South Asia | Beyond

When Persecution Becomes Celebration

Sep 12, 2019 | South Asia, Stories

The Bhojpuri movement is an ongoing Church Planting Movement in North India. Persecution is a common component of becoming a follower of Jesus in India. The following excerpt illustrates the commitment of new believers in the midst of persecution and how God chose to intervene in one case. It comes to us from the book Bhojpuri Breakthrough: A Movement that Keeps Multiplying by Victor John, an Indian movement leader who Beyond has had the privilege of working with and learning from. It is co-authored by Dave Coles, an encourager and resourcer of Church Planting Movements serving with Beyond.

In the 2001 persecution, one group of believers received threats that they would be forced to reconvert to Hinduism in a ceremony called *Ghar Wapsi. The people threatening them said, “On a particular day, we will come and re-convert you to Hinduism.” So on that day, five Hindu priests came from Varanasi. Their team set up a tent, prepared food, and readied cow urine for purification of the Christians reconverting back to Hinduism. They arranged everything and forced everyone to come out of their houses and attend the gathering.

As the ceremony began, the priests used a public-address (PA) system to make abusive speeches against Christians. Suddenly five women in the crowd became demon possessed. They were very violent. The priests threw water on them to try to get rid of the demons. But the women became even more violent. So the five priests got scared. They packed up their things, got in their car and returned to Varanasi.

The stage was set up, people had gathered, they had the tent and PA system, and the food was prepared. Everything was ready for a celebration. So the believers cast out the demons and the five women were delivered. Then the believers went up on the stage and used the PA system to preach the good news and share their testimonies. They said, “We followed Jesus because of our own free choice; not because of any inducements or any other reasons.” Many people came to faith through this and many others became sympathizers of the good news. Meanwhile, the newspapers printed a picture of the tent that had been set up and falsely reported that 200 people had been reconverted back to Hinduism!

Pray for ongoing movements in India and around the world. Pray for new believers as they commit to obey Jesus as Lord knowing they must be ready to face persecution.

Want another story about the Bhojpuri? Read about a girl raised from the dead!

Excerpted from Bhojpuri Breakthrough: A Movement that Keeps Multiplying by Victor John with Dave Coles (Monument, CO: WIGTake Resources, 2019)

1. According to Wikipedia, “Ghar Wapsi (Hindi, meaning “Home Coming”) is a series of religious conversion activities…to facilitate conversion of non-Hindus to Hinduism.” The article “India: ‘Ghar Wapsi’ [a Return Home] and the Not-so-veiled Threat of the Sangh” reports: “I have had occasion to document Ghar Wapsi events in various villages of Orissa . . . where the process has involved shaving off the head of men and women, their purification through a mixture of cow dung and cow urine, the chanting of mantras around the fire and, wherever possible, the burning of “alien” books such as the Bible….My own observations after field studies are of Ghar Wapsi as a movement that uses armed force and violence, certainly the threat of violence, towards a conversion of neo-Christians to Hinduism.”

God Stories Changing Families in India

Mar 15, 2019 | South Asia, Stories

AMEETH’ STORY
God’s word has the power to change people’s lives, even without the input of an “expert” or an invitation to “church.” As Paul told Timothy all those years ago, the Bible really is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right (2 Tim 3:16).

In India lives a man named *Ameeth. He has two sons and two daughters. He recently told his story:
Life was not peaceful. I was a cruel person. Even my children did not want a relationship with me. Then, on May 22, 2017, I was changed. I was walking along the road when I heard a loud story (like a radio) coming from a nearby house. I stopped to listen to the story. It was about miracles. When the story finished, I walked into the house [in Indian villages, front doors are usually open for ventilation] and asked, “What are you listening to?”

The people looked at me, then asked, “Who are you?!”

I told them that I simply wanted to know about the story I’d just heard. It had caught my attention. Could they give it to me?
They said, “Yes, you may have a copy,” and they gave me a microSD card with stories on it, and a speaker through which I could play the card. I took the speaker home and listened to the stories. I used to drink every night, and do other bad things. However, that night, I did not go out to drink. I stayed home and listened to the stories. My family was happy that I did not drink that night. They liked this better version of me. The next day, again, I did not go out drinking, but stayed home and listened to the stories. The third day, the same.

After three days of this new behavior, my wife said, “I am seeing a change in you. You are not bad like before.” I told her that I didn’t understand it myself, but that when I listened to the stories, I had no desire to do those other (bad) things.
My wife asked, “Can we all listen to the stories?” And so, we did.

My whole household changed. The neighbors also noticed. One of them, *RK, asked my children, “What’s going on in your home? Your father doesn’t do bad like before.”

The children replied, “Uncle, my father has changed. We all listen to stories, and he does not do bad things.”

