WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.930 Today's special music is a good friend 00:00:05.930 --> 00:00:08.270 of ours, from India, from Bangalore. 00:00:08.270 --> 00:00:11.000 But he's not there very much. He is the 00:00:11.000 --> 00:00:13.370 world's most traveled musician. And 00:00:13.370 --> 00:00:15.349 that's not an opinion! He's... Actually, I 00:00:15.349 --> 00:00:17.390 received a world record... he's been to 00:00:17.390 --> 00:00:19.160 every single country in the world. 00:00:19.160 --> 00:00:21.320 He plays for the poorest of the 00:00:21.320 --> 00:00:23.150 poor, the richest of the rich. He's open 00:00:23.150 --> 00:00:25.519 for everything. From the World Cup to the 00:00:25.519 --> 00:00:27.708 Olympics. He gets through here about once 00:00:27.708 --> 00:00:29.570 a year, on this very important and 00:00:29.570 --> 00:00:32.449 special day. His name is Benny Prasad. He 00:00:32.449 --> 00:00:35.870 will be... just added he agreed to do 00:00:35.870 --> 00:00:38.390 this. At 6:30 tonight, if you come to the 00:00:38.390 --> 00:00:40.100 meeting early at Thomas Road, he's going 00:00:40.100 --> 00:00:42.170 to do a mini-concert, right before the 00:00:42.170 --> 00:00:43.910 meeting. Welcome, all the way from India, 00:00:43.910 --> 00:00:45.500 one of the world's best known musicians, 00:00:45.500 --> 00:00:47.040 Benny Prasad! 00:00:47.040 --> 00:00:57.400 [Applause] 00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:07.500 Thank You Johnny. Good morning everybody! 00:01:07.500 --> 00:01:09.970 Come on, you can do that better! Good 00:01:09.970 --> 00:01:13.720 morning everybody! Yes, that was a quick 00:01:13.720 --> 00:01:15.729 lesson on good morning. Well, I want to 00:01:15.729 --> 00:01:17.590 thank Jesus for giving me this gift of 00:01:17.590 --> 00:01:19.750 life. And every time I come here I'm just 00:01:19.750 --> 00:01:21.869 so thrilled to see so many young people, 00:01:21.869 --> 00:01:25.539 on your way to missions. if you have not 00:01:25.539 --> 00:01:27.670 decided, today's your deadline for that, 00:01:27.670 --> 00:01:31.210 actually. And, you know, it's so 00:01:31.210 --> 00:01:33.159 wonderful to live! I just celebrated my 00:01:33.159 --> 00:01:37.119 38th birthday. And, at the age of 16, 00:01:37.119 --> 00:01:39.190 the doctors had given me 6 months to 00:01:39.190 --> 00:01:41.679 live. I was born with asthma. And, from 00:01:41.679 --> 00:01:43.630 the age of 2 till the age of 16, I was on 00:01:43.630 --> 00:01:45.759 wrong medication, on high dosage of 00:01:45.759 --> 00:01:47.860 cortisone steroids. And, as a result of 00:01:47.860 --> 00:01:49.990 that, 60% of my lungs got 00:01:49.990 --> 00:01:51.700 damaged and my immune system broke down. 00:01:51.700 --> 00:01:55.119 And I developed rheumatoid arthritis. At 00:01:55.119 --> 00:01:57.520 the age of 12, by accident, I was hit 00:01:57.520 --> 00:02:00.580 by javelin and my spinal cord was 00:02:00.580 --> 00:02:04.060 damaged. And everything went wrong in my 00:02:04.060 --> 00:02:06.490 life. Well, that's what the human said. And 00:02:06.490 --> 00:02:09.479 my father, being an aerospace scientist, 00:02:09.479 --> 00:02:12.640 he expected me to become like him. And I 00:02:12.640 --> 00:02:14.920 became the scum of the family. I was 00:02:14.920 --> 00:02:16.630 thrown out of school in my 10th grade, 00:02:16.630 --> 00:02:18.970 saying that "you are not worth studying, 00:02:18.970 --> 00:02:20.859 you are useless, you are good for nothing." 