AFCOE INDIA GRADUATES FIRST CLASS
by Wes Peppers - AFCOE Global Coordinator
An Amazing Fact: India is the 2nd most populated country (next to China) in the world with more than 1.2 billion people. By the year 2025, it is expected to surpass China with the potential to reach more than 1.6 billion!
Despite such a large population, only 2% of the total is Christian. This means that more than 1 billion people have either not heard about or accepted Christ! Idols, burning incense, Hindu gods, and Cobra worship can be found on almost every street. Nonetheless, God is working mightily through the efforts of Amazing Facts.
Last summer, the first ever AFCOE India was launched. A dedication service was held by church leaders to inaugurate the new evangelism training center for India. There was a lot of emotion at the dedication from church leaders as they realized their long-time dream coming true. Southern Asia Division President, Pastor R. John, was present to show his support for the opening of the school. He said, “This training center is an answer to many years of prayer and is exactly what we need to rejuvenate the gospel work in India.”
About 40 pastors came from different places to be trained in soul-winning during the first session. AFCOE India is a way to spread the gospel to the whole country from one central location as pastors received the 4-month training and go back to their homes to then train others in what they learned. As the school continues, thousands will be trained and many more have the potential to hear the good news about Jesus soon return.
A Modern Day Miracle:
During the 4 months, the student-pastors went into the villages to give Bible studies and pray with people. Health programs were also conducted, and hundreds flocked eager to not only receive physical treatments but also to know more about Bible truth. Some of the pastors went to one man who could not attend the health talks. In fact, he had not been able to walk for the past 40 years. He simply laid in his hut all day, and his wife would do all the house labor. Our students massaged him, gave him hydrotherapy treatments, and prayed with him every day for almost a month. After several weeks, the man one day was able to get up and walk! What a miracle! It reminds me of the man in John 5 who, after 38 years of paralysis, Jesus healed him, and he picked up his bed to walk home.
God’s Blessing and Graduation:
An evangelistic meeting was preached, and nearly 900 people attended! Night after night, the gospel was shared, and people hungrily received the words of life from the Bible. In the end, nearly 100 people gave their lives to Christ in baptism. There were so many individual stories that we don’t have room for them all here. But one thing is certain; God is doing modern miracles in India, and lives are being eternally changed. The 4-month program ended with a special graduation service where the pastors received a challenge to not forget what they had learned but to go back and share what they learned as well as to be faithful ministers to God’s truth. Their lives were forever changed because of AFCOE India. The testimonies were incredible. One pastor said, “Even if I didn’t graduate, I could go home satisfied in what I have gained here. This program has equipped me more than I could have ever imagined. I will be more effective than ever in my ministry now.”
India’s greatest need is to hear the gospel. There is a cry from more than one billion souls to intimately know a God that loves them enough to die for them. They must hear the truth of His word for the last days. More than 2,500 pastors are still waiting to be trained in future sessions, so AFCOE India has a major challenge ahead. We hope that you will commit to pray for AFCOE India. We need your sincere prayers to keep this vision alive. If God impresses you to financially help with these Global training centers, you can send your gift marked “Global AFCOE” to Amazing Facts.