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World Outreach Podcast
World Outreach Podcast
Faith Amidst Persecution: A conversation with Seston
Nestled within India's staggering population of 1.4 billion people lies a sobering reality: nearly 95% have never truly heard the gospel message. One-third of the world's remaining unreached people groups call this diverse nation home. Against this backdrop, Seston's ministry story unfolds with remarkable courage and transformative power.
He takes us on his personal journey from an animist background to becoming a devoted follower of Christ after his family's conversion in 1992. With humble authenticity, he shares how a profound personal encounter with Jesus redirected his entire life toward full-time ministry among unreached communities across Northeast India.
What makes Seston's approach distinct is its grassroots nature. Rather than beginning with formal evangelism, his team develops innovative strategies to build genuine relationships in remote villages. Through these connections, natural opportunities emerge to share about Jesus and what He's done in their lives. We hear the stunning testimony of how a single conversion in 2004 multiplied to over 300 baptisms in one community – a pattern repeating across multiple people groups through indigenous discipleship movements.
The cost of this ministry is steep. Seston describes being arrested while visiting new believers, facing community rejection, and navigating government bans on prayer for healing. Yet his perspective on persecution is profoundly redemptive: "Wherever persecution has happened, the work grows. More people come to know Christ." Even now, with two believers imprisoned, their families continue boldly sharing their faith, resulting in new conversions.
Perhaps most striking is Seston's approach to those who oppose him. When a hostile neighbor fell seriously ill at night with no transportation available, Seston's team immediately arranged a vehicle and helped admit him to the hospital. This practical demonstration of Christ's love transformed the community's perception more powerfully than words ever could.
Subscribe to hear more inspiring stories of how ordinary believers are advancing God's kingdom in extraordinary ways, and discover Sestan's closing wisdom that transcends all ministry strategies: maintain intimate relationship with Jesus, and He will always show the way forward, even in the most challenging circumstances.
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You're listening to the World Outreach Podcast dynamic conversations designed to empower our community as we engage unreached people groups everywhere. Today we are privileged to have Sestan from Northeast India join us on our podcast and he's going to share about his life and ministry and how God is working in difficult places. So, sestan, thank you for joining us today.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me. My name is Sestan. I live in India with my wife, Junak, and we have blessed with a son. He is 13 years old and currently studying in grade 8. And currently studying in grade eight. As a family, we are deeply committed to serving the Lord and being part of his mission.
Speaker 1:We've enjoyed having you part of our community and hearing the stories and testimonies of what God has done in your life and through your family's work. Why don't you tell us briefly how did you come to faith and how did you come into ministry? It?
Speaker 2:was actually during the youth. First my parents. They accepted Jesus Christ. It was in 1992. Then, with my parents, we started following Jesus. But I had a personal encounter with Jesus and that moment changed everything and I gave my life to Jesus Christ and decided that I responded. I knew that God has called me for full-time ministry to serve Him and I have prepared myself. And the time came. I was fully involved in God's mission.
Speaker 1:So would you say, that your family is, and with your parents. That's when Christianity entered your family line. They're first generation believers. You all came to faith at the same time.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, yeah, yeah, my parents.
Speaker 1:And previously, what was your family background?
Speaker 2:They are the animist background. Animist background.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you begin. You had a deep encounter with Jesus. He transformed your life. You felt a call into ministry. How did you go about preparing yourself for ministry?
Speaker 2:First locally I received some discipleship training. Then I went to Bible school and I prepared myself in teachings and for ministry. I have learned so many things in Bible school and in theology. Then, like that, it was started Very good yeah.
Speaker 1:And now, how would you describe your ministry now? What's your focus?
Speaker 2:Mainly we are focusing the unreached or least rich people groups. We know that in India still many I mean unreached people groups or communities were there. They have never heard Jesus Christ. Some places they heard about Christianity. They know about Christianity and Jesus Christ, but they don't know about salvation, about the real God and without Jesus they're living. Mainly my focus is to reach that unreached people groups or that communities who those who have I mean still we call without Jesus they are living. Our ministry focus is mainly that.
Speaker 1:I think you brought up a really interesting point that maybe we don't always comprehend. With India being approximately 1.4 billion people, still about 90% or 95% of all people within India do not have access to the gospel and about a third of all unreached people groups remaining in the world today reside in the country of India. So from a statistics perspective, there is a lot of work still to be done and you talked about a really interesting point there. Some people because it is a pluralistic society or secular society you have Hinduism, you have Islam, you have Christianity, you have Jaiism, you have a bunch of other religions People might have heard about Christianity, but they would not be able to articulate the basic tenets of the gospel and they probably never heard an actual gospel message presented to them. Would that be a fair assessment?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, Like you said, where I live, the state called Assam, but for some specific reason I have shifted to Garo Hills, for some security reason, that's. I will not that part I will not share, but mainly my ministry focus is in Assam and West Bengal and part of Garo Hills Surrounding us. Many people, groups or communities they never, I mean, heard the real gospel. So we never found any single follower of Christ among those communities. So that's many, I mean people groups. Still they have never heard the real gospel. Who Jesus is?
