Dispatch From the End of the World

Revelation 1:1 March 20, 2022 Pastor Ricky Alcantar

Thesis The Book of Revelation reveals Jesus Christ as both the reigning Lion and the slain Lamb who is presently at work gathering a people from every nation and driving history toward the ultimate victory in which his perfected bride will dwell with God forever.

Series

Revelation Overview

Type

Topical

Tone

pastoraldidacticcelebratory

Method

canonicalredemptive-historical

What's in this sermon

The shape of the argument

32 units across exposition, application, illustration, theological claim, and conclusion. The pastor's argument is built from these moving parts.

Pastoral correction · unit #30

"Applies the sermon to the congregation by showing them their role in the Revelation 5:9 reality. The cosmic vision of people gathered from every nation is not accomplished by spectacular means but through the ordinary giving, praying, and partnering of local churches. Their 2020 giving has had generational impact in India. This moves the congregation from spectators of JP's testimony to participants in the gospel work the testimony describes. The application is both humbling (ordinary means) and exalting (cosmic significance)."

Doctrinal loci· 11 surfaced

Ecclesiology · 17 Soteriology · 12 Providence / Sovereignty · 8 Christology · 7 Eschatology · 4 Bibliology · 3 Theology Proper · 3 Covenant Theology · 1 Doxology / Worship · 1 Pastoral Theology · 1 Pneumatology · 1

Bible citations· 6

Revelation 1:1 | Revelation 5:6 | Revelation 5:9 | Revelation 19:21 | Revelation 21:2-3

Illustrations· 12

personal story · unit #15 — Todd provides the narrative backstory of the church's relationship with JP, from initial contact in 2012 through ordination in 2022. The story emphasizes providence (the language barrier that made JP the only conversation partner at the conference, the long wait, the unexpected partnership) and establishes JP's credibility (theological education, humility in submitting to ordination, pioneering role in India). This functions as the setup for JP's own testimony, establishing him as a trustworthy witness and connecting his story to the congregation's participation in it.
personal story · unit #16 — JP begins his testimony by establishing his personal background: small-town Indian context, Hindu family converted before his birth, nominal Christian upbringing, personal conversion at 17, and call to ministry at 18. The testimony emphasizes the power of the gospel to save ('by the power of the gospel') and begins to establish the cultural and religious context (Hindu polytheism, small-town India, English as third language) that will make the later gospel victories meaningful.
personal story · unit #17 — JP explains the segregated structure of Indian towns (Christian quarter vs. Hindu quarter) and how his father's decision to buy a house in the Hindu section led to pioneering church-planting work. The narrative establishes the missionary context: no existing church, hostile surrounding population, house church beginning with 10-12 people. The story arc moves from segregation to gospel incursion into unreached territory.
personal story · unit #18 — Demonstrates the opposition faced by the church and the creative solution of building vertically when horizontal expansion was blocked by Hindu hostility. The detail of the father beginning the building and JP completing it after his father's death from cancer adds pathos and establishes JP's sacrificial commitment. The church building becomes a symbol of gospel perseverance in hostile territory.
personal story · unit #19 — Introduces JP's family with affection and humor, humanizing him for the congregation. The mention of the month-long separation and the sadness in the photo adds sacrificial weight to his presence. The biblical names (Lena and Leah) subtly signal the family's identification with biblical faith. This section transitions from church context to family context in preparation for the barrenness testimony.
personal story · unit #20 — The extended barrenness narrative demonstrates God's power to do the humanly impossible. The story follows a classic testimony arc: deep need (8 years of barrenness, cultural shame, medical hopelessness), failed human solutions (multiple doctors, adoption attempts), growing faith (JP praying specifically for twins when doctors said even one was impossible), divine intervention (3-month reversal of medical condition, successful first IVF, twins conceived), and vindication of faith (JP's confidence that God was at work). The narrative is rich with concrete details that build credibility and pathos.
personal story · unit #21 — The climax of the barrenness narrative: a final crisis (COVID-positive test the day before C-section, widespread maternal deaths, doctors refusing to treat COVID-positive patients) and a miraculous resolution (the doctor inexplicably failing to see the positive test result three times, the successful delivery, the babies born healthy). JP interprets this as divine intervention comparable to the blinding of Pharaoh's army. The story ends with explicit theological interpretation: this is what God does, and he shares it for the congregation's encouragement.
historical example · unit #23 — Describes the learning center strategy: using after-school tutoring as a platform for evangelizing Hindu children in a context where direct evangelism of adults faces hostility. The strategy is working—50 children came when they expected 10, many now attend Sunday school, and the church is praying for their salvation. This demonstrates strategic missionary thinking: finding culturally appropriate entry points for gospel proclamation.
historical example · unit #24 — The turning point narrative: years of hostility reversed by COVID-19 lockdown creating crisis, Cross of Grace funding relief, and JP leveraging the crisis to gain access to homes previously closed to him. The detail of Hindu neighbors staring at him 'as though I come from another planet' captures the shock of a Christian pastor bringing aid. The specific refusal to greet him for years makes the subsequent welcome meaningful. JP's insistence on praying 'in the name of Jesus Christ'—the name they hate most—shows courage and theological conviction. The food becomes the means of gospel access.
historical example · unit #25 — The fruit of the food relief ministry: the first Muslim family in the town converted, plus several Hindu families. This is the evangelistic payoff of all the preceding narrative—the barrenness overcome, the church built in hostile territory, the learning center, the years of hostility, the food relief. JP explicitly thanks Cross of Grace, making the congregation's role in these conversions clear. The repeated thanks drive home that this is the congregation's mission fruit, not just JP's.
historical example · unit #26 — Describes the new evangelistic access created by the food relief ministry: outdoor gospel meetings now permitted in a community that previously forbade them, with Hindus attending. This is a dramatic reversal—from refusing to greet him to attending evangelistic services. JP attributes this entirely to God's grace working through the COVID crisis. The doors that were closed for years are now open.
historical example · unit #27 — Introduces the future vision: a Bible college to train Indian pastors who have zeal but lack theological depth. JP identifies this as the greatest need—not more missionaries from outside but trained local leaders. The simultaneous burden in both JP's and Todd's hearts is presented as providential confirmation. The task is large, but they're proceeding in faith. This opens a new avenue for the congregation's participation in the India mission beyond financial support—prayer for the college and the men it will train.

