A Burden for India

How do you begin praying for India—a nation of 1.4 billion people? The Gospel reached it in the first century, yet only about 2% follow Christ today, and the door is still open.

“But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for ‘Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world’” (Romans 10:18).

Returning to Venice after a 24-year journey into Asia, Marco Polo amazed European audiences with his accounts of the lands he’d visited. Among the more mysterious was India. He described its extraordinary landscape and people and told how most of the people were Buddhists or Hindus.

Christianity had already been present in the region for over a millennium before Polo’s arrival, having taken root as far back as the first century. But Polo also described the Christians in India and recounted a story telling where Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples, was buried in the land.

Yes, there were Christians in India, but they were greatly outnumbered, just as they are today. Today, 80% of the 1.4 billion Indians are Hindu. More than 15% are Muslim. Officially, only about 2% of the population is Christian.

Yet many of these Christians are highly motivated to share the Gospel. Hundreds of native Indians have responded eagerly to global missions work supported by the ministry.

We praise God that doors are open for the Gospel to reach people like this through our worldwide ministry outreaches. Even though India has many official languages, millions speak English.

Pray for more doors to be opened in India, so that more people will come to Christ.

Reflection Question: Ask God to share with you His heart and compassion for the lost.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long has Christianity been in India?

Christianity took root in India as far back as the first century, traditionally linked to the ministry of the apostle Thomas—over a thousand years before Marco Polo recorded the Christians he met there.

What does Romans 10:18 teach about the Gospel?

Romans 10:18 declares that the message has gone “to all the earth”—affirming that God’s purpose is for every nation to hear the Gospel, and calling believers to pray and labor for that to continue.