Remember Ambassadors

It was two weeks ago when massive violence broke out in India’s Orissa state, as Hindu ultra-fundamentalists falsely accused Christians of killing a Hindu leader and began assaulting churches and believers.  The immediate violence was unimaginable, as dozens were killed, many more subjected to torture and abuse, and churches and homes razed.

Such coordinated violence has long-term consequences which will be felt for years to come.  It will take a long time to restore peace, not to mention families rebuilding lives that have been devastated.

But before any rebuilding can occur, the violence must die down, and even now - two weeks later - the violence continues.  AsiaNews is reporting that it is even continuing in the refugee camps!  In fact, the persecutors are getting even more devious in their destruction, making sure that they only destroy a family’s possessions, not their house…because the Indian government is going to reimburse all those that lose their homes.

This violence is just one outbreak, a tragic symptom of the underlying religious hatred that constantly plagues India.  Continue to pray for Orissa Christians!

Preparing for our upcoming banquet is taking about all of my time these days, so I haven’t had much time to update here. But I wanted to make sure to put out a reminder to pray for Orissa, India.

You can read the background of this prayer request in today’s Weekly Reminder. The violence started about two days ago, and has continued; pray for these Christians!

For more information–

Deaths Mount as Violence Spreads in Orissa

Carnage Continues in Orissa: Reports of 150 Houses and 20 Churches Destroyed

Aftermath of Swami’s Killing: The Christian Victims List

Just the other day, I received this e-mail from a Christian leader in the northern province of Himachal Pradesh, and with his permission I am sharing it here for your prayers:

 

Greetings in the Blessed name of Jesus.

Let me make an acquaintance myself to you. I am S.A. working…in the state of Himachal Pradesh, North west India.  Also I am working as a CEO for a Church planting and Discipleship Training school in Himachal. 

Himachal Pradesh is one of the least evangelised state in India with less than 1% Christians.  The number of Churches and Christian workers are very few.  Since the Anti conversion bill being passed in this state the Christian work is considerably less.  We need you prayers and support from REMEMBER AMBASSADORS.  Here with I'm enclosing a pressing need.

In Nov. 2005 we requested your prayers for Pastor Feroz Masih from Baijnath, who was brutally beaten up by the fanatic group and destroyed all his home and made his house as a temple in Himachal. He was one of our missionary from our local Church at Palampur. He served Lord very faithfully and all his children are in the ministry. After he has been abundant by the local people he was staying in different locations in and around Himachal Pradesh. On Nov. 11, 2007 he went to be with Lord. Pastor Feroz Masih remain as a martyr for the Church in Himachal.

We request your prayers for His family. May the Lord grant divine peace which passes all understanding and carry on the mantle which their father has taken.

 

Pastor Sumat and members of his congregation have been through a lot in the past couple of weeks!  They are in Madhya Pradesh, a province in India that can accurately be termed a "persecution hostpot," and they have found themselves at the center of attacks.  They have been harassed by anti-Christian fanatics, ordered to stop their worship services, and arrested and interrogated.

Despite all of this, God is pouring out his grace, and these faithful believers have been released from jail.  Praise God for His mercy, and please continue to pray for the Christians of Madhya Pradesh.

To read the full story from Gospel for Asia, click here.

Monday morning for Christians in the US is generally a chance to look back at a peaceful day of worship.  Yesterday was a poignant reminder to me of the freedoms that we have, as my church body publicly gathered on the beach for a baptismal service.  We could gather without fear to watch these public expressions of faith in Jesus Christ.

It was a very different weekend for our brothers and sisters in India.  Believers in India know that they risk everything to gather together, and this weekend the forces of evil were at work.

In Shimoga, a city in the southern Karnataka province, Hindu radicals attacked a prayer meeting yesterday, using "clubs, cricket bats, and knives," as reported at Persecution Update India.  The attackers destroyed the furniture, musical instruments, and even the building, but worse yet injured many of the believers.  The number of injured is uncertain, but two pastors and a number of other believers are being treated for their club and knife wounds.  (Update: More information available from the All India Christian Council.)

In northern India, a YWAM worker was attacked by fundamentalists believed to be members of the World Hindu Council.  Kamal Kantu was beaten in front of his wife and children.   This attack is just the latest incident in what appears to be a concentrated anti-Christian propaganda campaign in the Himachel Pradesh province.

In Rajpur, another militant Hindu group attacked a small church service.  They destroyed the Bibles and hymnals, chanting anti-Christian slogans and threatening believers.  The attackers then handed the Christians over to the police, where no one can find out what is happening to them.  The police in this area are known to be sympathetic with the Hindu radicals, and these believers in custody need our prayers.

And back down south, in Andhra Pradesh, two pastors have been threatened with arrest because they prayed for their senior pastor, who was in the hospital with a broken leg.  Hindu radicals, after being "tipped off" that the pastors were praying in the hospital, pressured the hospital administrator into lodging a complaint with the local police office.  That threat was not enough, though, and the hospital discharged Pastor Barnabas immediately, despite his broken leg!

These believers certainly need our prayers. 

The folks over at Compass Direct News released a series of updates on persecution in India yesterday.  These news briefs are well worth reading as you pray for the Indian Church!

Persecution in India is very different than persecution in many other nations.  As a nation, India has taken great strides forward in recent times.  Though the Indian culture is steeped in a virtually militant class system, very positive changes are being made.  Equality, democracy, and freedom are making progress.

As you can see in these news briefs, though, the struggle remains.  The old system is not going without a fight, and as Christianity advances among the Hindus it is met with violence.  Although the government recognizes religious freedom, local officials are often complicit in the actions of extremist Hindu groups.  Christians are often denied the protection of the police as they are attacked for their Christianity.  Stories abound, as you can read, of churches being burned, evangelists beaten, Christian women abused, and countless saints mocked, shunned, and harmed for their faith.

Another interesting issue in India is that of "anti-conversion statutes."  The legislature of Himachel Pradesh, one of India's 28 states, recently passed an anti-conversion statute, which would make it the eighth state to have such a law.  These bills have been pushed by extremist Hindu groups in order to keep other religions from spreading, and are designed to punish anyone who tries to convert another by "fraudulent" means.  They are often used by Hindu authorities to quell Christian evangelization.  Himachel Pradesh's version also requires people that wish to change their religion to give the government 30 days' notice!

These Christians face many challenges in a nation that is entrenched in darkness. 

For More Information–

VOM Canada Country Report: India 

Persecution Update India