Theological claims· 5

Jesus is not distant or passive but presently at work among his churches across the world, including in the local congregation and in mission fields like India. unit #3
Jesus is presently engaged in gathering a multinational people through his work in and among local churches across every ethnic boundary. unit #7
Jesus sovereignly directs all of history—past, present, and future—toward the predetermined end of his victory and the gathering of his people. unit #8
The ultimate victory belongs to Christ the Lion and Lamb, but because he has mysteriously bound his glory to his people's welfare, his triumph necessarily includes the perfection, vindication, and eternal union of his gathered bride. unit #11
JP's testimony—the miraculous conception of twins and the opening of a previously hostile village to the gospel—demonstrates that the Jesus revealed in Revelation is presently at work doing wonders in the world. unit #29

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Full transcript

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0 · Frames the sermon as an introduction to Revelation that will proceed differently than typical expositional sermons because of the presence of a guest missionary

Well, uh, brothers and sisters, good morning. Uh, if you would open your Bibles to the book of Revelation. And as Todd said, we are gonna— we're gonna introduce Revelation in a little bit of a different way because we have the unique opportunity of having Pastor JP here with us. We are going to read 5 words in Revelation, and then most of the sermon illustration and application is going to be Pastor JP sharing. If you're new with us, we're starting a a study, an overview study of the Book of Revelation.

1 · Directly addresses congregation anxiety about Revelation's difficulty

And I promise you will not need a decoder ring to follow along with our study. You're not going to have to count every 5th word backwards, run it through an algorithm to decode this. You're not going to have to find a national treasure, secret texts, and look at the prophecies of Nostradamus to understand Revelation. Revelation tells us right up front what it's about and what it is meant to do.

2 · Establishes the controlling interpretive key for the entire book by reading and explaining Revelation 1:1

So if you would read just 5 words in this book with me as we introduce our theme for this morning, Revelation to John, chapter 1, verse 1. This is God's word, the revelation of Jesus Christ. The revelation of Jesus Christ. This is God's word. I promise now next week that we're going to go through chapter 1. But here is what I want you to get this morning. The Book of Revelation is about Jesus. It tells you upfront. If you're like, what is this book about? There's monsters and beasts out of the sea and there's— what is going on? I'll tell you what's going on. It is the revelation of Jesus Christ. That word revelation means to reveal, to disclose, to unveil. And it's the unveiling of Jesus Christ.

3 · Establishes the first of two major theological themes that will structure both the sermon and the series: Jesus' present, active work among his churches worldwide

And what we see is two things in the Book of Revelation that you'll also see in Pastor JP's testimony today. First, you see that Jesus is alive and at work among his churches. Next week we'll see that Jesus appears among the lampstands representing the church, meaning he's not way off somewhere, he's right here. He's among the churches and he is alive and doing work throughout the world, as we're going to see through Pastor JP in El Paso here and in our beautiful La Frontera right here, and as well around the world.

4 · Brief connective statement moving from the first major theme to textual demonstration of that theme in Revelation 5

You see Jesus throughout the book.

5 · Exposits the central christological paradox of Revelation 5: Jesus is announced as the conquering Lion but appears as the slain Lamb

You see in chapter 5, which really is the centerpiece of the book in many ways, where Jesus is revealed as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. And it's announced, here comes the Lion of the tribe of Judah to inaugurate the plan of God for blessing and judgment. And here comes the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and he appears in 5:6, I saw a lamb standing as though it had been slain, meaning that Revelation reveals Jesus, reveals him as both the powerful lion and as the substitutionary lamb, and reveals that that work of his life, death, and resurrection are effective in doing something.

6 · Quotes Revelation 5:9 to demonstrate what Jesus' death accomplished: the ransoming of a people from every ethnic and linguistic group worldwide

Revelation 5:9 says this: Worthy are you to take the scroll and open its seals. Meaning to inaugurate the plan of God. For you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

7 · Synthesizes the exposition of Revelation 5 into a theological assertion about Jesus' present work

The revelation of Jesus Christ in this book shows us that Jesus is alive and at work, and his work is gathering a people, as we'll hear today, from the corners of the world. From one place to the other in, in every ethnic group, every language spoken, every nationality, every tribe. That's where Jesus is at work to gather his people. So Jesus is alive and at work now. He's in and among his churches. He is gathering those to be part of his church.

