Showings by Shalem Raju
TREMENDOUS 📣 NEWS, 📣 FRIENDS!! I’M THRILLED!! I received word yesterday of God using “Redeeming Hope” in a wonderful way at an evangelistic meeting! 🙏🏻🙌🏻 Some time ago, two young preachers in India 🇮🇳 (they are siblings — John Wesley and Shalem Raju) reached out to me with a burden to use the film as a part of their outreach ministry. (They are independent Baptist church planters and have a good relationship with preachers here in America that I personally know.) Of course, “Redeeming Hope” is available for anyone anywhere to use; it is a free film for this very purpose!
Yesterday, Bro. Shalem Raju used his own equipment to show the movie in a village named “Chinthalavalli” in Andhra Pradesh. From what I’ve been told, this place is heavily steeped in Roman Catholicism and idol worship (whether you’re praying to a Hindu deity or a “church” saint, it is still paganism). Many oppose and reject Gospel preaching there, BUT THE LORD opened up a door for Shalem and his team to show the movie on the property adjacent to the “Mary Temple” (as they call it). Wow!! 🔥🙌🏻🔥 Talk about boldness!
During the day as they walked through the streets, they passed out hundreds of invitation flyers and used a hand mic to announce the film crusade. This stirred much interest among the people. That night God answered the prayers and blessed the travail of these faithful workers!
Bro. Shalem shared with me, “Praise the Lord Sir, we had an amazing evening!! What God has done is marvellous, it is impossible to men but possible to God. God has broken the chains of Satan and darkness power! Many people came to watch the film, there were around 350 people gathered, most of them are from catholic background.”
Many were touched by the message. I’ve been told that several in the village are addicted to alcohol, drugs and smoking. Even teenagers are addicted to these things…. Yet after the film, young people spoke with Bro. Shalem and his team and asked them to pray for them — that they wanted to get rid of their wretched lifestyle…. they want change their lives as Denver changed his life. 🙌🏻😭🙌🏻
Shalem said, “Many mothers came to me and appreciated me for showing this film to them. As Denver wife’s prayer changed her husband, these ladies also said that they’ll start praying for their drunkard husbands and sons.” GLORY!!
One catholic individual gave testimony that he feels just like how Denver felt when he went into the Catholic Church…. The man pointed to the “Mary Temple” and said, “I never feel God’s presence when I go in there. It is empty and lifeless.” BUT AFTER THE FILM, he confessed that his eyes were opened and now understands about the true Saviour who sacrificed His life on cross for his sins. He got saved!
“It was a wonderful evening sir,” Bro. Shalem rejoiced, “with many wonderful testimonies of people after watching the film. One person said, in his village also all young people are addicted to alcohol and drugs, so he asked me to show Redeeming Hope movie in his village. I accepted and told him to arrange this in his village. Thank You for making such a soul winning movie Sir, Thank You So Much.”
TO GOD BE THE GLORY!! At least 200 PRECIOUS SOULS raised their hands publicly testifying that they accepted Jesus Christ as their Personal Saviour!! 😭🙌🏻😭 Only God! My heart rejoices as I’m sure yours does! “This is the LORD's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.” (Psalm 118:23).
I believe an independent Baptist church will be started here as a result. 😇🙏🏻
Please continue to pray for the upcoming crusades in December, along with ANY OTHER doors like this He wishes to open for the furtherance of the Gospel through “Redeeming Hope”!
🔥🙌🏻 THERE’S MORE TO THE STORY!! 🙌🏻🔥 Friends, do you remember in my last report how a young man who came to watch “Redeeming Hope” was burdened for this film to be also shown in his own home village.
After the meeting he begged Bro. Shalem: “Please come!! So many of my people are addicted to alcohol and drugs. We have never had a Gospel witness before.”
GOD OPENED THE DOORS FOR THIS TO HAPPEN 🙏🏻🔥🙌🏻
The Digavalli Village is a rural farming located in the midst of jungle; the people have been steeped in Hinduism for centuries, specifically worshiping the Hindu god Krishna.
Bro. Shalem shared with me, “It has been utterly impossible to do evangelism or show any Christian film in that Area, but God made it possible. We reached the village and with boldness and courage we distributed flyers. Initially no one was coming to meeting place, but while we were singing Gospel songs for 30 minutes people started coming and around 120 members gathered. All of them are Hindus, never heard Gospel even one time. They don’t know who is Jesus and what He has done. God helped us to reach these people with Redeeming Hope movie. They watched the film very interestingly. What God has done is marvellous, after the movie 60 members raised their hands to believe in Jesus!!” 😭❤️🙌🏻
PRAISE GOD!!!! Such an amazing thing, my friends. All of these people are Hindus who have never heard the Gospel a single time in their lives…. Oh the utter POWER of Christ!! People are in search of the Saviour; they need someone Who can break their chains of sin and addiction! They are searching for peace and spiritual answers that they are NOT finding in lifeless idols. The Gospel is alive and Jesus is ready to save if someone will go and give them a chance….
After the film, a young couple came up to Bro. Shalem in tears (see first photo below). I’ll let him tell you the powerful testimony as he shared it with me: “The woman told me about her husband, who is standing beside her, that he was drunkard and addicted to alcohol. He does farming and whatever he earns through farming he never use it for household, he spends it for alcohol and ruin their money. She prayed to her Hindu idol to change her husband, she’s been doing fasting, sacrificing to idols and many Hindu rituals to save her husband. But no change in him. Today they just came to watch the movie, after watching movie, husband is telling to his wife, that he was living same like Denver, living his life only for drinking alcohol. He realised that his life also being spoiled. Because of this, he abused his wife and never cared about his children. Many times he tried to change himself but it never happened. Today while he was watching movie, he observed how God changed Denver’s life. He felt happy that someone can change his life! He and his wife both accepted Jesus as their personal Saviour.”
GLORY TO GOD!!!!!!! 😭🙌🏻
In addition to this, some teenagers talked with Bro. Shalem and confessed that they began doing drugs and alcohol a couple of weeks ago…. They said they saw in the movie how a person can spoil his life with drugs, and it scared them. But they were happy how that finally when Denver accepted Jesus Christ, his life was able to change. They said they will never take drugs again now that they too were Christians and promised to begin praying for Jesus to help them overcome their addictions.
THAT NIGHT, God started a house church with several of these new born again believers!! INCREDIBLE…. Please pray for this village “Digavalli” and please pray for Bro Shalem and his team as they continue to work with these people!!