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, your ministry is focused on these unreached people groups, people who have not heard the gospel, don't have clear access to the gospel, many of them communities of 70, 80, 100,000 people, and there might not be one follower of Jesus amongst them. What does ministry and church planting look like in that context?
Speaker 2:Church planting in our context is very grassroots. We begin, we actually build relationship and for building relationship we used to take many initiatives and we develop some strategies so that we can build relationship with that communities, or that we call that unreached or unheard gospel, that peoples. So first we, our team, we try to build the relationship with them and in some remote places, in villages, then we started a conversation about Jesus Christ and what God has done in our life. So we start witnessing them and at the same time we focus on prayer, so we do fasting prayers, prayer mobilization and like that God used to start working with them and people they response and slowly the fellowships it was started and people they come to Christ. Like that the church planting, or we call the church planting movement, it is taking place in where we are working now. That's good. And so what does?
Speaker 1:church planting movement.
Speaker 2:Look like in these places movement look like in these places. Actually, we are training some local leaders and local believers, those who accepted Christ, those who come to Christ and those who come to faith. First we focused on how we can train them as a local contest. So when we have started the discipleship, or equipping them, then they take the gospel to their own communities. They started witnessing to their own people relatives, friends and their own people. Like this movement was started and going on.
Speaker 1:So very similar to what we see then. You know, as modeled by the apostle paul in the book of acts of going witnessing, gathering believers begin discipling, training local leadership, empowering local leadership, and then the movement continues to pour out through that community amongst themselves. That's beautiful. Would you be able to share a testimony about what that looks like? I mean, you talked to, I've heard of this idea that they're going out and sharing, they're sharing what God's done in their lives. Could you share or elaborate on one or two of the testimonies that you've seen God work in someone's life and then use that as the opening witness or proclamation to break through in the community?
Speaker 2:In 2004, I had witnessed one person in one village. Then slowly, slowly, he also started studying the Bible. Then he accepted Jesus Christ. Little time. It took time, but he accepted Jesus Christ. After accepting, he went back to his own house. Then he started witnessing to his own family. Then later on, their whole family they accepted Christ. Then, through their family, their neighbors, they got witness, I mean the gospel through them and through their family. More than 50, 60 families, I mean people. They accepted Christ. I will share shortly, make it short Now. Through that one person, we I mean our team we baptized more than 300 people to their communities.
Speaker 1:Yeah, wow, beautiful, yeah that is one story, yeah, and there's many other stories like that.
Speaker 2:Like that in different people groups. I am involved in reaching these people groups and communities. Yeah, it's awesome.
Speaker 1:So same stories was happen and communities.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's awesome. So same stories was happen and happening. Yes, one, two family, they're accepting Jesus Christ and when we discipling them, we train them, then through their faith, through their witnessing and through their faithfulness, people, they are getting known Jesus Christ. I mean, they're coming to Christ. Yeah, yeah, many people, groups are happening like this Christ. I mean, they're coming to Christ. Yeah, yeah, many people, groups are happening like this. Now that's beautiful.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So those are highs and great things taking place and there's actually been a very significant growth in this region of the church and new believers. You know people coming to faith, but you also minister in a difficult context. You also minister in a difficult context you shared briefly just a moment ago about, you know, some security concerns and having to be wise and shift focuses at different seasons. The government in the state of Assam has gone as far as saying you can no longer pray for the sick because people are being healed. What is it like ministering in the face of persecution and political instability and hardship? What are you learning about God through this process and your own faith?
Speaker 2:One thing I experienced in my life before when my parents. They accepted Christ. On that time also the big persecution took place in our village. All the villagers, they become against of my parents and they restricted, I mean they excommunicate us from their community. First they restricted we cannot bring waters from the I mean local ponds, our cattle, we cannot cross our boundary to their places. So many, I mean big challenges or persecution took place From that time when I came to the ministry. Then the same thing I was, I mean experiencing when we started the ministry.
Speaker 2:It is not easy that directly we'll go and witness. It is not like that. We have to strategically, we have to start and, like you said, nowadays prayer also they have banned we cannot pray. So but one thing I experienced that God is always with us and the darkest movement or very persecution time, always God he is I mean we word the father. Yeah, god the father, he is real father and he is always with us and standing with us and we are developing some new strategies and we are witnessing or taking the gospel to that communities. Though restriction is there, ban is there? Many things we cannot do? Ban is there Many things we cannot do, but through God's grace, and I mean God's guidance, only it is, we can move and the gospel is. I mean we can take the gospel to that persecution or where the challenges was there, where the I mean the difficult place. On that place also we can take the gospel.