00:02:20.859 --> 00:02:23.049 These were the words that were spoken 00:02:23.049 --> 00:02:25.660 over my life for 16 years, where 00:02:25.660 --> 00:02:27.190 medically they told me you will not live 00:02:27.190 --> 00:02:29.769 any longer. In education, as well as 00:02:29.769 --> 00:02:31.780 society and family, they looked at me and 00:02:31.780 --> 00:02:33.160 they said: "Benny, you are a shame and a 00:02:33.160 --> 00:02:35.829 curse to the family." And, having no hope, 00:02:35.829 --> 00:02:39.549 no talent, no life, nothing left in me, I 00:02:39.549 --> 00:02:41.620 contemplated to commit suicide, at the 00:02:41.620 --> 00:02:44.290 age of 16. Even if you're really 00:02:44.290 --> 00:02:46.269 sitting down and wandering "Benny, can God 00:02:46.269 --> 00:02:48.370 use me in missions?", I want to tell you 00:02:48.370 --> 00:02:50.410 that there are so many Benny's like me 00:02:50.410 --> 00:02:53.799 out there, who needs the Gospel. And you 00:02:53.799 --> 00:02:55.600 are one among them who can really go and 00:02:55.600 --> 00:02:58.420 share that Gospel. And, at the lowest 00:02:58.420 --> 00:03:00.310 point of my life, when I wanted to kill 00:03:00.310 --> 00:03:02.980 myself, I heard the voice of Jesus-Christ 00:03:02.980 --> 00:03:04.390 saying: "Benny, even though you are called 00:03:04.390 --> 00:03:06.910 useless, I still need you. "I said: "Jesus, 00:03:06.910 --> 00:03:08.170 why do you need me when the whole world 00:03:08.170 --> 00:03:10.479 says I'm useless?" He said He could 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:12.130 transform my life and make me a new 00:03:12.130 --> 00:03:14.620 person. I said "Okay, I have nothing to 00:03:14.620 --> 00:03:15.970 offer; all that I have is 00:03:15.970 --> 00:03:18.700 a broken life and 6 months to live." He 00:03:18.700 --> 00:03:21.160 said: "That's enough for me to start a new 00:03:21.160 --> 00:03:23.560 work in you!" And that's what He has done. 00:03:23.560 --> 00:03:29.880 I gave my life to Jesus-Christ. And 00:03:29.880 --> 00:03:33.100 I've already 00:03:33.100 --> 00:03:35.290 surpassed the expiry date that 00:03:35.290 --> 00:03:37.030 the doctors had put on my life, actually. 00:03:37.030 --> 00:03:39.550 And I'm just so thrilled to live 00:03:39.550 --> 00:03:42.880 this. And, in 2004, I asked Jesus: "What 00:03:42.880 --> 00:03:45.040 is your call for my life?" The Bible says: 00:03:45.040 --> 00:03:47.290 "God's ways are higher than man's ways 00:03:47.290 --> 00:03:48.459 and His thoughts are higher than our 00:03:48.459 --> 00:03:49.780 thoughts." And I want to tell you a 00:03:49.780 --> 00:03:52.480 Christian life is the most exciting life 00:03:52.480 --> 00:03:54.580 to live. And a life that is surrendered 00:03:54.580 --> 00:03:57.370 in Christ is just so adventurous. My life 00:03:57.370 --> 00:04:00.190 is more than James Bond movie. Because 00:04:00.190 --> 00:04:02.560 it's a reality. James Bond is only a 00:04:02.560 --> 00:04:06.070 movie, mine is a reality. And, in 2002, 00:04:06.070 --> 00:04:07.630 with 25 dollars a month, being a 00:04:07.630 --> 00:04:09.940 ??? missionary, I asked Jesus: "What do 00:04:09.940 --> 00:04:11.380 you want to do with my life?" because my 00:04:11.380 --> 00:04:13.510 dream was to go to one country. He said: 00:04:13.510 --> 00:04:15.490 "Benny, I want you to travel to every 00:04:15.490 --> 00:04:18.760 country by 2010!" I said: "Jesus, this is 00:04:18.760 --> 00:04:21.100 impossible! Till today, there has never 00:04:21.100 --> 00:04:23.200 been one example in the history of 00:04:23.200 --> 00:04:25.600 mankind. Whether it is Michael Jackson or 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:27.760 Mariah Carey, or whoever it is, they have 00:04:27.760 --> 00:04:29.169 never been to every country in the world! 