Threat of Burning Christians Alive! (Prayers and help needed)

My e-mail | 11/12/05 | Pastor.Johnson Mathews

[MSCASEY]

JMM Urgent Prayer] November 12, 2005 Dear Friend in Christ,

I am asking you today to pray for an extremely critical situation. More than 60 new believers in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh are being threatened with death if they do not convert back to Hinduism! It is not enough that they escaped the spiritual bondage that has oppressed their people for centuries, but now radical Hindus have threatened to burn alive any Christians who do not return to their former slavery.

Here is what happened: On November 4, a pastor was attacked and severely beaten by a group of militants who threatened his life. Now the same group says they will conduct a puja (ritual) on November 20 to forcefully convert the Christians in his church to Hinduism--and burn alive any who do not renounce their new faith.

The pastor has filed a complaint with local police, but the area is dominated by a large temple to the Hindu god Shiva. Thousands of pilgrims come to the temple, so Hinduism is important to the local economy. It is not clear if the police will take any action to protect the Christians.

What is most important now is that we pray for this situation. I urge you to pray for the protection of the men, women and children in that place who have committed their lives to Christ. Pray that God will surround them with His angels and turn back any violence. Please also pray for their attackers, that their hearts will be softened and that God will work a miracle in their lives.

Imagine what a powerful force for good they could become if they surrendered their lives to the Living God instead of gods that do not hear them!

Please share this request with your church and your friends. This is a spiritual battle, and only through prayer and fasting will the enemy be defeated in this stronghold.

I thank you for being a part of what God is doing in Asia. Thank you, most of all, for standing with us and with our brothers and sisters in Himachal Pradesh during this challenging time.

Yours for the lost of Asia,

Pastor.Johnson Mathews

[Paved Paradise]

I think the important part is to be true to the commission and "go ye." Whether one goes into the neighbor's house next door, pitches a tent in the Australian Outback, or wherever, I don't think God is necessarily concerned with numbers the way we are. I don't want to imply that numbers don't matter at all because every soul that believes glorifies God and he deserves all the glory into infinity... it's just that it's a human thing to get caught up in numbers and vainglory for the sake of pride and so on.