In July of this year, D____ was
murdered for his Christian faith by a group of radical Hindus, hung from the
rafters of his own home while his wife was forced to flee. This chilling story
roused concern, prayer, and support for his young widow, who was nine months
pregnant at the time of the murder. You
may read the former blog by clicking here.
Second-century Church father
Tertullian famously wrote, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” The history of the early Church illustrated
this fact—persecution, even killings, served only to fortify the faith of
believers and caused the church to grow even more rapidly.
What was true then is true even
now. Recent news from Odisha tells, as
Paul Harvey used to say, “the rest of the story.” S_____ (name withheld to protect her from
further persecution) refused, even in the earliest moments, to recant her
Christian faith. Though she and her husband had only been Christians for less
than a year, S____ insisted on a Christian burial for him. Family and neighbors pressured her to follow
Hindu tradition: anyone killed by hanging must be cremated. Indeed, this was likely the intention of the murderers
when they chose that method of his death.
An intrepid pastor conducted a
Christian funeral and burial, which certainly inflamed the ire of some Hindus.
But others, touched by her tremendous courage, must have wondered what would
make her so staunch in her beliefs. As
is often the case, that curiosity provided an opening for the gospel message.
To date, 40 people have professed
faith in Jesus Christ and have received baptism! This is in contradiction to the intent of the
Hindus to intimidate and stamp out Christians in the small village. A vibrant
church has been planted, and worship is now being led by their pastor, a
graduate of ER’s School of Evangelism in Odisha.
S______’s faith, her courageous
obedience to the cross, and her stalwart testimony has brought transformation
to the lives of many people and the light of the gospel where once there was only
darkness. Will you join Evangelism
Resources in supporting S______ and this fledgling church in prayer? Pray for
protection as they continue to stand against the onslaught of hatred from
persecutors, and pray that even some of the murderers might come to faith in
Christ.
