UNASHAMED: Faith and Boldness in the Mountains of Nepal

“In February, Pastor Todd, Dr. Guillot, and I went to teach a New Testament Survey class for pastors in Nepal. There were around 20 pastors present, and they ranged in age from early 20s to 60s. As we were teaching through the New Testament and listening to these pastors’ stories, we realized that these men are living very closely to the book of Acts. The things that they were experiencing, and the questions they asked regarding how to live for Jesus in their culture, as well as how to lead their own people to follow Jesus, were very similar to the questions Paul addressed in his letters.

We learned that the Christian church in Nepal is only around 65 years old. These pastors are faithfully walking with Jesus in a new-church era while living in a culture that is not so welcoming to the gospel. One of the pastors, a 20-year-old guy, told us about his attempts to share the gospel in one of the Nepali villages. He was met with hostility in this village, and he wanted us to pray for these people to be saved. This young pastor’s desire was to see these hostile individuals come to know Jesus. Hearing of this pastor’s faithfulness helped me to see that the cost for them to share the gospel in their country is greater than it is in ours, but they are more willing to share the gospel despite the cost than many American Christians are. These pastors do not fear the cost of following Jesus. They live like Jesus is their everything, and they are truly not ashamed of the gospel.

Meeting these men, getting to teach them, and having the privilege to learn from them, was a huge blessing. These men understood that they would be betraying the gospel message and work of Christ if they let their culture seep into all that they do. These pastors understood that they are a new creation in Christ, and as such, they have a new heart and new values that are contrary to that of the culture. They helped me to see how important it is to live a life that is set apart from our culture so that people can see that the gospel has the power to change lives.” - Andrew

Andrew Willis serves as our College & Young Adult Pastor. Drop him a note at awillis@calvarynet.net or call 318-445-5640 with questions about our College & Young Adult Ministry.