Jossy Chacko

We all know that the world around are changing and perhaps we are living through an extraordinary time in History that happens once in every 500 years or so! Some of this can be very exciting – as we enjoy the benefits of internet, Skype, iPones and internet. But there are other things that can be very scary and challenging.
Check out this video – it will open your eyes!

After I watched it I thought – wow, what does this mean for me, my children, churches, great commission, helping poor and needy people? I don’t have any answers to these questions but I do have one answer – Jesus. Who says I AM not was or will be but I AM.  He is never changing – He is alpha and omega, He is the same and He promised me that He will be with me and will never leave or forsake me.  If you ever felt that you don’t need God I tell you we need God more than ever not only for eternity but for here and now!
I don’t know how we can live in this changing world without an unchanging God? If you don’t have Him with you I pray that you will find Him soon and allow Him to lead and guide you through this life and into eternity.  If you do know Him – hang on to Him – don’t let Him go!
Tomorrow I leave for India and Singapore – thanks for your prayers.
Blessings – Jossy

Most of us in the west have little idea about the cast system in India; even most Indians living in the west and the upper cast in India have little understanding about the evil of cast system. Unless you are one of the untouchables it is very difficult for us to comprehend this outdated system of slavery.  I was ignorant about this until I became friends with some of them and they started to share their pains with me. Let me share with you the story of Ram

Ram was enjoying a glass of chai (Indian tea) at an outdoor road side tea shop when his friend, Jimun, happened to stroll by.The two greeted each other warmly across the crowd, but his friend made a fatal error. Instead of greeting Ram as thus, he unwittingly yelled out Ram caste name.

That name was heard by every customer at the tea shop, and the shop keeper himself. A jovial mild mannered man one minute, and a whirlwind of anger and accusation the next the shop keeper ordered Ram to leave his premises.

“Get out” he roared. You are polluting my shop, my business will be ruined, he added, shaking his hefty fist at an astonished Ram.

You see, Ram might be a young, educated man, but he’s from one of India’s lowest castes  the potters’s caste.  India’s caste system might be outlawed, but the reality is, it’s flourishing. It’s also ensuring that young people like Ram, people with dreams and hopes, never rise above their status.

Ram was frozen with anger, but the shopkeeper’s tirade continued, You will have to pay for the ritual cleansing of my shop to get rid of any trace of you and your low caste presence.

At that time, a dog came by the shop and urinated on the leg of the table. The shopkeeper barely batted an eyelid. Ram dignity cracked; he threw his chai glass on the ground where it smashed into pieces, and fled. Worthless, useless, he was broken with the realisation that he was valued less than a dog.

The leaders of the untouchables are crying for help, one of them said why doesn’t anyone care to notice us, we are also humans like you, they are begging for help to lead their people out of bondage and slavery. I’m a little daunted; altogether, there are more than 700 million people who are in the untouchable group. They cry; will you help our children get education? Can you help us learn a skill so that we can do jobs that will give us dignity? Friends the chains of their caste are so strong unless we help from the outside these precious people will continue like they have for thousands of years.

Will you join with me? Are you prepared to use your time, talents and resources to bring freedom to over 700 million people? If you want to make a difference please let me know, I want to hear from you.

let us join together and change the the plight of 700 million people here and for eternity – 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

11 years ago, when I started Empart, I thought I knew my Bible and had all my theology sorted out. How wrong I was! Since then I have been in continual instruction at the best and biggest theological seminary in the world: the Asian Church.

My life has been turned upside-down by my teachers in the Asian Church. Many of them are new believers who have only known Jesus for 1 – 2 years; some of them don’t even have a Bible. But their intuitive and cultural understanding of what it means to truly follow Christ, to be a real disciple, is profound.   Every trip I make to North India is like another adventure of faith. It is like walking through the New Testament. These believers in the Asian Church have not only impacted my life but the lives of hundreds of other people who have gone on short term trips with Empart.

Ironically, most people going on short term trips think they are going to give – but almost all of them return home know they have received more than they had given. They leave Asia grateful for the privilege of sharing in the lives of our brothers and sisters. It is these new believers – the poorest of the poor, who have only just learned about God for the first time in their lives but live as radical disciples – who are powerfully impacting the people from the west.

