Take a moment and put yourself into the shoes of someone trying to be a Christian in India…
…Where the Hindu religion dominates all aspects of society and culture.
…Where there are shines and idols everywhere you look.
…Where the scent of sacrifices is unavoidable.
Furthermore, persecution is intensifying towards Christians. Extremist Hindus want to rid India of the presence and influence of believers, and there is a growing ideology that to be a true Indian you must be Hindu.
Another challenge are the anti-conversion laws, which are theoretically in place to protect Indians against forced conversions but are notoriously weaponised against those who have genuinely chosen to follow another faith.
Although India is well known for its vibrancy and colour, spiritually it feels like a dark place.
And yet, there are believers faithfully following Christ, shining like candlelight in the night wherever they go.
Let us share one such story with you…
Daily Wage Workers Are Overcoming
Pastor S* works among daily-wage workers in India. Daily wage workers are usually a family’s primary earner, but they earn far below the prescribed minimum wage. Forced to survive day-to-day on the cash they receive, life is difficult – and in fact, one in four suicides reported in 2021 was a daily-wage worker.
Christ is the only answer to their hopelessness, and Pastor S* risks his own life to share the Gospel with them. As new believers come to Christ, Pastor S equips them to evangelise to their fellow workers using Harvesters’ tools and training.
Because of the anti-conversion laws, each new believer must get an official stamp on a statement that says no one coerced them. It states they were not paid or forced or manipulated or bribed to accept Jesus. It’s a vital document that protects the individual and their pastor. Particularly when they want to be baptised because it’s such a public declaration of their faith.
To get that stamp, they must wait at the police station for an officer to deal with their request. However, they are often ignored! And for each day they wait, they lose those precious daily wages. Yet they come again the next day to the police station… and the day after that because Jesus is so important to them.
God is At Work
Giving in and returning to work is not an option because once the police know who the Christians are, they turn up and arrest those trying to be baptised without an authorised document.
It’s only once they receive that stamp that they can safely be baptised.
Despite all this, Pastor S has planted four house churches and is training four student pastors. And he recently reported wonderful news… “Through those churches,” he said, “we’ve just baptised 16 new believers.”
Sixteen new believers from the daily-wage community! Hallelujah. God is at work. They will now be discipled in churches planted by Pastor S* and his student pastors. Thank you for your support to help grow the Kingdom in India.
Watch the Video
Sources
*Name withheld for protection
