The Message of Christmas Doesn’t Stop at the Manger
While Anne and I sang 'Silent Night' in North Carolina, 14 people in rural India joyfully stepped into God's kingdom.
This Christmas Eve, my friend Pastor KP and I worshiped the one true God in vastly different settings.
Like tens of millions of Americans, Anne and I gathered with friends in the warmth and safety of our North Carolina church to sing the gentle and familiar strains of Silent Night, our voices lifted in reverent worship of the Savior's birth.
But 8,000 miles away, Pastor KP, our partner in The India Pastors Project, was sharing the same Good News in a far different environment.
Leaving the comfort of his church in Anakapalle, KP journeyed 35 miles to Thimmapuram, where he stood under a tent in the heart of a Hindu community. There, he boldly shared the story of Jesus with hundreds who had never heard it before.
KP preached on 1 John 4:14: “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”
That night, the Christmas message of God’s love broke through. By His grace, 14 souls — nine women and five men — stepped forward to embrace Jesus as their Savior.
KP’s evangelism reminds me that the celebration of Christ’s birth doesn’t end in a manger. It’s not just a moment of reflection for those who already know Him, but a call to bring the light of Christ to places still waiting for the Good News.
“The Holy Spirit Led Us Here”
Pastor KP used Facebook Messenger to allow me to see the event live for about five minutes. About 150 people attended the event — which KP calls a Public Gospel Meeting — with about 500 more listening to KP’s Gospel message via a PA system outside the tent. The meeting ran from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
When I asked KP why he decided to preach the Gospel in Thimmapuram on Christmas Eve, he said: “The Holy Spirit led us here. This is a very strong Hindu community.”
When I asked how he was able to attract hundreds of people to the meeting on such short notice, KP said:
“We went to every street in Thimmapuram and made an announcement over the sound system that there would be a meeting at 6 p.m. about good news for all of mankind.”
That simple invitation drew 650 people — most of them poor, needy, and from India’s lowest caste. They came looking for hope, and some found it in Christ that night.
It’s no surprise that the lowly of this world are drawn to Jesus. As our pastor, Bishop Thad Barnum, reminded us during our Christmas Eve service, it’s often the broken, the humble, and the desperate who recognize their need for a Savior.
“If you don’t think you need a savior, then tonight means nothing to you,” Thad said. “There is no Christmas until you need a savior.”
Then Thad quoted Matthew 7:7-8:
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”
On Christmas Eve, many in Thimmapuram were seeking — and some found Jesus. They knocked, and the Lord opened the door to them, offering the gift of eternal life and streams of living water.
This is the wonder of Christmas — the light of Christ breaking into the darkness, not just in one place but across the globe, in hearts where we least expect it.
While Anne and I were singing of peace and calm at Good Shepherd Anglican Church, the same peace was being born for the first time in the hearts of 14 people in India.
It reminds us that God's work is not confined to one place or one people. His love is for all, and His message is carried by those willing to go where He leads, even to the ends of the earth — or just 35 miles from home.
This moved me, friend. Thank you for sharing this. It fuels my continual prayers that the world might know Him.