8 · Establishes the second major theme: Jesus' sovereign control over history's trajectory toward an appointed end

But Revelation also shows us the things that must soon take place, meaning it shows us the end of the story, not just that Jesus is at work in the middle of the story, but that Jesus has an ending to the story. Jesus, as we'll see in Revelation, is bending history to his will. Jesus is not responding. He's not up there going, oh my gosh, this guy Putin, what is he doing? He is out of control. We got to do something about this. No. No, no, no, Jesus has bent the Roman Empire to his will, the Byzantine Empire to his will, the medieval ages to his will. Jesus continues to bend history toward the arc of the victory of the Lion and Lamb and his people.

9 · Signals a structural shift from establishing the two major themes to demonstrating the end toward which history is moving

Look briefly with me at the very end of the story in Revelation. I want you to see where this is going. Revelation 19, after this, in the middle of this climactic cosmic battle, Revelation 19 shows us where this is going. It shows us the marriage supper of the Lamb. And then it shows us the rider on the white horse who comes and brings a final and ultimate victory. And then look at verse 21 just briefly with me. This is where we're going. This is the end of the story.

10 · Quotes Revelation 21:2-3 to establish the eschatological endpoint: the New Jerusalem descending, the bride prepared, and the ultimate reunion of God with his people

21:2, and I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

11 · Synthesizes the eschatological exposition into a comprehensive theological claim about the end

Meaning this, that the people that Christ has gathered from every tribe, tongue, language, and people will be gathered. They will be perfected. They will be washed by the blood of the Lamb. They will be prepared as a bride adorned for a groom. And the climax of history is Jesus' victory over the forces of evil and death, the triumph of the Lion and Lamb. And because for some inexplicable reason, Jesus has tied his glory to the good of his people, the victory of the Lion Lamb means the victory of the people of the the Lamb, and they're reuniting with God himself.

12 · Returns to direct pastoral address to drive home the accessibility and importance of Revelation

Look, that's what Revelation's about. If you've ever thought, what is in the back of the book? You know, what's in the Bible with the back of the Bible there? I heard a pastor say sometimes functionally we have 65 books in our Bible, not 66, meaning we all read different books and then we get to Revelation and we're like, yeah, I don't know what's going on over there. I'll tell you what's going on over there. The Revelation of Jesus Christ. I mean, what— how would you feel if somebody was like, hey, listen, actually, there's not just 4 gospels, there's a 5th one, and Jesus is doing stuff, and it shows miracles he's doing and wonders he's performing. You're like, well, sweet, I want to read that. It's here, right here. The Revelation of Jesus Christ.

13 · Explicitly names the sermon's structure and the series' plan

So here's what we're doing over the next few weeks. We are going to walk through this book together. But today, what we're gonna do is we're gonna hear these two big themes, that Jesus is alive and at work in the world today in every tribe, tongue, language, and people, gathering a people for himself. And that Jesus, the arc of history is Jesus' victory and completion of that people, right?

14 · Connects the church's vision statement to the sermon's themes and to JP's testimony

And so as Pastor JP comes and shares, that's what I want you to hear. And I want you to also hear this, We, in our vision statement as Cross of Grace, we say that we want to see the gospel going forward. We want to see gospel work in El Paso, gospel renewal in El Paso, and through it, the world. Meaning, as we're faithful with our little corner of the world, by God's grace, the Lord can use us to impact far, far beyond. So with that, I'm going to invite Todd and Pastor JP up, and we're going to hear from them this morning.

15 · Todd provides the narrative backstory of the church's relationship with JP, from initial contact in 2012 through ordination in 2022

So just a little bit about JP for those of you who don't know him. If you've been in here for a while, church for a while, you've heard us share about our growing partnership with him over the years as we partnered with him for the food relief program that we ran. The Villages during COVID and he was in the US at a wedding. And so we seized the opportunity to have him come down and join us because it's a very rare thing to be able to have him all the way down here in Texas. It's about, oh, 12,000 miles away, and by personal experience, it's about 43.5 hours just from my door to his, just for note there. For those of you who are relatively new to the church, JP started connecting with Sovereign Grace in 2012, and he was looking for a group of churches with similar doctrinal values that he wasn't able to find in his area of India. So he reached out. At the time, we really didn't have anybody working in India, so he very patiently waited for years, for really for 5 years, till late in 2017 when God providentially connected us together right before we were about to start a small pastors' conference in India, about a day or so journey away from where he was. So we invited him, and he readily agreed and came by train over day and night to get there. And it was very obvious after about the first day that the main reason that we were having this conference was to connect with him, that God was going to do something. It also was because he was the only other person there that spoke English. And so he's the only one I could talk to because the rest of the guys only spoke Telugu. So we started talking and getting to know one another, and, uh, we just— that began a friendship. And over the next year or so, we started having calls together. Praise God for video call, it's amazing. Um, and we started just fellowshipping together, having mutual encouragement. But it soon became apparent that God had something more in mind, and he's calling us into some kind of gospel partnership. We didn't know what that partnership would look like exactly, but over time JP expressed a deep desire to be more formally partnered together with Sovereign Grace. And so we began to walk through the process of ordination, ordination with Sovereign Grace. Even though JP already had a theology degree in India and even a master's in English literature, he humbly submitted himself to our ordination process. Which has extensive reading and writing and testing. But after a year and a half, on July 26th of this last year, JP became the first ordained Sovereign Grace pastor in India. Super excited. Thank the Lord. Thank you, Lord. So he also has the first Sovereign Grace church in India. So we're so, so glad that JP could be here this morning to share with us. And so we just welcome him as he comes and gives his testimony and shares about his church.

