Monday, October 03, 2005

India needs YOU!!!

This is amazing... I still haven't shared this blog with hardly anyone. I'm just writing out the vision that I believe God has given me. Today, I sat down to write a blog on how God can use Internet Ministry to share the gospel in India. First, I checked my email and somehow a pastor from India saw my blog on Internet Evangelism and wrote me:

"I PRAISE PRAISE "'GOD"'THAT YOUR GREAT INTREST TO HAVE THE FELLOWSHIP TOWARDS EVANGELISM,I CAN RAISE FUND FOR YOU BUT HOW CAN I HELP U? SUGGEST ME & INVOLVE ME ALONG WITH U SO THAT IN INDIA WILL BE BLESSED TROGH OUR FELLOWSHIP.THANK U FROM INDIA," PASTOR...(I'm not sure if I can share his name)

WOW! Thank you pastor, and thank you LORD, it's great to get a word of confirmation.

INDIA has nearly 1 Billion people who don't know the Lord...
INDIA has almost 1 Billion people who don't know Jesus...
INDIA has about 1 Billion people who are like sheep without a shepherd...weary, scattered, without direction, fearful without a protector and hope for the future...
INDIA has nearly 1 Billion people who God loves more that we could ever understand...
INDIA has almost 1 Billion people who woke up this morning without the "peace that passeth all understanding"...
INDIA has about 1 Billion people...1,000,000,000!!!...each one precious...each one with a void that can only be filled by God. Can we compehend this? ... Who cares?... Do you care?... Do I care?...

India's population is about 1.06 Billion. 80% are Hindu, 12.5% Muslim, and only about 2.5% Christian. Since 1975, India has allowed very few missionary visas and has expelled many foriegn missionaries. Those few who are left face increasing persecution and violence from religious extremists..."How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? and how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" We need to pray for India. Will you pray for India today? Will you pray for the billion lost souls tomorrow? Prayer always preceeds revival...

Let's pray and let's get involved. You can make a difference! Like those in the parable of the good Sameritan, we are confronted with the pain, the suffering, the need... We can choose to turn up the noise of our busy life and forget...to keep working on our personal to do lists... to live this day like yesterday and the day before... OR we can choose to PAUSE..., ..., PAUSE..., try to comprehend the pain... allow God to touch our hearts with HIS compassion... take time out of our busy schedules to demonstrate the love of God... and like the Good Samaratan invest financially into the kingdom of God... There are many wonderful Christian organizations and national churches ministering to India... Here is how you can team up with us...

OUR INTERNET MINISTRY IDEAS FOR INDIA:

Strategy # 1. Empower national pastors and ministers for both Internet ministry and conventional church/evangelism ministry.

At the Internet Evangelism Coalition Convention the Lord placed across my path Pastor K.I. Jacob, an national Indian Pastor. (He is in the US for a few weeks and I'd be happy to put you in touch with him). We prayed and began the process of coming up with a strategy.

First we can support a national pastor for about $60 dollars a month. We would want him to work part time with our Internet evangelism efforts along with their local mission. With over 18 different languages and 1650 dialects they'll know best how to contexualize the efforts. There would also be a need to provide a computer and internet connection. In much of India an Internet connection is rare and sought after. Besides developing and maintaining evangelistic sites, It could be used to train and disciple believers. Another important function would be to train poor children (English, education, trades) during the day. This will not only meet a great social need, it will also open doors to minister spiritually. As a side benefit, they also feel if poor children are receiving quality help it will greatly reduce the religious persecution and violence. I'm sure there are also many other India pastors that would like to partner with us in this manner.

I am praying that the Lord will touch a church or individual to commit $150 a month for at least a year to immediately start a test program with pastor Jacob's ministry. (Reconciliation Resource Ministries - designated "India Project", 223 W. Memorial Drive, Chicago Heights, IL. 60411)

www.IndiaMinistry.org This will be the place where we will be developing the community of those who wish to reach out in love to India. For now, if you'd like to help, please leave a post and send me an email at: WebEvangelist@gmail.com . We need help in so many ways...I don't have time to list right now. We also need to explore what resources are already in place that we can partner with.

www.FreeEnglishLessons.in This has tremendous potential. Please see my previous post on Internet ministry to China to get further information.

