Israel, Street Sweeper and Disciple Maker
We’re one month out from the launch of Acts and the Movement of God. We dig deep into the book of Acts to rediscover the principles and practices of a movement of God and then look around the world to find what that looks like today. Here’s one of my favorite stories…
Disciple making movements teach the newest believers that they have the authority and responsibility to make disciples.
Kumar Pillai is a movement catalyst in northern India. One of his disciples was an illiterate, low-caste Hindu who took the name Israel. Low-caste Hindus are known as “untouchables,” their very presence brings ritual impurity. From generation to generation, they are restricted to occupations such as garbage collectors, sanitation workers, and street sweepers. From 4 to 9 each morning, Israel swept the streets.
Kumar trained Israel to share his new faith. Israel couldn’t read, so his children helped him learn Bible stories by heart.
Israel shared the gospel with his relatives and friends, many of whom put their faith in Christ. at would normally be enough for a semiliterate, low-caste street sweeper. But Kumar trained Israel how to make disciples among his people.
On one occasion, Israel visited his community, and Kumar went with him. Israel led the son of a local Hindu priest to Christ, and as they walked to a local fishpond, Kumar asked Israel to baptize the young man. Israel was reluctant. With a smile on his face, Kumar told him, “You baptize him. I have a fear of water!” So, that day, Israel baptized his first disciple.
Later that day, Kumar and Israel visited Israel’s elderly father. When the father heard that his son, a street sweeper, had been trusted to baptize a new Christian, he wept. His son, from such a low caste, had been honored with real responsibility.
Israel has since learned to read and write, and Kumar has trained him to plant churches. Typically, the churches are ten to fifteen people seated in a circle on the floor. They pray and sing, their only instrument is an Indian tambourine. They read the Bible together, using a 3-Thirds approach. Out of their poverty, they give to needs within the community of faith and the wider community and they are known for their generosity. Their giving pays for food, or a hospital visit, or school fees.
Israel has led seven other street sweepers to Christ. One of them, Abraham, is also planting churches. Israel has been the catalyst behind multiple streams of new disciples and new churches. He’s lost count of how many, as it’s hard to track while he is still working a full-time job as a street sweeper. He has won the award for the best street sweeper in his town three times.
At the heart of every movement of God, there are people like Israel. Jesus chose men and women like Israel. When Israel came to Christ, Kumar saw a disciple who could make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to follow Christ together. Kumar released authority and responsibility to Israel, backed up by training and coaching.
Can we see the Israels around us? We must shift our focus from what we can achieve, to helping the newest disciple reach their community. The skills aren’t difficult, but the shift in understanding can be. That’s why Luke wrote Acts.
Acts and the Movement of God: From Jerusalem to the Ends of the Earth is due for release on May 12.
