18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
India is a big country of 1.4 billion people, slightly below that of China. According to the statistics I find on the internet, Hindus make up 81%, Muslims 12.9%, and Christianity 2.4%. They need more preachers of the gospel. Being a Christian is not easy. Just days before I arrived at Siliguri, North-East India, several families were driven out of a village for converting to Christianity. Furthermore, many villages around the place in which I served were poor. Although many Indians own ancestral lands, their lands were rented to the rich for a very low rental fee. The owners of these lands had to work in their own lands for very low wages. The poor Indians felt bullied by the rich but were helpless. But this is also when the Christian testimony shines brightest: Christians cared and showed love in practical ways. The Indians saw the good works of Christians and many came to the Lord. A pastor related to me how his family came to the Lord: his elder brother could not walk since birth for a long time. An elderly Christian came every day for three years to pray for him. They felt the love of Christians. Also, God answered their prayers, and the elder brother could walk. Today, this elder brother is also serving as a pastor. Another pastor also shared how during Covid-19, many Indians came to the Lord because they felt the love of Christians.
Serving as a pastor is also not easy. Some do not draw a regular salary or own a house. They often meet in houses as building a church building is expensive. Many of the villagers are also illiterate and could not read the Bible. Preaching the Bible thus became even more difficult. Yet how could the pastors not preach the Bible? Only the gospel message saves souls: “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Rom 10:17). Only the word of God gives life for daily survival: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4). In response, I shared how several elderly sisters became literate because they learned to read the Bible. May the Lord give the pastors strength not only to preach the Bible but also to help the illiterate read the Bible.
My objective in this mission trip was to train pastors. Some 60-70 pastors (of good spiritual maturity) gathered in a rented Christian training centre. Classes started at 8am and ended in the night. Rev Goh Seng Fong and I took turns to teach. I taught them the Gospel of Luke. My course objectives were to teach them to identify the main point of a story/narrative; interpret a word or verse by reading context; learn life principles. I thank God for the students. Not only were they quick learners, but they were also very teachable despite the hot and humid weather.
Many students were thankful to God for the course. Their many kind words of encouragement and gratitude warmed my heart as a teacher. They are a needy people. One pastor, for instance, shared that sometimes they were stuck in the middle of a sermon preparation as they did not know how to interpret a particular verse in the Bible. They felt very helpless. Hence, courses that teach them interpretation were very important to them. Some requested to further their learning. Besides giving them some materials, I also pointed them to helpful websites like https://www.youtube.com/c/TheMastersSeminary and https://bible.org. They are hungry for the word of God. Would you do something to help them?
Dear Christians in Tree of Life Christian Church. Singaporeans are so rich in material things and also spiritual resources. Let us share with our brothers and sisters who have great needs in places like India. We can share with God’s family by giving our financial resources. Also, if you work hard and master the Sunday School materials (and only if you master them), you might even consider going on short mission trips to teach them. Meanwhile, prepare yourself academically, and more importantly, spiritually. Making disciples of all nations is your duty and mine. Would you do something to support mission work?