The Christian Revival Church Redputu (in short, CRC) was intensely home-mission-oriented from the day of its inception. The pioneers were deeply concerned about the salvation of mankind and helped people come under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. They sincerely launched this eternal mission, especially among people within their catchment area.
As they lacked theological education, they employed prayer and fasting as their primary means of evangelism. With good results from this simple method, they prayed and fasted more as individuals. Prayer and fasting became their primary means of engaging in the Great Commission.
God honoured their efforts in winning new souls for Christ, which led to the growth of the church within a brief period. Later, they gradually initiated the planting of two new churches within the premises of Basar Township. Some of their members whose houses were nearer to these new churches became the founding members.
From the very beginning of its inception, CRC Redputu gave great ministerial scope to all believers, whether they were biblically literate or illiterate. Their ministerial contributions were particularly carried out through the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the edification of the congregation. Throughout its decades-long journey, it maintained an equally inclusive ministry for laypeople and full-time workers.
There were a number of reasons for the initial expansion of CRC Redputu. Following are some of the important points that contributed to its effectiveness during the early stages in the Basar area.
During the nascent stage, the pioneering members placed more emphasis on experience than on church government. Following this understanding, the new converts also became revivalists in every aspect of their outlook. They gave special attention to their personal encounters with the Lord Jesus. To have that glorious individual experience, they invited the presence of the Holy Spirit into their personal lives. In one accord, they sought it from the Lord in unknown tongues through revival songs. Whenever they gathered for faith-seeking fellowship, they sincerely followed this practice without omitting it from the agenda. This was regularly done during church services or house fellowships at the beginning of the service.
It set the tone for the rest of the agenda and helped the congregation focus on God through His Word. Their special numbers and messages helped the masses experience personal divine encounters.
During that founding period, they did not focus on structural activities such as church-building infrastructure. They did not even give much attention to writing literature for church governance. Instead, they gave greater importance to the power of Scripture being demonstrated through personal experience.
They believed that only an experience from God could lead to the formation of church governance. Experience came first, and they learned theory later. They emphasised that personal experience was necessary to have faith in God, which led to church growth. This suggests that they were doing ministry on a practical basis rather than theorising about the work. The pioneers of CRC Redputu felt that it was a vitalised charismatic movement for the salvation of their neighbours. In their early stages, they did not see themselves as a religious group. Rather, they thought of it as a way of life. They believed it was the way to save themselves and their neighbours from the eternal hell they understood to exist.
They saw it as a spiritual awakening to save their neighbours from the jaws of hell. With this in mind, they often visited friends of other faiths with the Good News. Through their witness and testimonies, the power of the Gospel germinated in the listeners’ hearts. Ultimately, some of the listeners enrolled themselves in their church.
Door-to-door evangelism was easy for them because the people of the province shared the same ethnicity. They were often relatives or family friends. The patrilineal lineage system of Galo naming provided ample scope for this. Besides this, the people maintained decent social relations and a strong community life.
This age-old practice could be clearly seen during marriage ceremonies, interment services and other events. Early believers faithfully utilised the Galo social system for their door-to-door Gospel campaign.
Even within their own faith circle, they never considered it a divisive force to start a separate denomination. Rather, they considered it a spiritual stirring within the faith community. With a Bible in their bags, they visited non-Christians for evangelism and Christian homes for spiritual reawakening, sharing their own testimonies. Later, these house visits assisted in the speedy growth of the church.
During the germination of CRC Redputu, the pioneering group received people from all classes. At the same time, they were very few in number and were often compelled to live without close friends in society. This happened after they embraced the new faith, when many of their best friends and dearest relatives left them at once. A great barrier developed between them and people of other faiths, including Christians from other denominations.
They therefore urgently needed new members whose growing numbers could help them form a recognised community. This persistent need for companionship urged them to warmly welcome people of various statuses.