RK asked, “Is there truly something that can change your father?”

They said, “Uncle, you can also come and see, and listen.”

RK went home and got his whole family. Later, when they entered my home, they found us listening to the Proverbs on the speaker.
When I turned off the speaker, RK said, “These are great! I’d like a copy of the stories, also.”

I replied, “I only have one copy, but I can play the stories together for both of our families.”

Thus it is that every evening, 30-35 people meet to listen to Bible stories in this village in North India. A mentor is helping them take their first steps of faith and a baptism service is planned.

*pseudonyms

RELATED STORIES

YOU HATE THIS MAN BUT HE IS GOOD
Rajbir makes his living as a farmer. He spends his days in physical and spiritual fields. read more …

SIMPLICITY vs TRADITION
Lata* lives in North India. A few years ago, she was a regular church attendee, but her family did not like read more …

OWNING THE GREAT COMMISSION
They now have hope and have been changed by the Holy Spirit in every way. They eat decent food. read more …

Lessons from a Movement

Jan 31, 2019 | South Asia, Stories

A Disciple Making Movement, or DMM, is an unusual concept for many westerners. Growing up in predominantly Christianized cultures, we can find it difficult to grasp how quickly the Church can spread in areas it hasn’t previously permeated. What, even, is a movement? David Garrison defined a movement as “a rapid multiplication of indigenous churches planting churches that sweeps through a people group or population segment.” Perhaps it is best understood through the following example from India.

Reshma* was invited by her neighbor to participate in a Discovery Bible Study. The woman was aware of the poor situation in Reshma’s marriage, but, as a follower of Jesus, she knew God could meet all of Reshma’s needs. Through the story of creation, Reshma understood for the first time that there was a God above all gods, a true God who loves her, and she received the Good News as dry soil receives the rains. When Reshma began sharing her newfound belief, she encountered persecution from her husband. She stood firm, however, and God’s grace sustained her and brought about an improvement in Reshma’s marriage. (Read Reshma’s story here.)

Madhu*, a relative, noticed the positive change in Reshma’s husband and said, “(He) seems changed. Are you doing something different with him?” Excitedly, Reshma told her of all that God had done. Madhu was so impressed by His ability to soften and change the heart of Reshma’s husband that she gave her allegiance to God and joined Reshma as a co-laborer in the Kingdom.

Three months later, Madhu shared a Bible story with her neighbor, Maravan, and his whole family. Maravan was an aggressive and rough man who owned a nearby shop which wasn’t doing well. He told Madhu, “If you will pray for me and God brings financial change to my shop, then I will believe this God is true.” Madhu prayed, God blessed Maravan’s shop, and he and his whole family gave their allegiance to God. Soon people began to see that Maravan was a changed man!

Maravan began sharing with many others about the changes that had occurred in his family since they became Christ followers. A friend named Krish and his entire family accepted Christ because of Maravan’s testimony of God’s power. Soon another man and his family became Christians when Krish shared Christ with them!

In only 9 months, 5 generations of believers were birthed in a difficult area in India. From these 5 generations, 42 people have been baptized into the Kingdom! This is essentially what a movement looks like: the Kingdom of God flowing quickly, effectively and naturally along relational lines making an immediate and eternal difference in the lives of those who hear, receive and obey. What could be better than that?

OTHER STORIES FROM SOUTH ASIA

RESHMA’S STORY
A woman invited her neighbor, Reshma*, to participate in a Discovery Bible study in her home. read more …

SHARE WHAT YOU KNOW
The Samaritan woman in John 4 had problems. She had been married and divorced five times, read more …

ONE ILLNESS, 63 HOUSE CHURCHES
One day, in the midst of this desperate sadness, they had the opportunity to attend a nearby house church read more …

A Caroling Calamity

Dec 13, 2018 | South Asia, Stories

When Sanjay* and some fellow followers of Christ decided to celebrate the Christmas season with caroling, they knew to be discreet. After all, they lived in northern India, where persecution of Christians is an everyday threat. Casually going into the streets singing to random strangers was not an option. No, they purposed to only go to the homes of friends like Raja. Raja was not yet a follower of Jesus but he was regularly participating in one of the local Bible studies. Surely it would be okay to sing outside his house? They assembled at Raja’s home and had begun singing when the front door flew open and a man shot into their midst. It was Raja’s older brother, Charan.

With a machete-like knife in his hand, the irate man lunged into the crowd of carolers. Charan first destroyed the drum they were playing and then began slashing wildly toward the people. He got close enough to cut one man’s shirt, but thankfully no blood was drawn. The carolers quickly left and reported this incident to the police. Some officers accompanied them back to Raja’s home, but by the time they arrived, Charan had fled. After the officers left, Sanjay and the others prayed for Raja and his whole family.