Speaker 1:Would you be able to provide a practical example of how you've seen God, the Father, with you, in his protection, in his grace, in his leading, as you go about doing?
Speaker 2:One incident I would like to share. In one village, seven families, they have accepted Christ. They are the Hindu people. Then when I went to visit that village because people, they are coming to Christ, they are worshipping. So I have to disciple them, I have to teach them how to worship, how to pray, how to study the Bible, how to follow Jesus Then villagers, they many, I mean the villagers they came and they caught me and they caught me and with that family and us to the police station. Then the police station they called the villagers also. So what the actually what these people are doing? So they put some allegation that we are converting people, we are destroying their religion, and many false allegation they have. I mean they have given to the police station but inside all of us we are praying, the new believers, the seven families, they also came, not all of them, but many of them. They came and some of them they got arrested with me. But inside we are praying, then praying, praying. Then the villagers they call their other surrounding village leaders also they invited to the police station.
Speaker 2:Then big meeting was happened on the police station. Then we are standing like that and the one headman, he was sitting in the chair in front of that OC we call OC, officer of police in church. Then what happened? Many things. More than 30 minutes the conversation was going on. They are giving many allegations to us. Then also he gave me to explain the things, to talk to them what actually we are doing.
Speaker 2:Then I explained about our faith, our Jesus Christ. We are not converting the people, we are not changing their religion, but we are changing their life through Jesus Christ and what the Bible says, how our life it should change. That witness actually I shared. When I shared that about Jesus Christ. Then what happened? All of a sudden that, osi, he was telling to that headman, you stand up from the chair. So when this headman stood up, then he told me that brother, please you sit in that chair. Then I sat on that chair where the headman was sitting. Then again he told me that please explain more. Then, more than 10 minutes, I explained again about Jesus Christ and what actually we are doing. We are not I mean attacking their religion or not converting their people, but the real witnessing, real Jesus, who Jesus is about transformation. We are talking about transformation. That's the big experience and many, many experiences were there. The many testimonies were there.
Speaker 1:Just one thing I shared. Yeah, so what was meant for harm actually created an opportunity to share the gospel even more fully with other people and key people, and we don't know what seed is now planted in these people's lives and hearts that Jesus can begin working with and moving on, and so that's exciting. So God protected you from the allegations, and how did it move forward from there?
Speaker 2:And the interesting thing is, on that village, first seven families, they accepted Christ. Now they become more than 17 families. More than 17 families.
Speaker 1:Yeah, increased. So, in spite of the persecution, in spite of being arrested, in spite of these things, they're still continuing to grow because they've seen what Jesus has done to their lives and the transformation that's taking place in them. Yeah, that's beautiful. That's beautiful, that's great. As you do this work and you're seeing God move and you're seeing families come to faith and communities open, what do you advise, or how do you advise new believers to grow and overcome these challenges of persecution?
Speaker 2:Actually, what I actually share. Always I share to those who are following Christ. When this persecution took place, always some after persecution, always we see some benefits. It's not that persecution was happened and everything was finished, not like that. And one thing I experienced where there was no persecution, the work also. It was very slow. It may be I'm not saying that everywhere we need persecution, I'm not saying that. But what I experienced, wherever the persecution was happened, the work is grow People, more people they know about Jesus Christ, more people they accept Jesus Christ, more people they come to Christ.
Speaker 2:So that's why always I encourage the follower of Christ or believers. We have to stay in faith. We have to build more relationship, more intimacy with God, and when we build more, I mean intimacy with God, then God he shows the way, always he shows the way what we have to do and what we have to not. That's why I would like to encourage, always I encourage our believers because all the work it was happened or happening everywhere the persecution is there. Still our two believers still they are in prison. So we visit to them and we visit to their families and always we are encouraging them keep faith, keep faith, stay in faith with Jesus Christ and everything it will be okay. And we are seeing the result also Now. Two people they are in prison, but in their village some people they are listening the gospel, their wives, their children, they are witnessing about Jesus Christ and people they are responding. So I believe, on that village also, god will do the great work on that village.
Speaker 1:So God can use these very challenging circumstances to continue His great work. I love this idea of encouraging the new disciples, new believers and all believers to continue to develop that deeper intimacy and trust that God is moving on their behalf. What does that look like?
