Why did the poor pastors in India live on almost nothing?
The poor pastors in India lived on almost nothing for the sake of getting the Gospel to those towns and villages. An Indian missionary contrasted their abject poverty with the wealth of the American Christian community and the sumptuousness of large church setups, lamenting that disparity while noting the pastors' sacrificial commitment.
Les teaches that an Indian missionary decried the wealth of the American Christian community compared to the abject poverty of Christians in India. That missionary was appalled by a huge church in one of America's great cities and its sumptuousness. Les says he is appalled too at money poured into beautiful buildings where people sit briefly, are entertained, and then forget it for a week; he does not think God is pleased. The point was that in India, poor little old pastors would exist on almost nothing just to get the Gospel to towns and villages. The application is that believers are to set their affection not on things on earth but on things above.