INDIA’S MEETING WITH GOD’S DESTINY- OUR ROLE

Kahlil Gibran said, “I prefer to be a dreamer among the humblest with visions to be realized than lord among those without dreams and desires.”

We belong to a generation of evangelical Christianity where a lot of people are rethinking on their individual priorities. A lot among us want to be successful and keep pace with the rapidly changing face of India. They are ‘spiritual’ too, but are looking for a form of it which attests their interests and encourages their well defined pursuits. If that is an observation about average born again Christian, a look at those who have committed for full time ministry is even more embarrassing. Seminaries which consistently sent over 90% of its graduates to the mission field until a few years ago, now reports that a lot of those passing out, right away dump their life's mission and turn to safer avenues. Then we have prosperity preachers and seasoned prophets of health and wealth to lure away the rising urban middle class. They would crisscross the land and even make whirlwind overseas trips with their ‘power ministry’. A handful old timers who still speak of the cross and suffering are branded as ‘eternal no sayers’ and ‘prophets of gloom and doom’.

To add to all these, there is another woe - many successful Spirit-filled movements of the last century are facing tests of credibility on many fronts today. And I am not even mentioning some of the so called custodians of historical faith who have traded the truth of the gospel for fear of hurting the schemes of the devil.

We have reasons to be alarmed. Who will represent Christ to a billion of our fellow countrymen and women before they die and go to a Christless eternity? Who will lift up the name of Jesus and tell the news his salvation to a hurting generation? Of course, the last few centuries witnessed great missionary movements from the West and equally important indigenous revival movements that kept the flame of mission alive. I am also not denying that we today have the largest ever missionary force placed across the country in its history. We are even making appreciable efforts to use the possibilities of modern communication and information technology to perpetuate the truth beyond the geopolitical barriers.

But we are also acutely aware that they are no way adequate enough to reap the vast ripen harvest fields. With everything we have we are little more than maintaining the status-quo. In simpler terms, our progress rate is rather too slow to reach out to the entire nation even in the next hundred years. When that is the case, can we afford to take one step ahead and then two steps back? Simply put, gimmicks will not do. We need brave people who will stick their necks out for the cause of the gospel. Bonhoeffer puts it succinctly, “When Christ calls someone, he bids, ‘come and die’”.  

We think we possess the good news but in reality it should possess us. Only then will it drive us out of our comfort zones to the desperate humankind who waits to hear us lest they go to an eternity without Christ. How many of us will show the courage to get rid of our own petty preoccupations and walk over to the side of Jesus? I am asking this even to those who claim themselves to be committed to the full time ministry- but restlessly make their plans and prepare for a life of comfort. Some of you will never understand it, but I wish a few listen and mend their ways. Will you consider becoming a man/woman with visions to be realized than being a lord among those who are after the petty perishable things of this world?

We need to place a high premium on preaching the gospel, because there is nothing more important that the world need to hear today. Make no mistake, for India to meet God’s destiny, He counts on you and me. We can ill-afford to bypass God’s call in our lives. The Moravian Church, whose legendary missionary enterprises to every known world inspire admiration and passion among Christians even today, had this statement on their emblem, "Our Lamb has conquered, let us follow Him". That sums it up very well, does that not?