Speaker 2:When we keep in faith or when we trust God or build intimacy with God, then always some great things happen. What I say, I mean the result we receive is it is a great result Means it looks like our spiritual life it will grow, life it was, it will grow. We can take more risks for mission and I think God, he will use more when we take risks. And when we take risks and God will use more, then it looks like means always it will. The result will, it will the best result will come out.
Speaker 1:That's good and these risks and these results, you know, come in seeing more people come to faith. We're seeing the encouragement of the you know, the two men still in prison that their families still continue to go out and share the truth that they've experienced in Jesus. What, in this process, as you've faced communities and cultures, your neighbor, who are opposing you I mean you shared stories earlier of your family no longer being able to get water from the local water holes and the wells and your cattle not being able to graze across land and various places that was normally a community place. What have you learned about loving your neighbor during all of this?
Speaker 2:um, loving our neighbors. It is not, uh, just in words, so we have to commit it to our neighbors Means sometimes what we see. That I said that persecution always comes through our neighbors, start from neighbors, start from neighbors. But when our neighbors, when the persecutions or some disturbance or challenges it comes, then we have to understand that we have to show our love. I mean more committedly, not by word but action. So many things we can do in action to show the love to our neighbors. Neighbors always see their needs, always see people. They are in problems, people they are in problems, and always see the neighbor they need some.
Speaker 1:I mean help and on that time we have to understand that God has given us this opportunity to stand with them, though they persecute us or they hate us or they speak some words that we don't like but when we stand with them, they feel that these people, really they are the I, I mean, they have something in their life, that demonstration of standing with them continuing to show love to them, yeah, in spite, and not perceiving them as actual enemies, but as opportunities to love and stand with people and demonstrate christ, that they begin to see that uh, working of jesus's transformational work in our own lives being demonstrated to them, their neighbor, and that continues to be a witness, in spite of strong opposition or them not wanting it to be yeah, yeah, one one incident I would like to share.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, one neighbor. He got sick at night. And the neighbor, they tried to take him to the hospital but they are calling the ambulance, ambulance is not coming. And they tried to arrange the vehicle. They are not getting the vehicle. At that moment, somehow, we heard that something was happening. Then we ran to their house and we heard that this person was badly, he is having sick, so they want to take him to the hospital. No vehicle. So immediately. We to the hospital, no vehicle. So immediately we arranged the vehicle and we took him to the hospital and we helped him, admitting that in the hospital and we take care to him From that time, how they saw before, from that time how they saw before their, their seeing, I mean the.
Speaker 1:Uh, it was changed right, changed their whole mindset and view of yes, yes, yeah, yeah, it was changed.
Speaker 2:Wow, sometimes these small small things, it works I mean right, the demonstration of love.
Speaker 1:It's moving beyond what we normally do, or and and and, making sacrifices for the love of others, because Jesus first loved us.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's beautiful. So as a community, you begin to embrace and to, as followers of Jesus, to be a blessing to your community, to continue to stand firm against opposition but to continue to do it in a gentle way, in love and care and concern of people, and continue to bring the gospel, and God is honoring that by continuing to see people come to faith and perceptions or understanding of who the followers of Jesus are that's changing amongst the community because of their faithful witness, and that that's a beautiful thing yeah, yeah so as, as a you know, as in ministry, as a faith community, you guys have been planting churches, you've been making disciples, seeing people grow and mature in their faith, loving them, doing demonstrational love, um and acts towards your enemy, your neighbor um, and not viewing them as enemies but actually viewing me as a neighbor that god's put before you.
Speaker 1:What other like closing words, advice would you give for us as a church at large, a global church, to continue to advance missions amongst um in challenging places?
Speaker 2:First I would like to share that our faith and calling for ministry. Then we have to keep more intimacy with God. Then what happens? God always shows the way. Sometimes our ideas it not works. Sometimes we think that what I am doing is best, but in challenging places, always we look to Jesus. We have lots of strategies, but sometimes these strategies also don't work. From my experience, I'm just saying.
Speaker 1:Those are super wise words, Cessin. I mean continue to develop intimacy with Jesus, Continue to look for him to lead and direct us. And he will make the path straight, he will lead us into good places and he will build his church.
Speaker 2:And the gates of hell will not prevail.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, thank you very much for your time today. Thank you for uh sharing your testimonies and for the work that you're doing, and may god continue to bless you, your family and the ministry that he's given you thank you so much for having me thank you, listener, for joining us today.
Speaker 1:hope you were encouraged by sesson's story that how the church can grow in challenging places and his sound advice to continue to put intimacy with Jesus first and allowing him to lead us and guide us so that we might love others Well, as always, we'd like to hear from you. If you have any feedback or comments or questions about this podcast, please contact us. The information is in the show details. And let us continue to go and make disciples everywhere until Christ has returned and he's glorified. And so thanks everybody for joining and we'll see you next time.