In last summer’s edition of the Victory Journal, we told you about Dr. Chris Gnanakan’s journey. He went from being a technician in Bangalore, India, to a church-planter on fire for God, thanks in part to the vision of Jack Wyrtzen and Wendell Calder and a scholarship to the Bible Institute in New York.
Chris is busy blazing new paths for contemporary global missions as the recently named executive director of Outreach to Asia Nationals (OTAN), an international organization dedicated to bringing the Gospel to restricted countries by training nationals in evangelism.
This past spring, Chris was given another distinction: 2013 Word of Life Bible Institute Alumnus of the Year.
“First and foremost, I feel humbled as a street kid from India receiving this honor from an international organization on the cutting edge of church and life,” he says of the recognition.
When studying at the Bible Institute, Chris says he gained a deep biblical knowledge as well as intensive training in evangelism, which he used to take the hope of the Gospel back to India. Through OTAN, he says he’s able to return the blessing given to him so many years ago by expanding the reach of the message of Christ in limited-access nations, including North Korea, Butan, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
The thousands of churches Chris has helped plant through both his own efforts and his training of others will carry his influence into the future. He wants his legacy to be his teaching — Chris encourages the nationals he disciples to have a sense of urgency about their faith because he believes work ethic is the heartbeat of evangelism. But, while there is what he calls “prosperity in posterity,” he says he is also forever indebted to Jack Wyrtzen and Wendell Calder and his former mentor, Gene Tozer, for kindling his fire for the Lord and preparing to shine that light in the darkest corners of the world.
“The heritage I’ve received through Word of Life was so foundational and formative in shaping me and giving me the impetus for global missions,” Chris says. “I feel equipped.”
A Message to Fellow Alumni from Chris Gnanakan
Dr. Chris Gnanakan says he lives by three questions that he learned at Word of Life. He has passed this advice on to hundreds of thousands of other disciples in 91 countries through curriculum he has developed. He encourages fellow alumni to apply these questions to their own lives and to reflect on them each day.
1. Is God’s Word well used in my life?
“Is my strategy biblical? Is my vision Jesus’ vision for the church? Word of Life gave me the acquisition of truth and the application of truth in real life. Through the habit of daily Quiet Time I have learned how to use the knowledge of God’s Word in my life each day.”
2. Is God’s work well done?
“At the Bible Institute, I learned that work is divine. Nobody died of hard work! There is value in being a workaholic for God. You’ve got to give it all you’ve got! Integrity should characterize your work. It makes people respect you. Aesthetics and truth go together — people are attracted to it.”
3. Is my Lord well pleased?
“Like Paul the apostle, my ambition is to please the Lord, the One who called me. Word of Life taught me to live for the pleasure of God. When I go to bed at night, can I see him raise his thumbs? I think of Galatians 1:9-10 — like a conductor with an orchestra, sometimes you must turn your back on the world.”
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