00:04:29.169 --> 00:04:32.560 How can I, being a broken person, be able 00:04:32.560 --> 00:04:34.180 to achieve this?" He said: "Benny, what 00:04:34.180 --> 00:04:36.580 is impossible for you is possible for me!" 00:04:36.580 --> 00:04:38.500 And what it takes my dear friend, today, 00:04:38.500 --> 00:04:41.320 is to surrender your brokenness and your 00:04:41.320 --> 00:04:43.060 life into the hands of Jesus. And He will 00:04:43.060 --> 00:04:45.910 shape it after His will. And so I said: 00:04:45.910 --> 00:04:48.220 "Jesus, as long as you are my provider, I 00:04:48.220 --> 00:04:50.380 will be your traveler." We had a good deal. 00:04:50.380 --> 00:04:52.810 I said: "I will live a life of faith and 00:04:52.810 --> 00:04:55.120 you provide for me." So today, this is my 00:04:55.120 --> 00:04:59.979 one passport; this passport is my travel 00:04:59.979 --> 00:05:01.690 record to every country in the world. 00:05:01.690 --> 00:05:03.760 On 22 of November 00:05:03.760 --> 00:05:05.530 2010, I arrived in my last 00:05:05.530 --> 00:05:08.260 country, Pakistan. And I broke 6 world 00:05:08.260 --> 00:05:10.750 records. And, one among them, was I became 00:05:10.750 --> 00:05:13.120 the fastest man in the history to travel 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:14.790 to every country, in the shortest time. 00:05:14.790 --> 00:05:17.890 245 nations, including Antarctica, in 00:05:17.890 --> 00:05:20.890 66 months and 22 days. If Jesus 00:05:20.890 --> 00:05:23.650 can use my life to make history for his 00:05:23.650 --> 00:05:25.539 glory... I'm sorry I don't have time to 00:05:25.539 --> 00:05:27.310 wait for your clapping. I'm not trying to 00:05:27.310 --> 00:05:29.150 be rude... But if Jesus 00:05:29.150 --> 00:05:31.400 do that in my life, today He has a plan 00:05:31.400 --> 00:05:33.650 for your life. And He took me to amazing 00:05:33.650 --> 00:05:35.690 nations. One among them was North Korea. 00:05:35.690 --> 00:05:37.400 Last year, I was invited by the 00:05:37.400 --> 00:05:39.050 government of North Korea to come and 00:05:39.050 --> 00:05:41.330 perform for the 100th birth anniversary of 00:05:41.330 --> 00:05:43.610 their founder, Kim Il-sung. 834 00:05:43.610 --> 00:05:45.380 performers were chosen from all over the 00:05:45.380 --> 00:05:47.780 world and I was the only Indian chosen, 00:05:47.780 --> 00:05:49.700 from my country. And it was a great 00:05:49.700 --> 00:05:52.370 opportunity to play but more so an 00:05:52.370 --> 00:05:54.890 opportunity to share the Gospel. Yes, if 00:05:54.890 --> 00:05:56.450 you share the Gospel, you don't need to 00:05:56.450 --> 00:05:58.070 be a prophet to understand that you will 00:05:58.070 --> 00:06:00.260 be killed. But I understood in the Word 00:06:00.260 --> 00:06:01.940 of God that, if anyone tries to save 00:06:01.940 --> 00:06:04.970 their life, will lose it. If anyone loses 00:06:04.970 --> 00:06:06.500 their life, for the sake of Christ, will 00:06:06.500 --> 00:06:08.720 find it. So, I informed my parents, there's 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:10.490 a big possibility that I might be killed 00:06:10.490 --> 00:06:12.590 in North Korea. "So if you don't hear from 00:06:12.590 --> 00:06:15.740 me on the 17th of April that's a 00:06:15.740 --> 00:06:17.480 mutual understanding that either I am 00:06:17.480 --> 00:06:19.310 