Over the past two months Ellen and I have had the privilege of visiting Vineyards in Kerala, Kolkata, Shillong, and Delhi.  In each location we have had wonderful times visiting the pastors and their families, hearing great stories of Kingdom ministry, and meeting believers who are helping the church do the kinds of things that Jesus did. Family members, friends, and motivated new believers are praying for the sick, opening their homes for prayer meetings, helping to lead worship, and serving in any way that is needed.

IN OTHER WORDS, PASTORS ARE CONTINUING THE MINISTRY OF JESUS, AND DISCIPLING OTHERS TO DO THE SAME – AND FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THAT’S SUCCESS!

It is about developing willing individuals into DISCIPLES.

Sachin Dass is a good example.  Sachin’s family moved to the Wazirpur slum in northeast Delhi from a poor village in Bihar in 2007 when he was 10 years old. His family survived by working as rag-pickers, and because of his age, he had no opportunity to attend school.  Through a neighbor he heard about a group called the Vineyard that was offering free classes for children.  Over the years, attending those classes enabled Sachin to learn English and other important subjects.  He also began attending the Sunday services, and eventually became a believer, along with several members of his family.

Sachin is 19 years old now.  He has a regular job packing medical equipment that has enabled him to help his family and even save enough to buy this own guitar.  He is learning how to lead worship for the worship service, and Sunday mornings he regularly leads a Sunday school class for 15 children.  Last year, he and his family traveled back to Bihar, where Sachin and his younger brother Nitish shared about Jesus with their relatives.  Someday they hope to return to their village to plant a church, because none of them had ever heard about Jesus.

You can measure success many different ways: the ability to rent a facility, the quality of your worship team, the size of your Sunday gatherings, but I am convinced that

TRUE SUCCESS IS FOUND IN MAKING DISCIPLES WHO PARTICIPATE IN DOING THE SAME THINGS THAT JESUS DID

I’m proud of the good, successful work the Vineyards are doing in India.  Good job pastors and leaders!