16 · JP begins his testimony by establishing his personal background: small-town Indian context, Hindu family converted before his birth, nominal Christian upbringing, personal conversion at 17, and call to ministry at 18

So I'm so glad I'm here, and it's my honor standing here. So I'm able to see all you in person. I have been praying for this church. Though I haven't seen. I hope you're okay with my English. So you're enjoying Indian English. You know, English was my third language when I was in school, and I had to do my post-graduation in English literature to, you know, at least to speak this language to this point. So I'm glad. So greet you all in our Lord's name. And I bring greetings from my home and church in India. This is, you know, many are asking me what is your full name. My full name is, you can't pronounce, Rawwari Jaya Prakash. So in short, you can call me JP. So I'm okay with that. So let me share a little bit about my background in a few sentences. I come from a small town in India in the state of Andhra Pradesh called Gundugollanu. Again, you can't pronounce. Gundugollanu. So you can see that on the screen. So that's the small town. So there are about 10,000 people living in it. That's the place I was born and brought up. And my parents were Hindus. They had a Hindu background. They were worshiping all sorts of idols, snakes, monkeys, cows, and every animal. Every animal is a god in India. They were worshiping all these idols, but by the power of the gospel, It was such a big story. So just in one sentence, I can just say that by the power of the gospel, they came to know the Lord. And then I personally came to know the Lord, though I was born in a Christian family. It all happened before I was born. So when I was born, my parents were Christians and I had access to Sunday school, Christian worship and all. But I personally came to know the Lord at the age of 17. Then I felt God calling me for the ministry. So I went to join Bible school at the age of 18.

17 · JP explains the segregated structure of Indian towns (Christian quarter vs

If you come to India, you see that every town is divided like a Christian community and Hindu community. Hindu community is the place where you see lots of Hindu temples and idols on the streets. And many Hindus live there. And Christian community is the place where you see churches and all the Christians living in. It's all because when the foreign missionaries came to India, these people today, they are called Christian community. They were the ones in the first place embraced Christianity. So when the foreign missionaries shared the gospel. So when my dad rented a house in a Hindu community, And later he wanted to buy the same house, so he did that. So that's how I happened to— I mean, that's how I was brought up in a Hindu community or on the side of Hindu community. And my dad wanted to start a church among the Hindu community, and that would be the first church. It was just a house church. There was no church at all. So he started a house church in my home. And then I graduated from the Bible college after several years. And then I was back to my church that was in my house. And it was just around 10 to 12 people gathering on every Sunday. So I started working alongside my dad, teaching and preaching God's word, and, you know, evangelizing the whole community, using every opportunity that God, okay, gives us. And the church started to grow. It was just like, you know, 10 to 12 people, but the Lord was adding the number one by one.

18 · Demonstrates the opposition faced by the church and the creative solution of building vertically when horizontal expansion was blocked by Hindu hostility

So my dad wanted to build a church. But since we were living in Hindu community, nobody would sell us the land to build a church because they don't want to see church there. So my dad was so strong on that, even myself, that we really wanted to see a church building, but we had no other option. So my dad said, okay, let's add another floor over our house. That's what you see there. So that's the church. So the first floor is the house and the second floor is the church because we had no place to build the church and nobody wants to sell the land because they don't want to see a church building there. So now we have the church there. So praise God for that. It's all the grace of Jesus Christ. So my dad was unable to complete the church building. But at least he could do for the most part. But he died of cancer in 2014. And the Lord has given me grace to complete the church by 2016. So it's the place where we meet till today.

19 · Introduces JP's family with affection and humor, humanizing him for the congregation

And yeah, this is something about the ministry and the church. Let me also speak something about my family. I have been married to my wonderful and beautiful wife, Satvika. I should say that in my eyes, she is the most beautiful one in the world. So I'm sorry if I'm offending some beautiful girls here, young girls here. Well, we are married for 9 years and the Lord blessed us with Twin 10-month baby girls. That's the most recent picture. Just before I was leaving my home, my wife was so upset, even my babies were upset. So I had to click a picture with them, a selfie. So that's the one. Because they would be missing me for 1 month altogether. So my wife seems to be a little sad. But actually she's so happy on the, you know, other times. So this is the family the Lord really blessed me with. And the names of my children are Lena and Leah. The first one is Lena and the second one is Leah, a Bible name.

20 · The extended barrenness narrative demonstrates God's power to do the humanly impossible

