had slept there. I went to him and started to talk to him. His name is Richard. Originally from Poland, he shared with me his recent story.

A few months ago he was backpacking around Canada and a man who picked him up hitch-hiking started to share the gospel with him. Richard was raised in the Catholic Church but had no faith. He was very interested to hear the testimony of this man (Richard could not recall his name). Soon they parted ways but the words were echoing in his mind. He told me that later, while sitting by himself, he started to pray to Jesus and “something happened, I can’t explain. I began to feel a peace that I never had so I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins and I made Him my Savior”.

Richard decided to continue his travels, but now in the Holy Land. He wanted to see for himself what he was learning about in the Gospels. He was so blown away by the reality he discovered, the evidence and facts about Jesus’ life. It confirmed for him the truth – the Gospels are not just a made up story but they are about real people, real places and real miracles.

When I asked Richard what had surprised him the most, he replied, “All this evidence is here, the facts are here, they are walking where He walked. Everything is here but the Jewish people still don’t believe in Him.” Millions of people who have never seen the Holy Land, many who can’t even read, choose to believe in Him but His own people, in His own land, refuse to believe in Him!

Unless you take a step and choose to believe, it is not faith. Faith requires a leap. It is a decision, regardless of the facts or the evidence. It is not blind faith – the Bible says faith is the substance of things not seen. It has substance, it is reality – just not able to be seen or experienced by the natural body. It requires something from within us.

How is your faith? How is your ability to see the substance of things not seen? Don’t look for proof, facts or evidence – take a leap. In eternity you will be so glad you did!

Jossy Chacko