About one week had passed when Sanjay’s phone rang. It was Charan. He explained that he had turned himself into the police and asked if Sanjay could come down to the station. As soon as Sanjay arrived, Charan bent down, touched Sanjay’s feet three times (a gesture of respect) and said, “I am very sorry. You are a good person.” God had been at work in the lives of Raja’s family, and, because of this incident, all of Raja’s family except Charan decided to become Christians!

This Christmas, whenever you hear your favorite carols, please be praying for God to open the hearts of those who are violently opposed to him. Pray they would accept Christ and become conduits for many others to receive him.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Let Earth receive her King.

Let every heart prepare Him room.

*pseudonym

RELATED STORIES

GOD STORIES CHANGING LIVES IN INDIA
Life was not peaceful. I was a cruel person. Even my children did not want a relationship with me. read more …

OWNING THE GREAT COMMISSION
The Banjara people of North India live bleak lives. They are impoverished. Illiterate. Unwelcomed within city limits. read more …

ONE ILLNESS, 63 HOUSE CHURCHES
One day, in the midst of this desperate sadness, they had the opportunity to attend a nearby house church read more …

Redeeming Diwali

Nov 4, 2018 | Festivals and Holidays, South Asia, Stories

The largest Hindu holiday of the year, Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is nearly upon us. Every year millions of Hindus clean and decorate their homes hoping that the goddess of good fortune will visit them bestowing her gifts. They buy presents for one another and, on the darkest night of the month, they clean themselves, put on their best clothes, light candles and offer pooja (prayers) to Lakshmi.

Ripe for Redemption
The symbolism of Diwali is ripe for redemption. Christ is the Light of the World. He brings good gifts to his children because he loves to do so. He cleanses us from our sin and bestows on us his robe of righteousness.

One week before Diwali, Evan and Nina, who work among Hindus, wanted to introduce their neighbors to Christ through a time of satsung. Satsung is the Hindi word for worship. In Nina’s words: “We pushed all the furniture back to the walls of our living room, and then covered the floor with area rugs. Everyone took their shoes off at the door, and sat cross-legged on the floor. There was a candle burning in half of a coconut shell. Candles and coconuts are considered holy items to the typical Indian, and so by incorporating these items we signaled to our neighbors that this was a holy place and time. It’s a bit like when we walk into the sanctuary and see the communion trays at the front of the church. They signal that the Lord’s Supper is coming. The candle and coconut were on a table, off to the side, and they were noticed. Giving these elements a “Jesus” twist is what the evening was all about. Jesus is the True Light of the World, and His Broken Body is the Ultimate Sacrifice, and so the typical “Hindu” elements point to Christ, but are familiar to the people, and so make them feel comfortable at our satsung.

“Anik led the service. He sat in a corner of the room. His Bible was laid on a little wooden pedestal to keep it off the ground. He had a saffron colored scarf around his neck. Saffron is considered a “holy” color here, and signified that he was the leader of this satsung (kind of like the priest’s robes at church).

We had Communion
“Sitting next to Anik on the floor were the musicians playing Indian instruments. We opened with worship songs sung in Hindi. Anik alternated between sharing from the Word and leading out in song. After about 30 minutes, we had communion with coconut, the coconut meat for the bread, coconut milk for the wine.

“After communion, Anik shared a bit more from the Word. He shared about the things that were on his heart: caste is bad, Jesus is the Answer for India, let us treat others as we’d want them to treat us. Albeit with an Indian twist, it was the same kind of message you’d hear at church: Jesus is the Answer, and you’re called to love your neighbor.

What did our neighbors think?
“The were blown away. They couldn’t get over how kind Anik was. He spoke with such passion. He obviously loves his country and his God. But, mostly, they talked about the peace they felt during the service. They couldn’t stop talking about how good they felt, how encouraged they were. And they knew it was Jesus they felt. Several days later, one of our neighbors was still talking about it, how she’d never felt a peace like that. “Jesus’ peace,” she said again. After the satsung was over, we couldn’t get them to leave! They stayed and stayed, chatting and eating. It was an absolutely wonderful evening. God was lifted up in our house by our neighbors. Never did we imagine when we moved here that one day we’d see our Sikh neighbors with their arms raised, singing praise to Jesus in our living room! Oh, Lord, may there be many more chances! “

Radical Thinking part of our Culture at Beyond
By incorporating local culture in a relational way Evan and Nina were able to make a real connection with their unbelieving neighbors. This kind of radical thinking, is highly valued to us as an organization and is what is opening doors so that people living in darkness will see a great light, and on those living in the shadow of death a light will dawn. (Matthew 4:16)

Please pray for more opportunities to share the true Light of the World with Hindus.