So the Lord still does the wonders. I believe the Lord is still doing the wonders. I am not a cessationist in the sense that I don't believe in wonders and God stopped all those things. No, because I'm an example of that. So I'm going to explain how. We were married for 8 years and my wife was barren in the sense that we didn't have children. And it's such a big thing in India if you don't have children. People would say that you were cursed by gods and goddesses. There's a curse upon you. You might have done something so bad in your previous life, so today you have no children. That was the thing. So out of our desire and, you know, okay, curiosity, so we happened to meet with some top 10 doctors around us. And every doctor, from every, I mean, from the mouth of every doctor, We were getting just only one word: no hope, no hope, no hope. Even if you go for IVF treatment as such, still you have no, no hope. So one doctor said is that there is some little hope, but you have to get the, you know, medicine for 2 years. Because my wife had so many health complications, especially the size of her Okay, uterus was very small. So doctor said, we can use some medicine to see if that can become big, enlarged. So I said, okay, but it takes at least 1 to 2 years, the doctor said. I said, okay. But over 3 months, the size of the uterus was quite sufficient for my wife to carry baby. So I thought the Lord started doing something in our lives. Previously, what happened, there was a baby boy, so the mom wants to, okay, give away the boy. We were ready to go and grab, but somebody has already taken the baby before we went. So my wife was so sad. So those things happened twice. Somebody wanted to give the baby to us, but meanwhile, before we reach, somebody comes and grabs the baby. So there was a time my wife was not eating, she was not sleeping, she was crying, crying, because that was such a big thing. Even in India, if you want to go for adoption, there's a big process, and then you can't meet all the requirements. That was the thing. So I thought the Lord is going to help us. And then my wife went through IVF procedure. The doctor said, may not be successful in the first attempt, you may have to go for twice or thrice. And even the chances are very less, but we said, okay. And I was praying for twins, whereas doctor said even it's not possible for, you know, one. But in my faith, the Lord has given me faith to pray for twins because I see that the Lord is doing something in our lives. He started working the things to happen. So the first attempt was done. The doctor said, you have to come back after 2 weeks. To check if it was successful or not. So we were back to the hospital, and after 2 weeks, the doctor did some scanning and said that, smiling at our faces, and said, "Your wife is pregnant with twins." And I said, "I know this already." So the doctor was asking me, "How do you know? Where did you go for scanning?" I said, "I was praying." The doctor said, "Oh, your God is good. Great." But the doctor said, "Even till she is ready for delivery, no hope." In the sense like, something can happen. So you have to be so careful. I said, "No, it's the Lord doing. It's going to happen."

21 · The climax of the barrenness narrative: a final crisis (COVID-positive test the day before C-section, widespread maternal deaths, doctors refusing to treat COVID-positive patients) and a miraculous resolution (the doctor inexplicably failing to see the positive test result three times, the successful delivery, the babies born healthy)

But the story did not end. So when my wife was scheduled for C-section, she was tested pastor. It was in 2021, May. There were many death cases because of COVID every day. So if you are tested positive with COVID no doctor will touch you. That was the situation. And many women were turned away from the hospitals because they were found positive, tested positive. And many women died, pregnant women died, because doctors were not willing to even touch them. So I was so worried because the next day is the C-section, and then today my wife was tested positive. I showed the report to the doctor, and she has gone through the report thrice, and she did not realize that my wife was tested positive. The doctor thought she's working. I don't know how that happened. I believe the Lord covered her eyes in such a way. The Lord blinded as He blinded the eyes of Pharaoh. And his army. I don't know. So doctor agreed to deliver the babies, and she did. And my twin babies were born. We were so happy. We were in one room. The doctor came to see the babies. I said, is it okay since my wife is tested positive, can you give some medicine? The doctor asked me, who is positive? I said, my wife. How do you know? Look at the report. She said, I have gone through the report thrice. I looked at her back again and she looked and said, "My goodness, how is it?" I said, "Thank God." Of course, the doctor was upset. So this is such a great miracle the Lord has done in our family. So I am sharing all these things, therefore you can be encouraged by all these things.

22 · Brief transition returning from personal family testimony to the church's ministry strategy and fruit

Okay, alongside the church ministry and evangelism, So again, I'm coming back to the ministry.

23 · Describes the learning center strategy: using after-school tutoring as a platform for evangelizing Hindu children in a context where direct evangelism of adults faces hostility

Alongside the church ministry and evangelism we have, we do also have some children ministry. At this time in the church, only a few Hindu families were added and we were just only a few. So we really wanted to try and evangelize the families through their children. So we just came up with some project called learning center. So the children, after the school hours, they will come to church and we will help them with the school projects and the school works. So our ultimate desire is to evangelize the children at the end. So when we just put the word only, so we just expected 5 to 10 people, you know, 10 children to attend. But to our surprise, in the first week we got 50 children. So outside it all just looks like a study center, but at the end we are evangelizing the children. So the Lord is giving us opportunity to share gospel with them. We have some special programs for them, like what you call, okay, Vacation Bible School and some other programs to evangelize the children. And to my gladness, Many of these children started attending Sunday school in our church. So I'm so happy for that, and we are praying and working for their salvation. May the Lord save them.

24 · The turning point narrative: years of hostility reversed by COVID-19 lockdown creating crisis, Cross of Grace funding relief, and JP leveraging the crisis to gain access to homes previously closed to him

And as I have mentioned that our church is in a Hindu community, therefore people really do not like that. So they don't want that. They have been so hostile to me. They were so hostile to me. But the lockdown, COVID lockdown in 2020 changed the whole thing. 70% of the Indians live by daily wages. So I mean, if you work today, then you have food to eat tomorrow. So if you don't work today, there is no food for you tomorrow. So that's the thing in India. 70% of the people live like that. So because of lockdown, they had no work, and many families were in dire need of food. And Brother Todd was checking on me, and I said, this is the situation. Then he talked to the church elders, and this church, Cross of Grace Church, started funding for the food. So we bought food with the help of the church. So we packed the food And, you know, it was for 664 families of 10 days of food. That's 136,000 meals altogether. So we supplied for 664 families with 10 days of meals. That is something great. So when I Take a food packet and knock on the doors. They would open and stare at me as though I come from another planet and would say, "What?" That means, "Why are you here? You're a pastor, you're a Christian. Why did you come to my house?" Something like that. So I show the food and say, "Hey guys, I am here for you with the food." And they were so perplexed because they had been so hostile to me all these years. You know, even they would not greet me. You know, so when they see me face to face, that was their face expression. They would not greet me even. But when I was there with the food, it was really surprising them as well. Since they were hungry, they would never say no. So they just opened the doors and said, "Please welcome." And then I shared food with them and said, "Can I just pray for you?" And they said, "Okay." So let me pray in the name of Jesus Christ because that's the name they really hate. Those Hindu guys, they hate the name of Jesus. They are ready to accept any name of any god in the world. All those million gods and goddesses these people have, you know, okay, created, they were ready to accept any name, but they were not willing to, you know, accept the name of Jesus Christ. So I had privilege to pray for them in the name of Jesus Christ, and I had privilege to share gospel with them, and then I have given them gospel tracts and the four gospel booklets.

