Shepherding in Shillong: Household Salvation

Acts 16:31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.

A few years ago when I visited the church in Shillong, groups of saints in batches came for fellowship. One of the groups, in fact, the first group who came comprised of mostly sisters from the economically lower section of the society and most of them from Gentile backgrounds. 

Our fellowship began with the question, "How many of your family members are not yet saved?" I vividly remember a sister who raised her hand and said she was the only one in her family who was saved. Then, the Lord burdened me to fellowship on claiming the promise of God in Acts 16:31 for household salvation. I fellowshipped with the saints that they pray earnestly for their unsaved family members and claim the promise of God. I gave my own testimony of how the Lord burdened me to pray for my own family salvation when I first got save in 1997, December 31st night. Gradually, the Lord answered my prayer and saved all my family members one by one, the last one being my father, after thirteen years of prayer.

I also encouraged the saints to exercise their faith and pray until the Lord fully answered all their prayer, especially in their household salvation. The size of the household depends on the faith they have in the Lord. If their faith is their close blood relatives, that's their household. If their faith is stronger, the household could be all their relatives, near and far. Even stronger would be, the entire, clan, tribe, village, town, district, state, and even country. But I encouraged them to go according to the faith apportioned to them by the Lord, and not beyond. But faithfully pray, and pray, and pray.

This time when the Lord led me to visit Shillong again, in one fo the home metings, a sister, by name Lakshmi, testified to me her wonderful experiences of the fellowship I gave a few years ago.

She said, "Brother when you came last time you encouraged us to pray for our family members who are not yet saved. Since then, I started praying for all my family members. The Lord answered my prayer, and now all my family members are saved! Here is one of my sisters who got saved and baptized." As she spoke she pointed to the sister who was saved and was present in the home meeting that night.  Then I told her, "Sister, I only ministered what the Bible says. You believed in the word of God, prayed over the word with faith. Therefore, the Lord honored His word and your faith in His word. And the Lord saved your family. Glory be to Him!" I was overjoyed to hear such a testimony! Praise the Lord! 

She further said, "Brother, you told us to read the Bible every day and even eat the word. You told us to pray-read the word of God. I did not understand and I did not know how to pray-read. I tried and tired and tired. Finally, I touched the spirit in the word. And now, I am enjoying the word of God by reading it." I simply replied, "Praise the Lord! This is what the ministry taught us, the way to enjoy the word."

When I spoke those words a few years ago, I did not prepare to speak them. As we fellowshipped, the words just came out. I simply followed the Lord's anointing within me and ministered the word of life as the Spirit led so. Now, I could see the result of faithfully ministering the word, most of the time, not knowing why. It was all the instant speaking of the Lord through His word.

May the Lord bless this sister and her testimony for many more household salvation!