Kathy, a mum from the US, remembers her experience – “My trips to India with Empart have changed how I view missions forever!  I was unprepared to be as blessed as I visited Empart children’s homes where the children sang for us, recited Bible verses and danced and promised to pray for the children in our church in America.  My spirit was renewed by the passion for God’s Word in the young men from the Training Centre.  I was humbled by the hundreds of Pastors at the pastor’s conference who labor faithfully in the midst of opposition and discouragement that I will never experience.  We were inspired by the young women of the Sewing Centre, and thrilled to present them with their Certificate of Graduation and their new sewing machine.  And I was encouraged by the Indian leadership team who serve with passion, skill, and an unwavering focus on the mission – I will never be the same”

Ian, a business owner, also from the US, has just returned from an Empart mission trip to India. “I now think of my Christian faith from an international perspective. The cross cultural worship gave me a glimpse of the future, with the knowledge that I will worship the Lord together with these dear Indian believers in Heaven. My understanding of worship has been changed”

“I saw a demon-possessed girl and was able to pray for her. I saw firsthand how powerful the Name of Jesus is. I went there expecting to leave a mark but instead a mark was left on my heart. The staff really impacted me – their courageous faith and desire for God. God took me on an adventure! He taught me how to be less of a control freak and instead trust Him for my every day. I learnt how to be bolder and more faith-filled,” said Leonie from Australia.

“My trip with Empart to north India was an adventure of a lifetime! We visited the front lines of Gospel proclamation and saw first-hand what a world without Jesus looks like. It is nothing short of life-changing to worship with people who have truly counted the cost and paid the price to follow Jesus. Most of them have nothing but Jesus, and by comparison, I realized how impoverished I am in my affluence. I quickly realized that these Indian believers had far more to teach me than I had to offer them. It was such a privilege to serve and encourage these superstars of the faith. I pray for these brothers daily, and look forward to God opening the way for me to serve them in person again soon,” said Jeff, a businessman from the USA.

Friends, we can learn much from books and theories but there is nothing like meeting people who are on the frontline, and learning directly from them.  Just going to see the Asian Church will not guarantee your learning – you need to go in humility, with a heart willing to learn. If you do, I know you will be changed forever!
My good friend Ps. Bob Roberts from Northwood Church in Dallas says,  ‘The hope for the western church is to learn from the Asian church… they are gaining ground for the Kingdom and we are losing it…’

If you have been blessed through believers in developing counties I would love to hear from you. Where did you go? How did they bless you? What did you learn? write your thoughts in comments.
For more life-changing information about short term trips, please click or in US visit www.empartusa.org

Have a wonderful day – look out for what God may want to teach and show you from people and ways that you may not expect.  Blessings and love in Christ
Jossy Chacko

Dear Friends,
As this year draws to a close, I’ve had the opportunity to pause and reflect on how truly blessed I am to partner so many others from around the world in fulfilling the Greatest Commission given to humanity. As we approach the joyous occasion of our Saviour’s birth, I’d like to thank you most sincerely for your prayers, support and partnership in 2009.

While we celebrate the reason for Christmas, the precious gift of Jesus, millions of people around the world have not been able to hear the Gospel message even once. Your support has enabled us to care for some of the neediest people in the world and share about the hope and new life available to them through Christ.

Let us remember to pray and continue to do all we can to reach out to the almost two billion people who have not yet had the opportunity to hear about Jesus. We are truly blessed to be able to read God’s word, enter into relationship with Him and be a part of His Kingdom on earth and we have a duty to share that joy with others.

Thank you to all who have given Empart Ripple gifts to bless your friends and family. I encourage you to make this a part of your regular giving tradition. Bicycles, sewing machines, Book Kits, chickens and Education Programs are all practical gifts that provide realistic opportunities to benefit an entire community. Remember, one gift starts a ripple, one ripple transforms a community. Visit www.empart.org to learn more about how you can give gifts that will have an eternal result.

Jenni, Jemimah, Jacob, Jasmine, Joshua and I wish you a Happy Christmas and pray you experience God’s richest blessings in 2010.
For the Lord and the lost,
Jossy Chacko

PS. This is how much God loved you, me and the world: He gave His Son, His one and only Son – let us celebrate Him and do all that we can to make His name great.