www.MumbaiIndia.in , www.CalcuttaIndia.in , www.DelhiIn.in . City portal sites have great potential, I'll share this in more detail in a later post. These three are a good starting point, they're HUGE. Metro Mumbai has about 18 million almost tied with Mexcico City as the world's second largest metro city.

www.BangaloreIndia.in , and www.HyderabadIndia.in . These are strategic cities... I'll share my ideas for them at a later time. These cities are centers of hope, hope of a much higher level of lifestyle for millions of young people. These are centers for IT and accounting outsourcing as well as call centers for huge American companies. There is also awesome talent there that could be tapped into for our Internet ministry projects. According to the Indianexpress, India wil now be the back end for all the new .org's.

www.GoodNewsForIndia.in . We need help in developing this as an evangelistic and discipleship site for the various language groups of India.

www.MobileIndia.in . Mobile phone useage is exploding in India. It will also be the only way millions will be able to access the internet. We need to think ahead. Besides developing some sites designed to be mobile friendly, we could offer various services such as Java and Flash games, a "joke of the day" etc. there will be great demand and many opportunities to provide a service to someone who would normally be antaginistic towards a Christian.

I need someone to make a designated donation of $65 US dollars so we can buy and secure www.IndiaChildren.In, www.IndiaTeens.org, www.IndiaFamily.in, (See the Chinese Internet Ministry post for how they can be used for the kingdom). also www.Bollywood.org.

Finally, my favorite: www.Touchables.in . In India they have the caste system. At the bottom are about 300 million know as the "untouchables". They are ostracized and have little chance of having anything but a life of poverty.

Aren't you glad for Jesus, the friend of sinners?
Jesus who TOUCHED those with leprosy, who were cast out, dispised and regulated to poverty.
Jesus, who lifted up the woman caught in adultry.
Jesus, who had time for children.
Jesus who touched the eyes of the blind man and cared for him who could not walk.

Oh I know the "untouchables' in general are not going to be surfing the Internet. Yet somehow, God can use this to give them hope. Maybe by raising awearness and mobilizing an army of prayer warriors. Maybe by providing materials and training for national pastors as they share the GOOD NEWS.

Spend a day, knocking on American suburban doors... invite them to church... ask them if they are interested in receiving God's awesome gift of salvation... Then hear the words of the LORD, "COME for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. I have...therefore I cannot come...Then the Master being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind....GO...and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

We offer hope. We offer unconditional acceptance. We offer value, though unworthy, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. I believed God is going to raise up mighty men and women of God from the so called "untouchables". We are all untouchables, without strength, without beauty, unable to help ourself. Our righteousness is as filthy rags before the Lord. Yet for some reason, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

He bound up our broken heart. He brought beauty into the ashes of our life. Instead of mourning, He gave us the oil of gladness. Instead of a spirit of despair, He gave us a garment of praise. But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of Jesus Christ!

Only God deserves the glory and the first step to God is being poor in spirit and deeply humble. And for that reason... not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise...and the LOWLY things of this world, and the things that are DESPISED, has God chosen...That no flesh should glory in His presence. It is not excellency of speech or enticing/clever words that bring souls into the kingdom but demonstration of the Spirit and of Power. That way, our faith will not be in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God. Oh we have GOOD NEWS for the "untouchables". When Jesus proclaimed His public ministry, His first words were, "The Spirit of God is upon me, Because He has annointed me to preach the gospel to the poor...".

What will you do today?


PS (10/10/05) - 20,ooo die in an earthquake in the area and It's not the lead story for the Sunday Chicago Times... The Suntimes did have an article on Bangalore... they also stated that 800 million people in India survive on less than $2 a day...

1 comment:

  1. In the USA: Look in a phone book or online and see how many churches there are in every town and city; buildings bought and maintained for God's work, only to sit empty and unused most of the week; plenty of workers focused inward, or duplicating efforts outward. In a country of excess, the lost place their hope in government welfare programs, or often receive unscriptural attempts to "help." In short, there are too many laborers working in an ever-decreasing US harvest field.

    On the other hand, India is crying out for workers to help reap the overwhelming harvest, those multiple hundreds of millions who have little or no hope at this time. In a land of poverty, materialism and government welfare does not yet offer a "blinding" hand.

    I am a missionary-minded businessman who would like to see the church in India kept pure and unspotted. Can someone send me more information on visas, and what it takes to go to India? The Spirit of the LORD calls; He has knocked, and the door has been opened. Can someone help me go through the door? Contact me at baysisoflife@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete