Prayer Points for India

India is a land of remarkable beauty and diversity - yet in the shadow of great progress and rich history we find many millions entrapped by suffering, the caste system and countless idols.  Poverty, extortion and struggle are, sadly, norms of life for many on the subcontinent.

Yet, in spite of the challenges the nation faces, God is moving powerfully to change lives and restore hope.  There are churches springing up all over - many in areas that have never before had a Christian presence.  Along with the churches come medical care, job training, orphan help and education for kids. 

As you pray for God's work in India, here are some points to research and pray over:

1.  That the gospel message would be made available to any and every person in India.  Many who grow up outside of the major cities have no access to the Bible or any of the blessings its message brings.

2.  That God would continue to call church planters to go into the rural regions and start new fellowships of faith, healing and hope.  This is happening today on an unprecedented scale, but much work remains to be done.  Tens of thousands of villages still need a pastor.  Our current CTC project is to raise support to send 1000 "barefoot pastors" into these areas.

3.  That India's young population would find hope in Christ and practical help through education.  Millions of children go to bed each night in India hungry, orphaned, or even worse - victims of child trafficking.  Pray for many Christians to rise up to help support and love these children.

4.  That Christian workers would be safe from harm.  While India is the "world's largest democracy," there are areas of the nation whose state or local governments are unfriendly to Christians - and many believers face persecution or harassment as a result.  Pray for peace and tolerance, so that the light of the gospel can shine brightly, and those who give their lives to serve would be free to do so.

5.  That Bible translation efforts for remote tribes and language groups would be completed.  Some in India only have access to God's Word in their second-language, or none at all. 

God's Vision Statement

“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn,  my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, ‘In the LORD alone are deliverance and strength.’”   ~ Isaiah 45

Right Where the Action Is

An interview with Paul Selby, Missions Team Leader at LifeChange / Weymouth Church in Medina, Ohio.  

When did you first hear the idea of supporting native missionaries as they carry the gospel to their own people groups?

I read K.P. Yohannan’s Revolution in World Missions book, which changed my thinking on missions quite a bit.  The whole concept made more sense than missions I had been familiar with, where we’d send Westerners to unreached peoples to learn new languages and cultures. 

Every Kindred, Tongue, People, Nation

To complete the Commission, we need to focus our prayers and efforts on a single task: insuring that everyone, everywhere encounters the gospel.  There are four specific ways this is being accomplished, all of which we can commit daily to the Lord in prayer, and all of which we must support financially and personally:

The Great Commission, Done?

The Great Commission, done?  It can and will happen, by God's grace.  The math is compelling - we have a massive job to do, but it is a job that can be done.  What holds you back from becoming part of the greatest spiritual initiative in history - launched in Acts 1:8 and today, nearly complete?  Download this PDF to learn how.

The Christian church has access to resources unparalleled in the history of humanity.  Through prayer, creativity, and sacrifice, we could live to see the day when every person on earth has access to the good news of Jesus. We could live to see the day when everyone, everywhere is blessed by the gospel.

Our task is both enormous and personal.  It will take massive coordination on a worldwide level, but that must involve you, personally, and your family.  Complete the Commission is wholehearted sprint toward the finish line of history, when people from every tribe, tongue and nation can gather around God's throne to sing His praise.

Will you choose to join in the challenge, to complete the Commission? 

Our strategy is explained, along with the "numbers" in this PDF document.  Consider printing this out to share with your church, small group, or pastor.  It is time to finish the job Jesus gave us to do!

Spiritual Awakening in India

This interview was recently published in Revive Magazine:

Recently, the Lord allowed me (Dan Jarvis) to visit India to help India Gospel League train village pastors. It was one of the most defining moments of my spiritual life, and I now agree with the adage, "The American church needs India more than India needs the American church"! Revive was able to ask Pastor Samuel Stephens some questions about how God is working in India. 



Spiritually, what is happening in India today?

Samuel: India is definitely experiencing a great spiritual awakening. We saw the first wave in the late 1970s when the gospel was reaching areas that had never heard of Christ before. Large numbers of people began responding to evangelism efforts. This continued through the 80s and 90s. During this period, the Jesus film was used extensively. Miracles were almost the norm in these new areas, heightening people's receptivity level. The church grew rapidly during these years.

In 1992 the India Gospel League initiated a church planting movement called Vision 2000. The goal was to plant 1,000 churches by the year 2000, through the ministry of 200 church planters. Over the next eight years, the number of church plant­ers involved in this initiative as well as the goal kept growing, until over 20,000 churches were planted. Now, ten years later, more than 60,000 such churches have been established in previously unreached villages, and other ministries are also experiencing dramatic results.

Host Your Own Missions Prayer Meeting

Prayer is essential to the completion of our mission!  Would you like to get a few friends together to pray, seek God, and ask Him to transform India (and beyond) with the gospel?  Here's a suggested meeting outline - complete with prayer requests, Bible passages, and suggested meeting plans.  Also, if desired, someone involved with Complete the Commission could join your meeting via Skype video, or in person (if you are in NE Ohio).  This could add a fun dynamic and also allow participants to ask questions, etc.  Here's a suggested meeting outline: