Ashish is a software engineer from South Asia. He has been impacted by his local church and his local pastor, Francis Mathew, who is a Langham Scholar.
When Langham supports Majority World Christians to get their PhD, a key goal of our involvement is to equip local Christians. This means all Langham Scholars make a commitment to minister in their original context after completing their study. Scholars do many amazing things after (or while) completing their study, including multiplying faithful Christians through the local church.
Francis pastors Mercy Vineyard Church, where Ashish attends. His impact on Ashish’s faith and life as a Christian is significant!
Identity in Jesus
Ashish studied software engineering in the UK, before returning to South Asia to live and work. He originally attended Mercy Vineyard Church before going to the UK to study, so was excited to come back to the church and get reconnected when he moved home.
Ashish shares, “Previous churches I have been to [in my country] were more religious, like a check box. It was like, you went to church, you prayed you did this thing, so you’re holy. At Vineyard, I felt very free because it seemed like we were doing life together. Rather than religion being a part of life, and when you enter into religion, you’re a totally different person. I didn’t have to live two lives, one in church and one of me outside church.”
A strong teaching of the church is to find your identity in Jesus. This is something Ashish clings to, as it pushes against his culture and can be a hard truth to rest in. It is however something Ashish feels he has been clearly taught from the Bible, and this clarity and focus on the truth is something he loves about Vineyard.
He says, “For me, consistency of action really matters. On a daily basis, [having] faith and knowing that the church is not going to go by the trend, but challenge the truth. I see that consistently here. That’s what keeps me coming here.”
“Vineyard addresses so much theology in the Bible, it really addresses the practical [outworking] of what it means for us in day to day life, wherever we are.” Ashish shares.
The knowledge of Francis in teaching and leading the church is also something Ashish loves. He explains, “The thing I appreciate about Pastor Francis is his academic background and how much attention he pays to the knowledge, rather than just making the best decision. He really goes back, reads a lot, and also makes sure that we are aware of what his decision is based on and the transparent nature of all his decisions.”
Empowered to preach
As well as strong teaching from the pulpit, Ashish has also been involved in learning how to expose and teach the Bible himself.
Francis started a preaching club in the church where those involved were empowered to preach and taught how to read the Bible. Ashish explains, “[Francis said]: ‘I’m going to teach you all how to read the Bible, what skills are required to look into it, see the context and learn to serve.’ It’s almost like learning a science.”
This preaching training has given Ashish the skills to preach, but also the ability to confidently approach and apply God’s Word.
Ashish shares, “It really felt like the Bible, though it seemed like a book before, a how-to human manual, now has become more how God’s really speaking to you. [Pastor Francis] has really helped us debunk different mysteries and not make it a big scary book. He’s instilled in us the right way to learn.”