Do They See Christianity Being Lived Out?

A 2001 census stated that 50,671,017 people (Wikipedia) live in the Gujarat State in northwest India. Why is this important? The Joshua Project, which highlights “the ethnic people groups of the world with the least followers of Christ”, estimates that the 743,000 people of Gujarat ancestry live in East Africa –278,000 in Uganda, 153,000 in Kenya, and 312,000 in Tanzania – which means that more than one of our every 70 of this people group live in our part of the world instead of India. The most important fact that Christians need to know is that less than .02 percent of these people worldwide claim our Heavenly Father’s love and salvation.

The large majority (90% plus) of Gujarat and millions more in India and other parts of our world completed celebrating the Hindu Festival of Navratri this past Wednesday and on Thursday, October 9th, celebrated the Festival of Dussehra. Indiasite.com shares that “This hugely popular festival falls on the 10th day of the waxing moon during the Hindu month of Ashvin … A fascinating collection of mythological legends and regional tales are embroidered around Dussehra. On this day, Rama, the god-king and hero of the great Hindu epic, Ramayana, killed the unrighteous Ravana, the 10-headed demon king of Lanka who had abducted Rama’s wife, Sita. It is believed that Lord Rama’s brother Lakshmana, along with an army of monkeys, fought a colossal battle that lasted 10 days. Rama, who was a devout believer of Durga, the Goddess of War, prayed to her for the first nine days of battle and killed the evil Ravana on the 10th day. He shot Ravana with a bow that pierced his navel. Out flowed the nectar of immortality that was stored in a pot in his navel, thus destroying his invincibility. Ravana’s own brother Vibhishana (… he had switched sides) had divulged this secret to Rama … Dussehra is the festival that commemorates this triumph of Good over Evil.”

Did the last paragraph leave you overwhelmed? An answer found at About.com may be even more startling – “What are the major Hindu deities? Hinduism believes that there is only one supreme Absolute called ‘Brahman’. However, it does not advocate the worship of any one particular deity. The gods and goddesses of Hinduism amount to thousands or even millions, all representing the many aspects of Brahman” and they also worship nature including trees, animals, etc.

The Joshua Project shares: “The Gujarati Hindus hope to better their positions in this life and in the life to come by exhibiting charity, being devoted to the gods, and showing mercy to fellow humans and cows … The Bible is available in their language, but the Gujarati must see Christianity lived out. Only then will they understand that true freedom and peace is found in Jesus Christ alone. Prayer alone has the power to release (them) from the bondage of worshipping many gods.”

There is some good news – At least one Baptist group in Nairobi meets monthly to worship in the language of Gujarati. Learn more about the United Church of Gujarat at: http://parklandsgujarati.blogspot.com/ . Then as you praise God for these Christians who desire to be ambassadors of their faith, pray also for those still in the “bondage of worshipping many gods.” Pray that their Christian friends and acquaintances will be strong daily witnesses of their Father’s love and salvation and that all Hindus will come to “understand the true freedom and peace found in Jesus Christ alone.” Bert Yates
Pictures from Wikipedia - top picture is of Early Morning on the Ganges, one of the sacred rivers to Hindus and the lower picture is of a Hindu home temple
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Gujarat State/Wikipedia/census – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarat
Evangelized Gujarat in East Africa/Joshua Project – http://www.joshuaproject.net/peoples.php?rop3=103544
Dussehra Festival/Indiasite.com: http://www.indiasite.com/festivals/dussehra.html
Gujarat People/Joshua Project – http://www.joshuaproject.net/peopctry.php?rop3=103544&rog3=MV
Purpose of Joshua Project – http://www.joshuaproject.net/joshua-project.php
About.com/Number of gods and goddesses – http://hinduism.about.com/od/basics/p/hinduismbasics.htm
United Church of Gujarat, Nairobi, Kenya – http://parklandsgujarati.blogspot.com/