In every sphere, they themselves were incredibly weak during that period of their lives. As they accepted the Lordship of Jesus Christ while experiencing physical suffering and after spending their entire savings on medical treatment, economically poor and physically frail individuals, as well as widows, were among the first people to enrol as members. Those few, vulnerable individuals gradually began to form a larger recognised community. Although those forerunners walked slowly, they never walked back. In their gatherings, therefore, there was no discrimination based on gender or wealth.
They created a sense of belonging among one another, forming a praying community owned by God under the headship of Christ. In this manner, during worship services, anyone was allowed to speak if they felt they had been led by the Holy Spirit to do so.
The beginner groups of CRC Redputu were strictly committed to emphasising the personal holiness of every individual. This particular holiness was their highest standard for membership in the church.
They immediately avoided lifestyles that could damage their physical health at the cost of their spiritual lives. They believed that such conduct could lead a person to hell and have eternal consequences.
The consumption of harmful substances such as liquor and intoxicants was avoided by them. During those days, drugs were not available in the markets, so the question of chemical dependency did not arise.
To maintain their morality and avoid giving room for any kind of question, they avoided immoral lifestyles. At one point, they stopped the age-old practices of polygamy and polyandry, which were very much prevalent during that era.
The Galo people had socially accepted polygamous practices, which were unique in nature and character. To preserve their membership, each person had to constantly uphold the required standard of holiness.
They believed that the first and foremost qualification of a disciple of Jesus Christ was to consecrate oneself to live a holy life. Christ could return at any time because His second coming was near. At one point, they even believed that He would return in the year 2000.
This added to their determination to live holy lives so that they would not miss the rapture. Accordingly, they tried to maintain holiness in their words and deeds. Because of this emphasis on personal holiness, they also strongly upheld sanity and serenity within their new community.
Since their initial stage, these revivalists believed that the miraculous activities of God were for every generation. In line with this understanding, they sought to implement it in their ministry wherever they had the opportunity to serve.
They understood that God was still active in human life and would remain active, as in apostolic times. To follow the ministerial pattern of the early church, they frequently read and preached from the Acts of the Apostles.
As most of them became revivalists through healing ministry, they placed particular emphasis on healing. Remembering their own moments of suffering, they had compassion for bedridden people, even when they were not their relatives.
During their religious gatherings, even without a prayer request from those who were ill, they frequently prayed for their speedy recovery. Under the leading of the Holy Spirit, they visited the sick in their homes and in hospitals. They often visited unwell families without a formal invitation to offer prayer and assistance.
God honoured their efforts, and many of them were healed while they were being prayed for. Out of great joy, the healed person would publicly accept Christ as their Saviour. Seeing the gracious hand of God, even the families of the sick person began to embrace the new faith.
The spread of news about these healings opened greater opportunities for the healing ministry in their locality. It also convinced many people to have faith in God. In this way, their service appealed to the lower strata of society, especially those who were in life-and-death situations.
The above-mentioned points show that CRC Redputu was not the outcome of any man-made plan. It was neither a product masterminded by Bible graduates nor simply the result of the fasting habits of lay preachers.
No limited human mind could have conceived such a glorious plan to be cheerfully carried out or effectively run the church governance. It is simply an unconditional favour of God for the native inhabitants of the beautiful Basar region, as well as for those who temporarily reside there for vocational and educational purposes.
As this church, the blueprint of a heavenly model on earth, exists for them, they ought to register themselves in it. It will facilitate them to work out their own salvation according to the divine mandate given to each enrolled member. The growth of this church is not because of the efforts of any individual believer, so they do not boast about their achievements. Moreover, their testimony is also solely a gift from God, and they recognise that this does not permit them to boast about it.
It was God who used those sanctified sinners for His own purpose, and as a result, they have this incredible testimony. They were simply available, precious broken vessels for God to use in His service in this ministry.
Progressively, newcomers also responded to the Great Commission and joined in its responsibility. God honours their sacrifice and uses them for the extension of His Kingdom in this part of the earth.
She is therefore purely a sign of heavenly benediction on the beautiful Lappa Rada district of Arunachal Pradesh.
