For those of you who missed our Missions Luncheon in November with Empower Ministries, we wanted to give you a chance to hear a bit of what we learned because it was such an inspiring time. We were honored to host Kendall Schmitke from Empower Ministries to share encouraging reports of church revival from around the world. Empower Ministries strengthens and equips the national church wherever revival is breaking out, helping to capitalize on these seasons of great growth! Kendall shared updates and exciting stories from many of the countries where Empower Ministries is involved, such as China, Vietnam, India and especially Ethiopia where, through Empower, we at CrossRoads are sponsoring church planters who are experiencing a massive turning to God in that country.
One story that Kendall told was of a Laotian pastor who had been imprisoned three times for preaching in the name of Jesus and planting churches, three months each time. The last time he was in prison he led five inmates to the Lord and started a church in the jail! It seems that the guards decided to make an example of him.
One day they ordered the pastor and his five converts to come forward, gave them shovels and led them out behind the prison. Everyone knew what comes next. They were told to dig their own graves. After digging shallow graves for themselves they were made to stand over their graves and fifteen armed guards from the prison formed a firing squad. On the count of three every gun went off… but no one died! Not a bullet struck! The six believers stood dumbfounded and the guards were suddenly afraid.
After consulting together briefly the guards instructed them not to move, then went back inside the prison and left the pastor and his friends standing outside for four hours! The guards must have been deliberating, trying to figure out what to do with these men that had been miraculously protected. Possibly they were afraid to lock them up again, for fear of word spreading through the prison, and maybe even more afraid to attempt another execution. At any rate, eventually one of the guards stuck his head out the door of the prison, wagged his finger and said, “Do not preach in the name of Jesus anymore! Now go home!” And he slammed the door.
Now free, the six men went home rejoicing. Do you think the pastor has stopped preaching? Of course not! He continues to preach the gospel like many other persecuted pastors in the region. For them, “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
For more news and stories like this, check out their podcast site at www.ronpearce.org. To learn more about the ministry, visit www.empowerministries.ca