25 · The fruit of the food relief ministry: the first Muslim family in the town converted, plus several Hindu families

And the end is that a Muslim family got converted. That's the first Muslim family in our town that was converted. They came to the Lord. Also, several Hindu families came to the Lord. So praise God and big thanks to Cross of Grace Church. Big thanks to Cross of Grace Church for your generous generosity, donations, and the prayers that you offered and all the help. Thanks a lot.

26 · Describes the new evangelistic access created by the food relief ministry: outdoor gospel meetings now permitted in a community that previously forbade them, with Hindus attending

In India, we conduct outdoor services that we call gospel meetings. So before this time, we were not allowed by the community to put on these services. So a gospel meeting is among the houses. If there's a ground, we just fix some lighting and sound system on the stage and chairs and say, "Hey guys, here we are going to do something in the name of Jesus Christ. You can come and join." Before, I was not allowed, but after COVID, once we have done this ministry, you know, serving the food, so I got access to do this. People were okay with it, and even many Hindus were coming and sitting. This is something new for me. So now I have many doors opened to go in and share the gospel. To these Hindus that there is living God who can save us from eternal damnation. So this is all by the grace of God and what God has done during, you know, 2020 COVID lockdown.

27 · Introduces the future vision: a Bible college to train Indian pastors who have zeal but lack theological depth

And then at the end, I want to talk something about the plans that we have regard to the ministry in India. The Lord is raising the local missionaries and the evangelists in India, but they have no good knowledge in God's Word. There are many pastors without good knowledge in God's Word. I feel that this is the greatest need among the Indian pastors, to have a Bible college. They need a Bible college. They have passion to serve the Lord, but they have a very minimum knowledge in God's Word. 6 months back, 6 months back, the Lord put the idea of, you know, having a Bible college in Andhra Pradesh state in India. And the same thought idea the Lord put in the heart of Brother Todd. So we have been working on that project. I know that, or we know that This is such a large task, very big task. But we are in faith that if God wants it to happen, He will provide the way. So we are praying and planning to establish a pastors' college to train the men that are called to serve the churches. Therefore, they can teach God's Word in the churches and the churches are established. That's our purpose. We hope to start with the first class in July 2023. So we are planning and praying for that. I would appreciate, or we would appreciate, if you can pray for this.

28 · JP closes his testimony with doxology and gratitude

All the glory to God the Almighty, and big thanks to the church leadership for letting me speak here. Thank you one and all. Glory to God.

29 · Ricky returns to explicitly connect JP's testimony to the sermon's first major theme: Jesus is alive and at work in the world today

Oh man, guys. Oh, sorry, that's me. We good? All right, here's what I want you to see before we pray for Pastor JP. Um, the Book of Revelation shows us that God is at work. As Pastor JP said, he still does wonders. We believe that. We believe that he can help a barren woman have twins. We believe that he can open a village that is closed and hostile to the gospel. Pastor JP was sharing with us for his entire life in that village, people refused to greet him because he was a Christian and was a pastor. And now you saw the pictures. I mean, he's, he's having gospel meetings that people are coming to. In that place. God is at work in the world.

30 · Applies the sermon to the congregation by showing them their role in the Revelation 5:9 reality

But the other thing I want you to see is the book of Revelation is, you know, this big cosmic thing and God's bringing about a victory and gathering of people, but he does it through the ordinary work of local churches. I mean, I hope you see this, guys. I mean, the money that you sent in 2020 in the middle of the lockdown, you just thought, okay, I hope something good happens with that. The Lord used that to change, I think, the gospel ministry of this church, by God's grace, for a generation or more. We are participants in God's plan to gather the nations in our neighborhoods right around us and to the nations abroad. So, JP, thank you for letting us partner with you, brother. It is a privilege. It is a privilege.

31 · Closing prayer that functions as both intercession and doxological summary

So would you stand? We're going to pray for JP, and then we'll close with a song. Oh, Lord, we thank you. Thank you for our partnership with Pastor JP, with his wonderful wife, Sethwick, and his beautiful twins. Oh, Lord, what a privilege it is to partner together in the gospel. Lord, we are amazed that you continue to be at work. You save people. In El Paso. You save people in Juárez. You save people across the ocean in India. You saved Pastor JP at age 17, opening his eyes. You saved this Muslim family he just spoke of, the Hindu families that he just spoke of. Lord, you are at work. You are still seeking and saving the lost. You still do wonders. And Lord, we pray We pray for the work going on in his village, Lord. We pray that you continue to draw many children to the learning center. We pray that you would continue to draw many Hindu families to come learn about Jesus. We pray, as he shared with us, we pray for the husbands of some of the women, that the husbands are very hostile as Hindus to the gospel and don't want their wives to go, but the wives are saying, we're Christians now, we have to go to church. Lord, I pray for we pray for the grace that the husbands would be converted, that the husbands would come to know Jesus and would join their wives at church in the service. We pray for that, Lord. We pray for continued practical opportunities to demonstrate the gospel, adorn the gospel, and to proclaim the gospel as they go together. And we pray for— we pray over this work of the pastors' school that Todd and JP will be working on over the in the next year or so to begin. We pray for your grace. We pray that you would give them wisdom as they consider how to do this. And we pray that you would draw men who want to be equipped with sound doctrine to preach the gospel clearly and well in their generation, in their place. Until every tribe and tongue and language and people is gathered around the throne singing, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, for by your blood you ransomed a people for God, a kingdom." Oh Lord, we long for that day. We long for that day. We ask for your grace to work faithfully in our day. In Jesus' name, amen.

