Two thousand plus years ago a man walked the sandy beach of the Sea of Galilee.  While walking he sees two fishermen, casting nets.  The coastal scenes were beautiful during this time of day, the mist still upon the water.  As this man came walking, he could look back and see his steps still evident in the sand he had trod.  Nearing the two fishermen, he spoke, come, follow me and I will make you fisher of men.  Two men busy with their trade, yet this man who came walking suggested they were not in the right trade but he would show them a new, more important one, that of fishing for men.  What did it mean?  Neither asked, but leaving their boat they followed this man.  There names were Simon and his brother Andrew.

Early in the twenty first century another man came walking.  He enters an Indian village attempting only to help the villagers to improve their chickens, for under his arm he carried three prized roosters.  So afraid of losing what little they had as others in the past had through these large chicken companies, they turned him down.  Yet, there was a twelve year old boy holding the ugliest hen the stranger had ever seen.  The boy and the missionary made a pac, the one hen a few borrowed ones would form a flock of improved breeding, it ultimately made the boy and his family wealthy.  This same boy became a Christian, as did most of his village.  As he matured he desired to be a minister, a native minister so ask how to receive an education.  This he could easily pay for so at the age of seventeen, Pujan and his wife Adhira go to the United States, completing high school, each with a Bachelor, Masters in secular subjects and a complete Theological Doctorate.  In seven years they have performed an educational miracle.  The mission work which started this path for them has been in progress for ten years now.  Things are really beginning to happen.

Parts of the following are excerpt from a novel by the author: ‘A Man Came Walking’.

Pujan has returned after seven years.  He was asked to speak at a training conference for new and old native ministers.  The stage is sat for a massive explosion of God’s Holy Spirit, but no one present know of its coming.  God so touches Pujan he out does himself, and challenges these poorly equipped ministers to go, and teach all your people and those of other nations the things I am teaching you which is what Jesus taught his disciples.  Go now for the need is great and the fields are white unto harvest.  This was far more powerful a challenge than any of the staff realized.  It was as if the earth would cave in if the message was not shared.  Before day break, all were gone, making their way back to their remote villages, preaching and teaching each step of the way as the opportunity presented.  Even the resident students departed to do the same as the other native ministers.  It is here we find Pujan, the next morning.

Pujan began to stir, restless to begin again.  Like all the other ministers, he walked where he was bound.  Carrying little he found his needs along the way.  Not long removed from his old ways as a youth, living off the land as he had explored his surrounding, curious as to what lay before him, beyond the next hill.  Living had always been easy for him, not that he had not gone hungry, or had all that he wanted.  His mind always wondered about dying, for there was so much around him and so little hope for even a longer life.  Forty three was a ripe old age, worn out bodies from the demands of living simply gave up.  When Mr. Jim showed up at his village, he knew this man had something none of his villager had.  Something that made a boy of twelve envy for it seemed Mr. Jim was alive, excited about living a long and happy life.  He laughed so easily, which could come only from a heart at peace.  Now he knew, for he too had that peace.  He now had the answer to most of his childhood questions, and now he must share it with his people.

A man was walking, walking into the next village, with little on his back but loaded in his heart.  Wasting no time, he asked for the elders and the local Pandit.  Once they arrived or he was lead to where they were, he began to speak, and he spoke with authority.  I, a lowly man, come to your village to bring you peace from my heavenly father, the only Living God and his Son Jesus the risen Savior had spoken to my heart and has asked me to tell you that they Love you, all of you.  This man Jesus carried the cross of death upon his shoulders to a hill where Roman soldier dropped it into a hole with this Jesus nailed to it.  There he spilled all his blood so you could be washed clean from all sin.  They killed an innocent man, buried him but in three days he rose from the grave and now asked his father to have messengers like me to set you free.  But, we are not slaves here, we are free men.  Are you, can you go to the high rank without invitation, can you live a good life here as a Hindu and know where you will be when you die.  Do you have all the food you need, or the money to purchase all you need.  Who will pay the price required for the sins you commit, no my friend you are not free but a slave of the devil, Satan.  How do you know these things, you of a high rank, dare to tell we who are common what we do, how we feel, how we must be to be free.  I know for I am one of you, or was until I met Jesus.  I met Jesus through a friend who helped me find hope, then to find salvation, he helped me find truth.  Truth my friends will set you free.  Tell me where you will be when you die, what happens then?

The Pandit attempted to give an answer but then all he really said was, we live as good men during this life, and we die.  If that was not good enough we come back to try harder.  I asked who determines if you were good enough and did not have to come back.  Our god, that is who.  Sir, you have over three million gods, which one decides.  I do not know the answer to your question, never has one asked.  Would you and your people like to know what happens to you after death.  Would you like to know where you will be when you die.  If I could show you where this would be, tell you in such a way you would have no doubt about the truth of what I speak, would you then be interested, would your people be interested.  Give me an hour to speak to your people about Jesus, at the end of the hour, I will quit speaking.  I will ask those who understand to come so I can tell them more, the others would be free to leave.  Is that fair?  Would you let me do that?  Yes, I too would like to hear what you have to say.

When the crowd gathered, he began at Genesis, telling them that God created the universe and all, that he created man.  About the fall of Adam and Eve so they would know how sin originated.  On through the story of Jesus being born, teaching disciples, dying on the cross for our sins, and rising from the grave as a living savior.  He hung on the cross story, telling what Jesus carried there, that he did something we could not do for ourselves, that his love for us allowed him to now offer us a gift, free so we might live with him and his father.  He love you, and he desires that you love him, won’t you take his gift of salvation and be born again into God’s family.  Come all ye that labor and I will give you rest.  There was such a rush, Pujan had to quit speaking.  It seemed they all wanted to be saved.