killed or in prison. And I will see you 00:06:19.310 --> 00:06:20.900 in Heaven. Because for me to live is 00:06:20.900 --> 00:06:23.030 Christ and to die is gain. "So I went to 00:06:23.030 --> 00:06:25.430 North Korea, so excited to live and to 00:06:25.430 --> 00:06:28.250 die for Jesus. Two spies followed me every 00:06:28.250 --> 00:06:29.870 single day of my life, every single 00:06:29.870 --> 00:06:32.000 minute in fact. When you have 2 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:33.687 ungodly spies following you 00:06:33.687 --> 00:06:35.630 all the time, what do you do? 00:06:35.630 --> 00:06:37.260 You share the Gospel. 00:06:37.260 --> 00:06:39.396 Because they're always with you. 00:06:39.396 --> 00:06:40.680 They will never leave you. 00:06:40.680 --> 00:06:41.930 They might forsake you but 00:06:41.930 --> 00:06:43.266 they will never leave you. And, since 00:06:43.266 --> 00:06:45.447 they're always with you, what a great 00:06:45.447 --> 00:06:48.060 opportunity to talk about Jesus. You 00:06:48.060 --> 00:06:49.850 don't need to go to North Korea to talk 00:06:49.850 --> 00:06:52.130 about Jesus. Jesus is putting a nation in 00:06:52.130 --> 00:06:54.800 your heart. Be obedient to Him. Say "yes" to 00:06:54.800 --> 00:06:57.975 Him. And I got into trouble. Sure, next day 00:06:57.975 --> 00:07:00.226 my interpreter went and inform 00:07:00.226 --> 00:07:02.870 to the official that Benny is doing this 00:07:02.870 --> 00:07:04.400 because I used her to translate my 00:07:04.400 --> 00:07:06.597 testimony to the spies. Now, I'm in big 00:07:06.597 --> 00:07:09.250 trouble. It's sure, I'll be killed. But 00:07:09.250 --> 00:07:10.810 the right perspective is what a great 00:07:10.810 --> 00:07:12.960 opportunity to stand in front of the 00:07:12.960 --> 00:07:15.573 official. And I shared my testimony, 00:07:15.573 --> 00:07:18.720 knowing that I might be killed. But the 00:07:18.720 --> 00:07:20.065 official asked me a question: "How could 00:07:20.065 --> 00:07:22.230 you be so sure you heard the voice of 00:07:22.230 --> 00:07:24.760 Jesus at 16? It could have been your own 00:07:24.760 --> 00:07:26.990 imagination." I told him: "Sir, my own 00:07:26.990 --> 00:07:29.720 imagination told me to kill myself. It is 00:07:29.720 --> 00:07:31.950 the voice of Jesus that gave me life and 00:07:31.950 --> 00:07:33.950 life in abundance." And he heard my 00:07:33.950 --> 00:07:36.010 testimony. And I want to tell you my 00:07:36.010 --> 00:07:38.276 friends, be courageous, even to the point 00:07:38.276 --> 00:07:40.181 of death to share the love of 00:07:40.181 --> 00:07:42.730 Jesus-Christ. Don't ever fear 00:07:42.730 --> 00:07:44.660 for your life because Jesus is 00:07:44.660 --> 00:07:46.472 in charge. I was not killed in North 00:07:46.472 --> 00:07:48.650 Korea because it was not my time to die. 00:07:48.650 --> 00:07:51.737 He knows my time, actually. And in the 00:07:51.737 --> 00:07:54.769 end, 12 musicians were chosen out of 834 00:07:54.769 --> 00:07:57.800 performers. And I was one among the 12, to 00:07:57.800 --> 00:07:59.610 be awarded by the government of North 00:07:59.610 --> 00:08:02.109 Korea. I played "Shout to the Lord", a 00:08:02.109 --> 00:08:03.752 song which I'm going to play. "My Jesus, my 00:08:03.752 --> 00:08:05.949 Savior, Lord there is none like You" in a 00:08:05.949 --> 00:08:08.779 nation like that, on their national TV. If 00:08:08.779 --> 00:08:11.286 God could use a Christian and Indian to 00:08:11.286 --> 00:08:14.120 perform on this guitar... a guitar which 