Where this fits

Recent preaching context

The three sermons immediately preceding this one in the preaching schedule.

Feb 6, 2022

This Can't Be the Right Road, Can It?

The road to the cross is the Christian's road—hard, dark, and seemingly wrong—but it is the right road because Jesus walked it for us, and it ends not in death but in resurrection glory.

Mark 15:1-20

Feb 13, 2022

The Cross as Dividing Line

The cross of Jesus Christ is the eternal dividing line where those who see only foolishness and shame are separated from those who, by God's grace, see the King who saves by refusing to save himself—and this reality must remain the defining center of both personal discipleship and the church's life across all generations.

Mark 15:21-41

Mar 6, 2022

Rise Up and Build

The church is worth rebuilding because it is God's chosen vehicle for honoring him, blessing his people, and advancing the gospel — and we rebuild it by rising up individually, building together, and trusting Christ to make us prosper.

Nehemiah 2:17-20; 3:1-5

March 20 · This sermon

Dispatch From the End of the World

The Book of Revelation reveals Jesus Christ as both the reigning Lion and the slain Lamb who is presently at work gathering a people from every nation and driving history toward the ultimate victory in which his perfected bride will dwell with God forever.

Revelation 1:1

Earlier in the corpus · July 24, 2022

A prior sermon on Revelation 1-22

You preached this same passage — 9 Revelation 1 citations in that earlier sermon. Worth re-reading before the next time this text comes around.

Take it further

Discuss · apply · pray

Small groups

6 discussion questions

Ricky opens by saying Revelation is 'the revelation of Jesus Christ'—not a puzzle to decode, but a declaration of who Jesus is and what he's…

Daily readings

5-day reading plan

This week we trace the arc of Revelation's central truth: Jesus Christ, alive and at work today, is gathering a multinational people and driving all history toward his ultimate victory.

Prayer

Prayer: The Lamb Who Gathers the Nations

Father, we come before you in awe of your Son, Jesus Christ—the Lion who reigns and the Lamb who was slain. You have not left us as orphans…

Family table

Jesus Is Gathering People From Everywhere

This prompt invites kids to see themselves as part of something much bigger than their own church building—a global family that Jesus is act…

Couples

Gathering Together Across the Nations

What part of the sermon stirred your heart about Jesus being alive and at work right now—not just in some distant future, but in our church,…

Memorize

Revelation 5:9

This verse captures both the sermon's central claims: Jesus as the slain Lamb who has ransomed his people through his blood, and Jesus as the one actively gathering a multinational bride from every tribe and nation. It is the theological heart of Revelation—the mystery that Christ's redemptive work is inseparable from his global purpose.

Memory verse this week

Revelation 5:9

And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.'

Why this verse: This verse captures both the sermon's central claims: Jesus as the slain Lamb who has ransomed his people through his blood, and Jesus as the one actively gathering a multinational bride from every tribe and nation. It is the theological heart of Revelation—the mystery that Christ's redemptive work is inseparable from his global purpose.

Draft · pending review

Couples · three questions over coffee

Gathering Together Across the Nations

What part of the sermon stirred your heart about Jesus being alive and at work right now—not just in some distant future, but in our church, in our marriage, today?
How does knowing that Jesus is gathering a people from every nation change the way we see our own marriage covenant—as a picture of his work to unite broken people across every boundary?
Who is one person or people group you could commit to pray for together this week, asking Jesus to keep drawing them into his kingdom?

Draft · pending review

Sunday-evening family table

Jesus Is Gathering People From Everywhere

For the parent

This prompt invites kids to see themselves as part of something much bigger than their own church building—a global family that Jesus is actively bringing together. Listen for wonder and curiosity about other Christians around the world, and affirm the reality that their local church is connected to God's work everywhere.

Pastor Ricky told us about JP, who is a pastor in India. Jesus is gathering people from India, from El Paso, from every country in the whole world to be his family. Who is one person you know—maybe from church, maybe from school, maybe from our city—who loves Jesus? What do you think it means that Jesus is gathering all those people together?

works for ages 6+ — younger kids can name one person they know; older kids can think more deeply about what 'gathering' means

Draft · pending review

Daily readings · Monday–Friday

5-day reading plan

This week we trace the arc of Revelation's central truth: Jesus Christ, alive and at work today, is gathering a multinational people and driving all history toward his ultimate victory.

Monday Revelation 5:6

John sees the Lamb standing at the center of heaven's throne, alive and full of power—not distant, not passive. This is the Jesus who walks among the lampstands of our churches today, including Cross of Grace. His present activity is the engine of history.

Tuesday Revelation 5:9

The song of heaven celebrates redemption *from every tribe and tongue and people and nation*—not someday, but as the present reality of what the Lamb has accomplished. When we see brothers and sisters from every background in our own congregation, we are witnessing the Lamb's work unfold before our eyes.