People often ask why Jenni and I started Empart. This article answers that question. It is in the current edition of the Salvation Army’s Magazine, Warcry. Enjoy! http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/warcry/default.asp?contentID=1386

I had an incredible time, thanks Bob.  Bob Roberts is very unique and “unusual man of God” the more I know him the more I love him.  I consider him to be a western white guy with an eastern brown heart and a global mind.  You can check out his blog

jc-middle-east-slideshow-23

A small group of highly strategic leaders from around the world was selected to share and learn from each other (thanks guys you blessed me).  It was incredible to listen to everyone – the amazing thing was we all spoke the same language: disciples, planting churches, movements, fulfill the great commission, global etc. everyone has huge ministries but no one was satisfied – everyone has a desire to see the world reached and changed. I thought I was in heaven with these guys.  Many of them face great persecution etc. but that was not on the agenda – rather how can we collaborate and learn from each other, how can we see a truly global church planting movement? Some of the guys could not make it either because they could not get out of their country or could not get visa for Israel.  We are planning to meet again in Dec 09 in Philippines (please pray for us). God well could use this small group to do something incredible. We are blessed and privileged to be living in one of the most successful harvesting season in history (because of security reasons not able to say too much).

The situation in Israel is not very good for neither the Jews nor the Palestinians.  They both are hurting and struggling, Jews with security and Palestinians with freedom.  On the way out of Israel I had more than one hour security check (the longest ever) because they sew in my passport that I visited Malaysia, they were not happy with my explanation so had the “special treatment” most foreigners and Palestinians have to go through this. I was more than happy to sit and wait (well read my book) but I am not sure if this going to help them with security or create more problems in the long-term? I asked a Palestinian business lady (who was also searched next to me), she has Israeli passport but every time she comes and goes she is checked (she said it could be from 1 – 3 hours each time). She said that I am not happy but ok about it but my sons are not so ok about it!  The whole west bank, the wall and check posts etc. (again may be all necessary) but not sure what it could produce in the long-term.  One Palestinian Christian leader said, few months ago he was sick and needed to go to Jerusalem for treatment, but could not get permission to go then finally when he got, it was for 3 hours, he said sometime it will take about 1 hr to get through the check point one way, then travel etc. but most incredibly when he was at the doctors the police rang to see if he was there or if he was lying! Both groups feels victims, (one leader put it well – we both are damaged people not sure if we can sort out our own problem – we need Jesus) they both are hurting and in need of God’s love, grace, forgiveness and more importantly His peace.  Let us pray for both of these wonderful people who are created in the image and likeness of God and for whom He send His only son to die.

Thanks for praying for me and the ministry – love and thank the Lord for you.
Blessings – Jossy Chacko

How to live a life of NO regrets!

Today I had my birthday – had a fantastic time with my wonderful family.  Kids made great cards and Jenni made my favorite cake!  Imagine heaven – no more birthdays! Or will there be?

By nature I am not a reflective person. I am driven to the future, I am always thinking about things that need to done. However today I reflected about all the years that have gone – wow, it was like watching a movie – some parts very scary, some very funny, some with tears and regrets and yet others full of joy! You might be asking, “Would you change anything?” Of course I would love to go back and change a lot of things, but then would I be the same person I am today?

Some of the things I would like to have done differently are:

1. Given my life to Christ early
2. Posted the letter that I wrote to appreciate, thank and honor my grandfather – I did not post it and a few weeks later he passed away, never knowing just how much he influenced my life.
3. Get married earlier!
4. Have children a few years earlier!
5. Started Empart a few years earlier – and started serving the Lord a few years earlier.
6. Taken more risk

This list could be very long, but that gives you an idea! Now rather than reading mine – why don’t you go and start writing yours?!

I don’t believe that God wants us to live a life of regret, rather He wants us to live a life of fulfillment. But because He gave us the freedom of choice – the decision is ours to make.  Sometimes we have regrets just because of the wisdom of hindsight. The worst regrets are when we had a good intention and didn’t act on it.

Because of my ministry I get to travel and meet a lot of people. I meet a lot of people with great intentions – they say, “One day I will…” How many times have you said that?

What should you do with your good intentions?

1. Pray about it. Is it from God? Is if for you or for someone else to do?
2. Talk to your partner (get agreement – without unity don’t do anything!)  and people who know you well and who you trust and respect their wisdom!
3. Get a committed group of people to pray for you
4. Go and talk to someone else who is doing something similar
5. Get your life in order and alignment – position yourself so that you are able to do what you want to do
6. Take small steps – try, experiment, do a test project
7. Evaluate/assess – get more wisdom from others
8. Set up the right accountability framework around you
9. Do it with all your heart, soul and might

Well, today is the day and now is the time to take action on your good intentions – just do it! Take a risk.  Get off the web and take a paper and pen – start writing. Go on, NOW! In eternity you will be so glad you did this!

Blessings and love in Christ – jc