00:08:14.120 --> 00:08:16.640 God helped me to design in 2004 for the 00:08:16.640 --> 00:08:19.065 Olympic games in Greece... If God could 00:08:19.065 --> 00:08:21.567 pick a broken worthless child like me, 00:08:21.567 --> 00:08:24.060 written off by society, to design the 00:08:24.060 --> 00:08:26.319 world's first guitar with drums inside, 00:08:26.319 --> 00:08:28.620 there is nothing impossible for Jesus to 00:08:28.620 --> 00:08:31.249 do in your life. If He could pick up, give 00:08:31.249 --> 00:08:34.298 me a passport like this, 14 books, to go 00:08:34.298 --> 00:08:36.893 and share the Good News to the nations, 00:08:36.893 --> 00:08:39.470 there is nothing impossible. I am just so 00:08:39.470 --> 00:08:41.634 excited. And I'm going to play the song. 00:08:41.634 --> 00:08:43.959 "My Jesus, my Savior Lord there is none 00:08:43.959 --> 00:08:46.159 like You." And again, with arthritis, when 00:08:46.159 --> 00:08:48.172 I play this instrument, even the medical 00:08:48.172 --> 00:08:50.609 doctor say this has to be God, and God 00:08:50.609 --> 00:08:53.129 alone. And just to conclude with, when I 00:08:53.129 --> 00:08:55.250 broke the world record, I had a hat wich 00:08:55.250 --> 00:08:57.390 said "Thank you Jesus". And CNN was the 00:08:57.390 --> 00:08:59.070 first news channel to interview me. And 00:08:59.070 --> 00:09:00.610 they said: "Sir, that is a religious 00:09:00.610 --> 00:09:02.229 statement. Please, take off your hat 00:09:02.229 --> 00:09:04.387 because we are a secular channel." and 00:09:04.387 --> 00:09:05.980 I'll tell you you want to share the 00:09:05.980 --> 00:09:08.902 Gospel, share it creatively. Nobody can 00:09:08.902 --> 00:09:11.140 stop you. And so I asked Jesus for an 00:09:11.140 --> 00:09:12.990 idea because the whole world is going to 00:09:12.990 --> 00:09:15.563 interview me for achieving this feat. And 00:09:15.563 --> 00:09:17.509 I want to make sure that Jesus is known. 00:09:17.509 --> 00:09:19.801 I am not ashamed of the Gospel. He gave 00:09:19.801 --> 00:09:21.670 me life when doctors gave me 6 months 00:09:21.670 --> 00:09:24.180 to live. He gave me protection. He gave me 00:09:24.180 --> 00:09:26.149 this beautiful future. How can I keep 00:09:26.149 --> 00:09:29.573 Jesus secret. No! It is sin for me to keep 00:09:29.573 --> 00:09:32.112 Jesus just to myself. So He gave me this 00:09:32.112 --> 00:09:36.658 beautiful idea of designing this new hat. 00:09:36.658 --> 00:09:38.569 And my hat says: "Thank you Jesus, I am an 00:09:38.569 --> 00:09:40.729 Indian." This is not a religious statement, 00:09:40.729 --> 00:09:43.230 it is a patriotic statement. And hence 00:09:43.230 --> 00:09:47.050 nobody can stop me. You know, nobody can 00:09:47.050 --> 00:09:49.448 stop me from wearing these things. 00:09:49.448 --> 00:09:54.050 And, even news channels, they 00:09:54.050 --> 00:09:55.482 would come up to me and say: "What is this 00:09:55.482 --> 00:09:57.700 on your head?" I said: "Well, I'm proud to be 00:09:57.700 --> 00:09:59.576 an Indian." The cameraman says: "Do a close 00:09:59.576 --> 00:10:01.962 up on his hat, also." At the United Nations, 00:10:01.962 --> 00:10:03.729 they told me: "You cannot share about 00:10:03.729 --> 00:10:06.080 Jesus." I said: "Fine." But I wore my hat 00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:08.260 which talked about Jesus all the time. My 00:10:08.260 --> 00:10:10.220 friends, if you really want to talk about 00:10:10.220 --> 00:10:12.788 Jesus, nobody can stop you. 00:10:12.788 --> 00:10:14.241 So don't use excuses.