Wednesday Revelation 19:21

The nations are judged, the beast is defeated, and the Lamb's victory is final. Yet this same sovereign Jesus who orchestrates the end of all things is presently at work in villages in India, in our city, in the hearts of those we love. His control over history is not abstract—it is the guarantee that every faithful prayer and every gospel conversation participates in his appointed triumph.

Thursday Revelation 21:2-3

The New Jerusalem descends—God's dwelling with us made permanent. Our redemption is not merely personal escape; it is corporate vindication, the perfected church united forever with her Groom. Everything Christ suffers for, everything he is presently gathering, finds its end in this eternal communion with him and with one another.

Friday Revelation 1:1

This revelation of Jesus Christ is meant *to show his servants what must soon take place*—it is a dispatch meant to mobilize us. When we pray for missionaries like JP, when we give to plant churches in unreached villages, when we open our homes to the stranger, we are not peripheral to Revelation's story. We are the means through which the Lamb gathers his global bride.

Draft · pending review

Pray together this week

Prayer: The Lamb Who Gathers the Nations

Father, we come before you in awe of your Son, Jesus Christ—the Lion who reigns and the Lamb who was slain. You have not left us as orphans or given us a spirit of fear, but you have made yourself known through the revelation of your Son, who is even now at work among your churches across every nation and tongue. We worship you for the power and presence of Jesus in the world, gathering a people for himself from places we will never see and through means we cannot fully comprehend.

Yet we confess, Lord, that we often live as though Jesus were distant—that his work in Revelation is ancient history or distant prophecy rather than present reality unfolding in our time. We forget that the same Jesus who appeared to John is presently at work in India, in our city, in our congregation, opening closed doors and drawing hearts to himself. Forgive us for the smallness of our vision and the weakness of our faith in his active reign.

We receive again the gospel truth that Christ is presently gathering his bride from every nation. Just as he has opened villages that were hostile to his name, just as he has ordained twins to be born as a sign of his faithfulness to his servants, so he continues to sovereignly direct all history toward the day when his perfected people will dwell with him forever. His victory is certain; his work among the nations is unstoppable; and we are invited to participate in it (Revelation 5:9).

Father, grant us the grace to see our local church, our financial gifts, our prayers, and our partnership with missionaries as participation in this cosmic work of gathering. Free us from the fear that the advance of Christ's kingdom depends on our strength, and give us bold faith to give, to pray, and to stand with those laboring in distant fields, knowing that Jesus himself is the one doing the work. We commit ourselves anew to be a people gathered by the Lamb and sent by the Lion to make disciples of all nations. To you be glory and dominion forever.

Draft · pending review

Small-group discussion

6 questions for your group this week

Ricky opens by saying Revelation is 'the revelation of Jesus Christ'—not a puzzle to decode, but a declaration of who Jesus is and what he's doing. What difference does it make to approach Revelation as a book *about Jesus* rather than as a book *about the future*?

Revelation 1:1

→ When you've encountered Revelation before, what questions or fears came up for you? How might those shift if you read it looking for Jesus rather than looking for a timeline?
The sermon emphasizes that Jesus is 'presently at work' among his churches across the world—not distant, not waiting, but actively gathering people. Where have you *seen* or *experienced* Jesus at work in your own church or community in a way that felt present and active?
Look at Revelation 5:9—the song sung before the throne celebrates that Jesus 'ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.' What does it mean that from the very beginning of John's vision, Jesus' victory is defined by the gathering of a *multinational* people, not just a personal salvation?

Revelation 5:9

→ How does that reshape the way you think about your local church's diversity—or lack of it?
Ricky tells the story of Pastor JP in India—miraculous twins conceived after years of infertility, and a hostile village opening to the gospel. How does JP's testimony function as a 'dispatch from the end of the world'? What is it showing us about how Revelation is *already happening*?
The sermon claims that Jesus is 'sovereignly directing all of history'—past, present, and future—toward his victory. When you look at the chaos and darkness in the world right now, what does it mean to believe that Jesus is still in control of where all this is heading?

Revelation 19:11-21

→ Is that belief comforting to you, or does it raise questions? What would it look like to trust that truth this week?
Ricky says the local church participates in Revelation's cosmic work through 'the ordinary means of financial partnership, prayer, and missionary support.' What is one way your group or your individual household can join Jesus' work of gathering the nations—not someday, but this month?

Revelation 21:2-3

Draft · pending review

Where this was preached

About the church

Cross of Grace Church

About us · What we believe

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# Cross of Grace Church

A church preaching expository sermons through the books of the Bible.

## Sermons
- [This Can't Be the Right Road, Can It? (Mark 15:1-20, 2022-02-06)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2022/02/this-can-t-be-the-right-road-can-it)
- [The Cross as Dividing Line (Mark 15:21-41, 2022-02-13)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2022/02/the-cross-as-dividing-line)
- [Rise Up and Build (Nehemiah 2:17-20; 3:1-5, 2022-03-06)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2022/03/rise-up-and-build)
- [Dispatch From the End of the World (Revelation 1:1, 2022-03-20)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2022/03/dispatch-from-the-end-of-the-world)

## About
- [About the church](/about)
- [Plan a visit](/visit)

The page itself ships with Schema.org Article + Church markup, Open Graph + Twitter cards for share previews, and a canonical URL. Transcripts are server-rendered HTML — no JS dependency for the readable body.