From village to village he walked, carrying the same message to each, many times with the same result of people crying to find Jesus.  Then a young man of high rank met him on the path, by a stream where Pujan was bathing and resting.  The two discussed for hours the message Pujan carried, and in the end they ventured to the home of the young man.  There Pujan met his father and mother.  The father, a rich merchant, for the sake of his son, arranged the use of the community’s soccer stadium for Pujan wanted the opportunity to tell all the story of Jesus.  What met him the night of the speaking opportunity was more than any had expected.  It seemed the whole community was in need for a night out, so an event in the soccer stadium was just the thing.  The hour has arrived and we now listen to Pujan as he tells his story.

A man came walking.  It seemed to Pujan that every available place to sit was occupied.  Perhaps all the city did show, so he looked around for signs of caste seating, but more he wanted to see if the untouchables too were invited.  He saw none.  As he walked through the crowd, you would think he would be nervous, but instead, he had a peace about him.  A calmness.  What I had on my mind was the story of Jesus praying for the cup to be removed from him.  In agony he prayed.  Three times he prayed that if it was at all possible, remove this cup from him.  After three times, he had the father’s answer, he boldly got up, and with a calmness he gave himself over to the traitor and the palace guards, on unto death, for it was his cup to carry.  This is mine.

At the platform, he took a microphone.  Two thousand years ago, in the country of Israel, came a man walking.  This man was not like any other man who had every walked.  At the age of about thirty he was beginning his ministry, first he had to train men to carry his work on after he died and went back to his father.  Walking by the Sea of Galilee he picked  brothers, then a tax collector, another fisherman and another, he picked men much like you and me.  Just common men, but these men would one day set the world upside down because this one man who walked, had a message from A Living God, his father.  That message to them is just as true today for you, all of you, that God, this living God, so loved you and me, that he sent his only begotten son that whosoever believed in that Son should not perish but have every lasting life.

I was a farmers son, every day of my life after learning to walk was work, then as I grew larger, more work.  Every day I saw my mother work, I saw my father work.  There was little time for joy, for games, for happiness.  One day a man came walking.  He brought three roosters, and with those rooster he changed that village’s life.  He brought prosperity, work for enough food, enough clothes, enough time to enjoy life.  But far more important than that, this man brought into our village this same story I just told you.  He said that son whose name is Jesus and the living God his father both loved us, we of my home village.  It changed all of our lives in that village.  Jesus loves you, and his father God loves you.

One day this man who walked into Israel went into the town of Jerusalem.  These people of Israel were to this living God his people.  He had nurtured them for four thousand years, protected them, or punished them as a father will with his children.  So he sent his son, his only begotten son to his own people.  Why?  All men every where are sinful people, we try to live a good life, you as Hindu do better than many, but your best is never good enough.  You believe, as I once did, that you come back to try again and again.  Come back to what, this misery most of us have to live in, that is no life.  God’s people had his son, they had a way out of their misery, a way out of death.  They killed him, they put him on a tree and killed him.  The father, God, raised him from that grave, gave him his life back.  Jesus worked some more with those men whom he taught, then he went home to be on the right side of God.

One of those who followed Jesus as a disciple, a student, was named Thomas.  After the people of Israel, the people of Jerusalem killed Jesus, Jesus gave each of his disciples the baptism of God’s Holy Spirit, and in each of them dwelled that Holy Spirit, to comfort, to teach God’s men, of whom one was Thomas.  Jesus told each follower to go unto all the world to teach the people they found, to teach them that Jesus loves them and died for them, that God love them and sent his son to die for them so they could learn to love Jesus and fellowship with God as children.  This man Thomas one day landed on the shores of our country, on the south edge.  He came walking to share with those who lived then, almost two thousand years ago.  He walked and preached about Jesus, telling our people then how much Jesus loved them, how much God loved them.  Our people back then rejected the story of Jesus, they rejected the living God and they killed Thomas.

God, this living God, is a forgiving God, he still loves you, his son Jesus still loves you, this is your chance, a second chance to find the real God to worship, to follow and never have to come back to your present hell.  If you accept Jesus as your savior, he will send the Holy Spirit to dwell within your heart, you will become a new creature and be a member of the living God’s family.  Who wants Jesus.

They began to shout, they began to cry, they began to crawl on hands and knees.  They wanted Jesus.  They did not know what to do, but they knew they wanted Jesus.  I got silence after a long time.  Neighbors, citizens of Monkitac, I cannot as one man speak privately with each of you.  God knows your heart, if in your heart you truly want Jesus, let me help you ask him to come into your life.  Each of you with your head bowed in reverence to God and Jesus, repeat these words after me.  Remember God is alive and knows your heart, do not say these words as a lie, for that too would be a sin.  Now, repeat after me.  I lead them through the sinner’s prayer.  Many of us later attempted to guess or estimate the number present and those who said the sinner’s prayer.  It must have been close to sixty thousand people.  We asked all those who were not involved in the prayer to leave the stadium so I could say a few words to these who had accepted Jesus.  Hardly any one moved.  By the way, I saw untouchables among other caste, they too were involved.  I told the new babies that someone would come to help them grow.  Since there were so few of us and so many of them, be patient, God will send more ministers.  Meantime, be a good neighbor, do unto each other as you would desire for yourself.

Readers, if you are not a Christian, the story is to you so you know that it is true, God loves you, Jesus died for you so you could come into the presence of His Father.  Seek a Christian minister to help you.  To you readers who are Christian, things like in this article, and in the novel are happening now in India.  There is such a great need for new ministers to train the natives.  That is the new missionaries work, to train.  It is the day of the native minister, but God wants each of us, you who are still young to go teach them how to teach others about Jesus.  Will you be a person who came walking into a village to teach them a technology they need, and give them Jesus?  ‘Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.’