Dinesh Kumar met Jesus on a train. At the age of 24 the lifelong Hindu met a man on his daily commute reading a Bible. “Do you read your Bible daily,” Kumar asked. The man responded, “Are you Christian… would you be interested in hearing the Gospel or hearing about Jesus Christ?”
“I knew about Jesus Christ, but didn’t have any faith in him,” Kumar said. After many conversations on the train, Dinesh came to believe Jesus was “the real God.” Dinesh joined this man in a fellowship group where he heard of the miracles of an active and Living God. In August of 2010 he was baptized and one week later he moved to the United States.
In Atlanta, GA Dinesh was connected with a group hosted by Samuel Kingsley, an Indian Christian who is a member of Mount Pisgah United Methodist Church. He learned that group was a place where Indians to go and be with other Indians. Once there Kingsley’s group expressed great interest in his story and shared their own. “Witnessing is very much important in terms of evangelism because when we see the transformation in their lives we say really He is God,” said Kumar.
Mount Pisgah Senior Pastor Steve Wood believes strongly that becoming a disciple is not ambiguous. “The people we’re inviting to Christ have to know what we are inviting them to,” said Wood. “We’re not inviting them to believe; we’re inviting them to follow.”
In their church and groups they have five clear and established expectations of disciples:
- Having a personal relationship with Jesus.
- Being held accountable within a small group.
- Serving and building up the Kingdom of God.
- Demonstrating a life of Stewardship.
- Sharing the Gospel and reproducing disciples.
Steve Wood sees disciple multiplication as a Biblical imperative. Dinesh Kumar was a brand new Christian when he first came to Mount Pisgah. Today he is, in a way, meeting people on the train by actively witnessing to postdoctoral students at Emory University. Two are now joining him in attending the Kingsley group and other Mount Pisgah events. He’s finding a beautiful ending to mature Christian discipleship.
Every Sunday, Seedbed will feature stories of how God is working through the people that make up the Church. We want to hear how God is working in your church. If you think your church should be featured in Seedbed’s Sunday series then email us at seedbed@asburyseminary.edu
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