Sent...: Promises Kept in Bangladesh

For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10–11 NKJV

God promises that His Word will not return to Him without accomplishing that for which He sent it. About twenty-six years ago, God kept that promise as He sent His Word to northern Bangladesh through an evangelist from Dhaka. One man* and his wife heard the Gospel and were led by the Holy Spirit to repent of their sins and to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! He kept His promise!

Besides their two daughters, who were raised in the Christian faith, this man and his wife knew of no other Christians in their village or the surrounding village until about nine years ago when they met Pastor M., of the Bangladesh Lutheran Church Mission (BLCM) who lives about 350 miles south. Pastor M. was doing evangelism work in this area at the recommendation of a friend. The Lord brought Pastor M. and this family together. The man and his wife were thrilled to be found by another Christian. Pastor M. began to make regular visits to the area to study the word of God with the family. This strengthened, fed, and emboldened their faith and led them to spearhead BLCM evangelism efforts in the area.

Over the next few years, most in the area rejected God's word and His offer of salvation. But the promise of our Savior to bless the preaching and teaching of the Gospel kept Pastor M. and the farmer-turned-evangelist persistent in their efforts to carry out our Savior's great commission. As Pastor M. was evangelizing area villages, he came across another family about three miles away. The other family had heard and believed the Gospel from the same unknown evangelist from Dhaka many years ago. These two families live among roughly 17,000 people in the area but did not know about each other until they were introduced by Pastor M. about seven years ago. These two families are now very close, and the BLCM evangelist's oldest daughter has married the son of the other Christian family, and God has blessed them with a child. Blessings upon blessings!

The man, now a church deacon, is a farmer and businessman and oversees the one BLCM congregation and three preaching stations in northern Bangladesh. He is also one of the six men training with Pastor M. to become ordained pastors. With Pastor M. making three or four visits annually, the BLCM currently serves about forty people in nine families and is reaching out to several Hindu and Muslim families interested in learning more about Jesus. But praise the Lord that this number recently increased rather dramatically, at least by our standards, as God continues to keep His promises!

Pastor M. and I visited this area for a few days in January 2025. We visited the BLCM congregation, the preaching station at the second family's home, a second preaching station, along with the homes of three Hindu families and one Muslim family who have been receptive to hearing and learning the truths of God's saving word for the past few months. During the three-day visit to this northern BLCM district, the Lord made His faithfulness quite evident as nineteen adults, youth, children, and infants were baptized into Christ. We also had the opportunity to proclaim the Gospel to nearly two hundred and fifty individuals, most of whom are practicing Hindus and Muslims but continue to eagerly hear and learn about their Savior, Jesus Christ.

Witnessing the Spirit at work in the hearts and lives of so many in such a dramatic way is humbling, knowing that I am unworthy of such a privilege. But I am also thankful to the Lord, standing in awe of God's love and faithfulness as I am reminded that I shouldn't be surprised to witness the Lord at work in the hearts and lives of His Children. Our loving God has told us of His loving desire for all to be saved and to come to know the truth. And He has revealed that the Gospel, of which we are not ashamed, is His power for salvation. With these truths, along with His promise that His word will accomplish His purpose, we are left only to praise that thank His holy name! God is faithful; He keeps His promises!

*Due to the increasing potential for persecution against Christians in Bangladesh, names of individuals and specific locations have been withheld. Since the student protests and riots in the fall of 2024 and the subsequent overthrow of the government, Islamic fundamentalists have taken advantage of the leadership void, leading to heightened persecution of minority Hindus and Christians. Many people had hoped that the interim government would implement reforms and protections for marginalized minority groups in a nation that is 95% Muslim. However, many Christians are concerned that the opposite is occurring, as news of the Taliban influencing the formation of a new government. Elections have been delayed and postponed as the interim government attempts to implement reforms.