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Living in the Light of Eternity: Discovering God's Design for Your Life
Take a fresh look at biblical discipleship. Unafraid to ask some tough questions, K.P. Yohannan will challenge you to look beyond temporary concerns of life to what will last forever. Through the material of this book, you will build a solid foundation for genuine spiritual growth as you learn how to organize your priorities in the light of eternity.
201 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 1993
28 people are currently reading
327 people want to read
About the author
K.P. Yohannan
41 books124 followersDr. KP Yohannan has been crisscrossing the globe for the past 40 years, challenging the Body of Christ to discipleship. His call to a radical lifestyle—with an all-out commitment to Jesus—has left its impact on nearly every continent. To the Church caught up by the tidal waves of compromise and self-preservation, Yohannan’s life message is a fresh word to this generation and yet as timeless as the scriptural mandate itself.
Yohannan is the founder and director of GFA World (formerly Gospel for Asia
aka GFA), a Christian mission organization deeply committed to seeing communities transformed through the love of Christ demonstrated in word and deed. He is also the metropolitan bishop of Believers Church , an indigenous church in South Asia.
Born in South India in 1950, Yohannan is the youngest of six sons. His mother dedicated each of her children to the Lord and longed to see one of them commit their lives to ministry. She secretly fasted each Friday for three-and-a-half years, praying, “Oh God, let just one of my boys preach!” Even as she prayed, her children were growing up, seeming destined for secular work. Finally, only the youngest, little “Yohannachan,” was left. Seeing how shy and insecure he was, his mother thought there was little chance that he would preach.
However, after Yohannan finished his schooling, he heard stories about North India from a visiting mission team, and his heart was gripped. His mother’s faithful prayers were answered as he immediately decided to join the mission movement and go to faraway North India to help bring the Good News to the multitude of villages that had never heard of Christ. While preparing to go with this radical mission team from Europe, the timid 16-year-old was challenged by a call to radical discipleship from missionary statesman George Verwer. That night, Yohannan couldn’t sleep. What if God asked him to preach publicly in the streets? What if he was stoned and beaten?
Suddenly, God’s presence filled the room, and he knew he was not alone. “Lord God,” he prayed in surrender, “I’ll give myself to speak for You—but help me to know that You’re with me.”
The next morning, he awoke with a supernatural love and burden for the people around him. The Lord gave him courage to speak to the crowds he saw that day, and he continued to preach for the next seven years in North India. As a field evangelist and regional coordinator, he was responsible for the members of his teams and the planning of each day. His future wife, Gisela, was also serving with the mission movement at the same time, and Yohannan felt through their brief encounters that he had found someone who shared his same vision and calling.
In 1971, Yohannan was invited to spend a month in Singapore at a new institute that had been started by John Haggai. Here, he was challenged by Haggai to do something significant with his life for God’s glory. His time at the institute produced a restlessness that eventually led him to leave India to search abroad for God’s ultimate will in his life. In 1974, he came to the United States, where he received his theological training at Criswell College. He and Gisela were married after his first term.
As a theology student, Yohannan was ordained and began pastoring a local church in Dallas, where he served for four years. While God blessed his pastoral ministry, Yohannan couldn’t forget the burden God had given him for those who had never once heard the name of Jesus.
Dr. Yohannan is a prolific writer with more than 200 books published in Asia and 11 in the United States. With more than 3.9 million copies in print, Yohannan’s landmark book, Revolution in World Missions, is an international bestseller that has literally changed the course of mission history in our generation. For his faithful service to the Body of Christ, Yohannan was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Hindustan Bible College in Chennai, India.
Yohannan is the founder and director of GFA World (formerly Gospel for Asia
aka GFA), a Christian mission organization deeply committed to seeing communities transformed through the love of Christ demonstrated in word and deed. He is also the metropolitan bishop of Believers Church , an indigenous church in South Asia.
Born in South India in 1950, Yohannan is the youngest of six sons. His mother dedicated each of her children to the Lord and longed to see one of them commit their lives to ministry. She secretly fasted each Friday for three-and-a-half years, praying, “Oh God, let just one of my boys preach!” Even as she prayed, her children were growing up, seeming destined for secular work. Finally, only the youngest, little “Yohannachan,” was left. Seeing how shy and insecure he was, his mother thought there was little chance that he would preach.
However, after Yohannan finished his schooling, he heard stories about North India from a visiting mission team, and his heart was gripped. His mother’s faithful prayers were answered as he immediately decided to join the mission movement and go to faraway North India to help bring the Good News to the multitude of villages that had never heard of Christ. While preparing to go with this radical mission team from Europe, the timid 16-year-old was challenged by a call to radical discipleship from missionary statesman George Verwer. That night, Yohannan couldn’t sleep. What if God asked him to preach publicly in the streets? What if he was stoned and beaten?
Suddenly, God’s presence filled the room, and he knew he was not alone. “Lord God,” he prayed in surrender, “I’ll give myself to speak for You—but help me to know that You’re with me.”
The next morning, he awoke with a supernatural love and burden for the people around him. The Lord gave him courage to speak to the crowds he saw that day, and he continued to preach for the next seven years in North India. As a field evangelist and regional coordinator, he was responsible for the members of his teams and the planning of each day. His future wife, Gisela, was also serving with the mission movement at the same time, and Yohannan felt through their brief encounters that he had found someone who shared his same vision and calling.
In 1971, Yohannan was invited to spend a month in Singapore at a new institute that had been started by John Haggai. Here, he was challenged by Haggai to do something significant with his life for God’s glory. His time at the institute produced a restlessness that eventually led him to leave India to search abroad for God’s ultimate will in his life. In 1974, he came to the United States, where he received his theological training at Criswell College. He and Gisela were married after his first term.
