ANSWER
TO YOUR
PRAYER
A Pakistani vendor at the Empress Market in Karachi,
Pakistan.
1МБ
Photo.
the truths about God. In desperation, image
bearers of God fashion a deity in their own
likeness. Others revere, bow down, and
offer gifts to idols of clay, paper, or even a
pile of cow dung they call holy.
People in South Asia live their days in
hopelessness, fear, and desperation. They
worship the way the enemy has deceived
them into worshipping for thousands of
years - bathing in pollution-filled rivers and
sacrificing to false gods. But their idols are
silent. People strive endlessly in theirwor-
ship, yet receive no hope, peace, or life.
Pray for the people of South Asia to “flee
from idolatry," (1 Corinthians 10:14) and
“worship the Father in spirit and truth”
(John 4:23).
Last October, we asked
God to call out laborers to
reach the harvest in India's
global cities. Thank you
for praying! God spurred
on the church in Chennai,
India to spread the gospel
across this city of 12 million
people. Local believers have
shared the gospel with
hundreds of people over
the past several months.
Many lost people have
responded in faith and want
to learn more about God
through studying the Bible.
SOUTH AS AN PEOPLES
Lostness imprisons thousands of South Asian peoples. It stretches from the heights
of the Himalayas to the beaches of the Maldives. Lostness permeates slums and high
rises. It is palpable darkness. It is overwhelming hopelessness and fear. It is true
desperation and incessant and futile worship of everything but the one, true God.
LOSTNESS IN SOUTH ASIA
LOOKS LIKE DESPERATE,
FUTILE WORSHIP
South Asia is home to over 1 .8 bil¬
lion people, including over 600
million Muslims. It's the birthplace of
Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and
Sikhism. The lostness of South Asia
fills megacities and rural villages. The
enemy has deceived some of the most
educated minds on the planet. He has
trapped some of the poorest of the
poor. As followers of Christ, we grieve
the 232,000 people that die each week
and enter an eternity without Christ.
The Bible speaks of eyes that see
yet cannot perceive, ears that hear,
yet do not understand (Isaiah 6:9-1 0;
Mark 4:11-12). These realities were
judgments on Israel, fulfilled in their
rejection of the Savior. Yet, they also
describe the spiritual reality of count¬
less millions in South Asia and around
the world where the god of this age
has blinded the minds of unbelievers
(2 Corinthians 4:4). Left to themselves
they cannot see; their ears are deaf to
OCTOBER 2023
“But the hour is coming,
and is now here, when
the true worshipers will
worship the Father in
spirit and truth, for the
Father is seeking such
people to worship him.”
John 4:23
