Khiangte Lalzuala (Zuala) is a Prestyberian (Presbyterian Church of India – PCI) pastor and evangelist. He received his theological training from Serampore Theological College in India and a graduate degree in missions at Reformed Theological Seminary in the United States.
Zuala served the PCI for 25 years, including serving as Secretary for the Presbyterian Mission Board; General Secretary for the PCI for southern Mizoram and 4 years as General Secretary for the PCI before retirement in 2002. Feeling he still had “much service left in him” he helped found SFM-India in 2003.
Rev. Zuala has spent the last 13 years building up a
Ministry team that now includes 7 different chapters of Set Free Ministries trained volunteers. Rev. Zuala’s prison ministry reaches 7 different facilities with countless of lives being impacted for the kingdom in some of the most remote and hard-to-access places on earth.
Rev. Zuala and his wife of almost 50 years live in Aizawl, Mizoram, India in the northeastern part of the country, bordering Myanmar.
If ever there was a place where brokenhearted people tend to congregate, prison might just top the list! Whether they even realize it or not, underneath the rebellion, the crossbones tattoo, the orange inmate attire, the “don’t mess with me” look, is a heart that has been broken somewhere down the line. Instead of laying that pain at the cross, they have chosen hard-heartedness and bitterness which quickly spirals into a selfish life of sin and lawlessness.
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As one of the most populated countries in the world, India is home to thousands of hospitals in its numerous cities and urban centers. Patients, however, need more than medical care. How could the physical health of these thousands of people be affected through spiritual freedom?
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More than 2.9 billion people live in “unreached” people groups in some of the hardest-to-reach areas of the world. This means each minute, each hour, each day tens of thousands die without any real access to the message that would save them from hell and save them for God’s love.
As you’ve pondered those numbers, another 105 persons have left time and entered eternity. How many do you suppose went to be with the Lord, and how many were consigned to the pit?
Friends, time is short.
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“But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more…” – Romans 5:20
There is no sin that outweighs the redeeming sacrifice of our Savior. Some of the greatest warriors of God’s Kingdom have come from lives chalked full of sin. Take for example Moses who murdered a man, David who committed adultery, or the Apostle Paul who went on rampages of murdering Christians! All of these men, and others who have walked the path of sin and repentance, truly feel the unfathomable grace of God.
Set Free Ministries volunteers make weekly visits to the jails of India, where they find the brokenhearted, the hard-hearted, and those burdened with loads of sin. They also find Jesus, God’s amazing grace, and in some cases, remarkable hearts of repentance. The teams visit cell by cell with Bible in hand, but also lead large groups of inmates to salvation through special seminars and praise and worship. The head warden reported, “There used to be weekly suicide attempts. Since SFM volunteers have started to share the Gospel in 2003, not one attempt has been made.” What used to be an average of 600 inmates was cut nearly in half to 350. The warden’s explanation, “The men do not return because lives are changed.”
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” – Matthew 25:40
Set Free Ministries is currently building an addiction recovery center on a newly acquired 20 acre property in the mountains. This center will provide support and freedom to more than 1000 youth struggling with addictions, primarily drugs and alcohol.
Furthermore, Set Free Ministries continues to fund TNT orphanage and Bethel Camping center in this region.
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
– Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20)
In all three of our worldwide offices, the main focus of the ministry is biblical discipleship- teaching others about God’s Truth and how to walk in it.
From the heat of Uganda, to the crowded streets of India, to the busyness of USA, God’s Word remains infallible and absolute. Live in obedience to God’s ways and receive blessing; live contrary to God’s ways and reap the consequences that are sure to come. While the consequences may be hard, sometimes that is what it takes to bring us to our knees.
Free biblical discipleship is offered by hundreds of Set Free Ministries volunteers on a daily basis.
It is difficult to measure how many lives have been affected. SFM makes several trips a year worldwide to conduct teaching seminars about the freedom ministry. At these seminars, pastors and other community leaders gather together to learn further of God’s Word, who in turn go home and teach their churches and communities.
“For I was sick and you looked after me…” – Matthew 25:36
When Jesus walked the earth, He did not have to go far to find the sick; rather, the sick found Him! One of His biggest ministries was healing. His compassionate heart reached out and touched (literally) the blind, lame, diseased, and even dead, to bring complete and miraculous restoration to the body. It is not hard to see that God has a special place in His heart for the sick, which is probably why this statement was included in the Matthew 25 passage.
SFM India started doing hospital ministry and a team of volunteers would make the drive to local hospitals where they would disperse two by two to different patients whom they would pray with and encourage through God’s Word.
What started as a small ministry quickly exploded! The hospital staff and patients noticed a tremendous difference in the overall atmosphere of the hospital. After just a few short months, the staff requested that the volunteers continue their visits. As the spiritual and emotional needs of the patients were being ministered to, the ripple effect onto the physical well being was undeniable- SFM India was there to stay!
Today, SFM volunteers continue to make weekly visits to the local hospitals. To the ones who feel alone, there is Christ spending time with them. To the ones who feel hopeless, the sweet sound of God’s truth is read, offering hope beyond measure. To the ones who are unbelievers, trapped in sin and afraid of death, there is Jesus offering His forgiveness and His merciful plan of redemption and salvation. Hundreds of lives have been pledged to Jesus Christ; some as they lie on their very death bed.
The call to care for the sick is heard and met through SFM India volunteers. If this type of ministry touches your heart, please consider joining hands with us- cross races, cross nationalities, cross continents- in the care for the sick and dying.
