Boldness

We have been in India for nearly two weeks, and I have to admit, it's a major culture shock! It took Kelsey and I a few days to get over the jetlag that followed the 28 hour trip and 11 and a half hour time change from El Progrrso, Honduras to Nashik, India (India is on the half hour compared to the rest of the world. They had 2 time zones and wanted 1, so they met in the middle). We flew into Mumbai (one of the 5 largest cities on the planet regardless of which population measure you use) at around 2:30 a.m. on April the 18th. It wasn't until around 4 a.m. that we made it through customs. We spent a few hours sleeping at a hotel before making the 3 hour trip to Nashik. The traffic/driving in Honduras was the craziest thing I had ever seen until I got to India. It really is a different world on the roads here. Thousands of motorcycles, mopeds, and 3 wheelers with cabs called "auto rickshaws" are constantly jockeying for position on 4 lane roads turned 7 lane roads. There is a lot of honking, driving in the wrong direction, and running red lights. I have yet to see a trafic law being enforced (not sure if there are trafic laws). If you don't drive aggressively here, you don't have much of a chance. 

This is an auto rickshaw. We have used these for transportation every single day here. They have an app where you can book a ride, but sometimes the ride never comes. When that happens you simply have to resort to negotiating prices with the driver.

Kelsey day 1 in an Auto.

Kelsey now in an Auto trying to keep smoke out of her lungs. 

Nashik is considered a small city or large town in India with a population of "only" about 1.5 million people. To put the population of India into perspective, there are about 1 billion MORE people living here than there are living in the U.S., which has the 3rd largest population of all countries in the world. About 36% of the world population lives in China and India alone. That being said, India is also one of the most unreached areas for the gospel in the world. The largest religion in the country is Hinduism. Islam comes in 2nd, being by far the largest minority. Christianity comprises less that 2% of the population, and very few here have ever heard the true gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ. I've found that when people hear Christianity they usually think "going to pray to infant Jesus and Mary," because these are statues up at the Catholic Church. To them these are just the idols of the Christian people. They haven't heard about the atoning work done on the cross and God's perfect plan for salvation. 

Scaffolding in India.

Some friends. In their clubhouse.

Weather here this past week. May is the hottest month here. We were told 110F is normal. I still don't think I have seen a cloud since we arrived. Seriously. 

However, the main thing you notice here is that the one that has accepted Christ as Lord and Savior lives it. They didn't sit in nice church buildings growing up while never facing an ounce of persecution. There is serious backlash in this country for the one that comes to Christ. (For these reasons I won't be able to share nearly as much about what all we are doing as I did in Honduras. Sorry! Talk to me when I get home for a few weeks in June.) The person who submits to Jesus knows it is an unpopular decision. He or she knows that threats and suffering could be in the cards. In many cases these people become some of the boldest and most loyal followers of Christ. Some churches here have nearly 100% 1st generation believers in their congregations. When you think church here, don't think of the building. Think of 30 to 60 people who have an immeasurable love for Jesus praising Him in someone's home or in a vacant space above a bar they have rented out.

Views from the roof of our apartment

Coincidentally, or not so coincidentally, Kelsey and I have been reading through the book of Acts in our year long reading plan. We went to a church yesterday where the pastor was preaching out of the same chapters. Many of the stories I have heard here remind me of the very things I read about in the early church. In chapter 3 of Acts, Peter and John heal a crippled man. In chapter 4 the Saducees have them arrested, but not before five thousand come to Christ! They are then called before the high priest where they are questioned as to what authority they have performed this miracle. Here is Peter's response. Keep in mind this is not long after Peter denied Jesus, the disciples scattered, and they saw their best friend and leader brutally beaten, mocked and crucified. Want proof for the resurrection? Look no further...

""Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, saying, "What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name." So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.""

Acts 4:8‭-‬20

After this exchange the apostles don't run. They don't quit proclaiming the name of Jesus. No. What do they do? They pray for more BOLDNESS! In the next chapter they are arrested again. This time they are flogged. Surely they will stop preaching the gospel now! Nope. Here is the response:

"and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus."

Acts 5:40‭-‬42

Amazing! What faith and trust this requires. This stuff seems foreign to us as westerners, but in a lot of the world, persecution is still prevalent. Kelsey and I had the privilege of attending a small group class of about 25 people. I was able to speak to them about discipleship and the importance of every member of the church working together for the for the good of the whole body of Christ. It was so encouraging to see the people filled with the spirit, praising, worshipping, praying, and intently listening and taking notes in a small group setting. I have been in many small groups. We eat some good food and have some really good devotions. However, I have never seen a small group with this kind of raw emotion and passion for the word of God. 

After we had finished, a teenage girl came to me to ask how she could more effectively share the gospel with friends at her school. It felt almost hypocritical trying to answer her question as I thought of myself at 15 years old in school. Even at 29 I'm not as passionate as she was about sharing the gospel with the lost. We have little pushback in the states. The persecution is minimal - maybe some mean words here and there. No one is getting booted out of their family or beaten because of the faith. Still yet, we have a hard time surrendering ourselves to anything that could make us mildly uncomfortable. 

Nashik

Kelsey In the courtyard at our "society."  (Apartments)

Nashik

Kelsey and I both randomly came across this C.S. Lewis quote this morning. She is reading his book, "mere Christianity." I saw it on Twitter (well part of it - 280 character limit!). Again, maybe not such a coincidence. 

"The terrible thing, the most impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self - all of your wishes and precautions - to Christ. But it is far easier than what we are all trying to do instead. For what we are trying to do is to remain what we call 'ourselves', to keep personal happiness as our great aim in life, and yet at the same time be 'good'. We are all trying to let our mind and heart go their own way - centered on money or pleasure or ambition - and hoping, in spite of this, to behave honestly and chastely and humbly. And that is exactly what Christ warned us you could not do. As he said, a whistle cannot produce figs."

C.S. Lewis

What he is saying here is that it is harder to live life in this limbo state that so many 'believers' tend to do than it is to fully submit to Christ or to fully reject Him. However, this has become the norm for many church goers in the west. There is no burning desire for lost family, friends, co-workers, or strangers. I am speaking for myself too. It's easier to avoid a confrontation. It's easier to just give someone some money or food than it is to get to know the person and care about their eternity. It's easier to just "be comfortable." 

I think about this, and my mind goes back to the the 15 year old girl I previously mentioned who so desperately wants her friends to know the joy she has in Christ for themselves. It's reminds me again of Peter in Acts 4 when he says,

"for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." Acts 4:20

- Clark