'AS INDIA GOES, SO GOES THE GREAT COMMISSION'
The three global "giants" standing between the body of Christ and the
fulfillment of the Great Commission in our day are China, Islam and India
--
each with a population of more than 1 billion.
Two of these three meet in South Asia: India -- and the nearly 400 million
Muslims living primarily in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
"As India goes, so goes the Great Commission," contends the Christian
strategist. "And how is India doing? Not that well, quite frankly. Not
because it's inaccessible -- because it's neglected. If this is truly the
last of the giants, God is giving it to us on a silver platter. It is a
friendly place, an inviting place.
"There is no excuse for not getting the Gospel out here. I'm overwhelmed
at
the openness."
That assessment seemingly contradicts frequent re****ts of persecution of
Christians in India, resistance to evangelization and the resurgence of
Hindu
extremism. True, violent opposition is very real in certain areas, but
it's
often a reaction to the Gospel's spread -- which persecution can't stop.
India's (and majority Hinduism's) renowned spiritual tolerance also lives
up
to its reputation in many ways, both as bridge and a barrier for the
Gospel.
"India skipped modern," observes a Christian worker. "It has always been
postmodern."
How so? The philosophical idea that many paths lead to God or truth
probably
originated in India -- and now strongly influences the West. It challenges
the exclusive claim of Jesus Christ to lord****p, but opens many doors in
India to talking about Him.
In the cities, at least, Christıs followers can readily gain a hearing in
the
noisy Indian marketplace of ideas. In the more traditional and resistant
villages, growing numbers of believers are boldly proclaiming the Good
News.
"We've seen so many people come to Christ, so many churches started --
hundreds, maybe thousands of new churches," says the strategist.
"This is an incredibly responsive place. We just need more people
implementing church-planting movement strategies. That means moving from
planting an individual church and bringing a few people to Christ to
saying,
'What's it going to take to see a movement that sweeps through a people?'
"In God's economy we have a vital role to play: a role of encouraging,
training and multiplying ourselves through hundreds and thousands of
national
partners."
It's already happening in some places, like the huge north Indian state of
Uttar Pradesh, where more than 5,000 house churches have sprung up in less
than two years.
It will happen in many more places, because wherever the light of Christ
is
lifted up, He draws people unto Himself.
"Our job," says a believer, "is to turn on the light, turn on the light,
turn
on the light!"
-------------
Erich Bridges is a senior writer with the Southern Baptist International
Mission Board.
from: http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=19672
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