As a theology student, Yohannan was ordained and began pastoring a local church in Dallas, where he served for four years. While God blessed his pastoral ministry, Yohannan couldn’t forget the burden God had given him for those who had never once heard the name of Jesus.
Dr. Yohannan is a prolific writer with more than 200 books published in Asia and 11 in the United States. With more than 3.9 million copies in print, Yohannan’s landmark book, Revolution in World Missions, is an international bestseller that has literally changed the course of mission history in our generation. For his faithful service to the Body of Christ, Yohannan was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Hindustan Bible College in Chennai, India.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 23, 2012
Clearly convicting, and intended to be so. What impressed me, though, is that even with Yohannan's personal commitment, he does not attempt to "play God" and dictate exactly how the reader should respond.
June 3, 2012
This book is a must read. It challenges us to reflect on our life and purpose as Christians. It will change the way you look at humanity and life.
October 29, 2012
Bought this book in my teens. Just finished reading it for the 3rd time. My life is so different now (as a parent) that there were lots of different take-a-ways from this book than in years past. His brief section on discouragement as a tool of our enemy has really helped me this week.
July 9, 2013
Read at the convergence of several heart shaping influences thus very impactful. Living with an eternal perspective should change your internal perspective on the here and now, what you do with who you are and what you have. Challenging and encouraging!!!
September 11, 2008
this book changed my life when I first came to know the Lord.
January 4, 2011
The book is more inspirational in nature than teaching, regarding dying to self and reaching the lost. There are lots of stories, but as usual the book could/should have been much shorter.
August 27, 2017
It is truly heart-stirring to read KP Yohannan talk about the importance of living truly and radically for the Lord with reference to world missions and the many billions of individuals who are headed to hell without Christ. In one sense, it is enjoyable to read because he stirs your heart to really feel and want to live more radically. In another sense, it is sobering, because he is right to call me mission-ward and live aware of eternity and the billions of people on the planet.
As for a summary of the book, I think this paragraph from KP summarizes it well: "My only desire is to stir up hearts to see the reality beyond our own narrow horizons. A world other there is dying and going to hell. All the Lord has asked me to do is share His heart and give some practical guidelines for becoming involved in His work–which I have tried to do. Someday we will all stand before Him. Each of us is responsible individually for what we do with this information. Will we ignore it, like the nagging alarm clock that wakes us up too early in the morning? Or will we do our part to help reach our generation for Christ? You are the one who has to live with yourself and the decisions you make" (203-204).
He is focused on missions, and living radically for the Lord keeping an eye on missions. He is theological, but more practical and bold. It is always challenging, but beneficial to read him. As with his Revolution in World Missions (which is an even better book), this book is worth reading.
As for a summary of the book, I think this paragraph from KP summarizes it well: "My only desire is to stir up hearts to see the reality beyond our own narrow horizons. A world other there is dying and going to hell. All the Lord has asked me to do is share His heart and give some practical guidelines for becoming involved in His work–which I have tried to do. Someday we will all stand before Him. Each of us is responsible individually for what we do with this information. Will we ignore it, like the nagging alarm clock that wakes us up too early in the morning? Or will we do our part to help reach our generation for Christ? You are the one who has to live with yourself and the decisions you make" (203-204).
He is focused on missions, and living radically for the Lord keeping an eye on missions. He is theological, but more practical and bold. It is always challenging, but beneficial to read him. As with his Revolution in World Missions (which is an even better book), this book is worth reading.
December 11, 2017
Challenging and inspiring.
KP is always seems to call you out boldly but, strangely, in a gentle way... speaking truth in love. ..
KP is always seems to call you out boldly but, strangely, in a gentle way... speaking truth in love. ..
January 12, 2017
Living in the Light of Eternity challenges us to look beyond the temporary to the eternal; to look away from ourselves to the needs of others; and to look at our present circumstances in light of the bigger picture—the eternal picture. But it doesn’t aim to create a guilt trip about how we’re living compared to the rest of the world who needs Christ. Instead, it highlights a number of biblical principles that can serve as a foundation for coming to our own conclusions about what God is calling us to do individually. There isn’t a one-size fits all answer, but there are some baselines for us to begin as we learn to seek God’s will for our lives.
This is an easy, enjoyable read. In fact, I’ve read it twice now.
This review first appeared on my blog, ChristyBower.com.
This is an easy, enjoyable read. In fact, I’ve read it twice now.
This review first appeared on my blog, ChristyBower.com.
January 29, 2015
Living in the Light of Eternity is a stellar work in Christian evangelization. K.P. Yohannan has conveyed the importance of reaching the lost. He also gives examples and walks the walk.This book is an important tool for every Christian interested in world missions. Highly recommend. I received this book for free as part of Goodreads free giveaway program.
January 25, 2015
Eternal Perspective
This is one of my favorite books by KP Yohannan. It is a challenge to look at our hearts to examine our motives; it is challenge to live our lives and make our decisions from what will make a difference eternally and not just the here and now.
This is one of my favorite books by KP Yohannan. It is a challenge to look at our hearts to examine our motives; it is challenge to live our lives and make our decisions from what will make a difference eternally and not just the here and now.
March 23, 2015
Thoughts Matter Too
Help me draw closer to You, Lord, for there are disbanding in the balance. It truly is a matter of life or death. Seek the kingdom of God. He loves you, and we owe Him so much.
Help me draw closer to You, Lord, for there are disbanding in the balance. It truly is a matter of life or death. Seek the kingdom of God. He loves you, and we owe Him so much.
January 4, 2015
*** received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads***
the book is great and I loved the topic!
the book is great and I loved the topic!
July 27, 2017
So far...so good
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews