“If we can impact Uttar Pradesh with the gospel, then we will impact all of North India,” remarks one of our local pastors serving in this massive and spiritually lost state. Last week, we prayed for God’s protection and peace as all of India anticipated the dedication of the Ram temple. The events surrounding this past week have ignited unimaginable hostility. Media captured saffron-colored crowds demolishing the crosses on churches and erecting flags of Ram. In unison, the mob declared, “Praise be to Ram”.
This week, as we called and talked to our local pastors in this province, it became apparent that your constant and continual prayers are a vital component in the transformative work of Uttar Pradesh. The dedication of the temple was not an isolated event. Many of our pastors stated that Christian-owned businesses were forced to close their doors in the months and weeks leading up to last Monday. Local authorities have begun paroling outside of church gatherings to inflict intimidation. Records show that authorities arrested over 300 pastors under the anticonversion law in the last six months. Within the last few weeks, a radical Hindu extremist group has stormed church gatherings and falsely accused believers of crimes to sentence them to prison. And these events are only growing more common as the days pass. Pray for the boldness of believers and for the wicked attempts of evil to be thwarted.
Prayers for Uttar Pradesh are essential to reaching North India. If this Indian state were a country, it would be the sixth most populous country in the world. Many of India’s leaders come from this state. And with less than one percent of people being Christians, we, as believers in Jesus, must be committed to praying for God’s kingdom and will to come and transform this place.
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