In 1966, when I was serving the Lord in North India, I had a lot of friends. All of them were from different places and countries and spoke different languages. Because of these differences, staying together was not easy. Food, dress, behavior—everything was different. People had different behaviors and cultures in all areas. Because of this, differences and arguments were common among us.
Here, I got a chance to learn a lot of things, especially how to mingle and behave with others.
I still remember, most of the arguments started with a silly thing and ended up in a big fight. I was very good in arguments. Most of the time I won single handedly. But in reality I failed miserably. I temporarily lost some good friends due to this. My friends became my enemies. I was in a dilemma.
Under this circumstance, one of my friends advised me, “Read this book once.” He gave me a book named How to Win Friends and Influence People, written by the famous Dale Carnegie. I started reading that book; it’s a book with 300 pages. When I finished the book my inner eyes were opened.
We cannot win people over by criticizing, complaining, arguing or talking in a loud voice. Don’t even think about criticizing others. That will only hurt them. We lose them through criticism. We win friends through loving, peaceful talk.
The book influenced my attitude with its examples and stories. My behavior, the way I mingled with others, changed.
If I didn’t read that book, I would have made more enemies and lived in loneliness, pain, depression and sorrow. This is not a joke. When I look back to my past, I feel that book saved my life.
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Like this, a habit of reading grew in my life. After that, I read The Calvary Road, written by Roy Hession. This book also affected my life positively. This book helped me to apologize for my mistakes, leave my “self” and be humble. The Calvary Road is a book which changed my life in a huge way.
Another member in my collection of books or “friends” is William McDonald’s True Discipleship; this book also influenced me a lot.
Reading books changed my way of thinking. The feeling strengthened in me that “I should not plan my life for a small period of time; instead it should be planned for eternity.” Pleasing Jesus, living for Him, following Him, bringing others to Him became the ultimate aim and goal in my life.
Within this short span of my life, I mingled with many thousands of people. But the influence they made in my life is small compared to the impact books had on me. They are not just books, they are blessed books.
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K.P. Yohannan ( - Present)
Dr. K.P. Yohannan, the Metropolitan Bishop of Believers Church, was born and brought up in Niranam, Kerala. Niranam has immense historical significance in the tradition of Saint Thomas, a disciple of Jesus Christ who planted the first church there in AD 52. K.P. Yohannan dedicated his life to God at a young age to serve the needy and downtrodden. He prayed, “Oh my Lord, let my heart break with the things that break Your heart” and his life was never the same. It’s his belief that one can only demonstrate God’s love by loving people. After over four decades of selfless service, he says, I have no regrets in praying that prayer for I know God has touched millions through what He did in and through me. It is all God’s grace.He spent the early years of his service in North India and traveled to the remote villages sharing the love of Christ and doing charitable works. Through numerous encounters during those years, he was instilled with an increasing passion to bring hope, peace, and comfort to the needy and deprived. His sacrificial commitment, farsightedness and aptitude to perceive helped him to lead a life of unhindered devotion to serve Christ and His church. K.P. Yohannan is also the voice of Athmeeya Yathra, touching millions through his daily radio and TV broadcasts. His 250 books offer practical and spiritual guidance on hundreds of subjects.
Recommends these books by K.P. Yohannan:
Living in the Light of Eternity: Discovering God's Design For Your Life by K.P. Yohannan
The Beauty of Christ through Brokenness by K.P. Yohannan
Crisis in Leadership by K.P. Yohannan
K.P. Yohannan is the founder and president of Gospel for Asia, a mission organization involved in evangelism and church planting in the unreached regions of Asia. Currently Gospel for Asia supports thousands of church planters in the heart of the 10/40 window.
Born in a remote village of South India, K.P. Yohannan's personal journey toward spiritual reality began at the age of eight when he gave his heart to Christ. While he was still a young boy, his mother began fasting each week, praying God would call one of her six sons into full-time gospel ministry. Her prayers were answered in 1966 when 16 year-old K.P., her youngest, volunteered to serve in North India with Operation Mobilization.
From 1974 to 1979 K.P. attended Criswell Bible College in Dallas, Texas, where he earned his B.A. in Biblical Studies. He was also awarded an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Hindustan Bible College in Madras, India. During the time he attended Criswell, he pastored a local church in Dallas. However, he was unable to forget the millions still lost without Christ in his homeland of India, and knew God was calling him to reach his own people. In 1978 K.P. resigned his pastorate and he and his wife, Gisela, organized what is now Gospel for Asia.