​Beloved, in this world many will try to make an utter fool out of you, and try to deceive you with fiction not fact. As an example, just yesterday I was reading that the CEO of Peloton called reports claiming the company is halting production of it's bikes --- to be utter fiction. So, why was the original news story leaked to the press? Deception by competition? Bad reporting? Something else? So what happens when someone lies about you? Or spreads false rumors? We have already discussed the damage which can be caused by gossip, in my message here: http://www.paulsgospel.org/motd/if-you-cannot-say-something-nice 
I try to refrain from posting anything political on these blogs because I have friends on both sides of the aisle I love dearly, but seriously, Donald Trump was right...Fake News is everywhere...!!!

So, what can we do to discern the truth? Jesus said "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and gentle as doves.” Matthew 10:16 The Greek word for "send you out" is apostello [αποστελλω]

The Greek verb apostello [αποστελλω] occurs 132 times in the New Testament. It means to “send away,” “send out,” or “send off.” The noun form is apostolos, which means “one who is sent out” and is the origin of the English word apostle. At least 25 verses in the Bible use apostello to refer to God “sending” Jesus (see Matthew 10:40; Mark 9:37; Luke 9:48; John 3:17). Another 28 verses use apostello to refer to God or Jesus sending someone or something (see Matthew 10:16; Mark 11:1; Luke 9:2; John 17:18).

Matthew 10:16 is not just true for the early disciples, it is true for us today as well. Each day as we go out into the world (are sent out into the world as Apostles, Saints of the Church) as we go through our daily lives, we are operating in the world among wolves. Wolves are aggressive predators who intentionally try to bring harm to their prey and they love to kill and eat sheep. Sheep on the other hand are weak and vulnerable, and without their shepherd, they cannot survive the wolf’s attack. Like sheep, we must carefully obey the instructions of our shepherd Jesus and stay close to Him in prayer if we are to survive the cunning wolf. 

He takes two animals whose characteristics are complete opposite, and instructs us to mirror them. The serpent is the very beast that the Devil used to cause Adam and Eve to sin against God in the Garden. The Bible presents the snake as the symbol of evil power and chaos while a dove is the symbol of purity and innocence. Why does Jesus take such polar opposites to prepare us to survive? Both animals represent characteristics that we need as Christians if we are going to overcome the daily predatory aggression of the enemy. If we act like the serpent, we will be used by the Devil to bring harm to others and if we act like the dove, the evil one will eat us for lunch...! If we operate in both, we will manifest a blended personality trait that will be able to fight off the works of the devil. Alone, the wisdom of the serpent is mere cunning, and the harmlessness of the dove little better than weakness: but in combination, the wisdom of the serpent would save them from unnecessary exposure to danger; the harmlessness of the dove, from sinful expedients to escape it. In the apostolic age of Christianity, how harmoniously were these qualities displayed! Instead of the fanatical thirst for martyrdom, to which a later age gave birth, there was a manly combination of unflinching zeal and calm discretion, before which nothing was able to stand.

Believer, the Bible has many, many warnings about being in debt. 

"My son, don’t make yourself responsible for the debts of others. Don’t make such deals with friends or strangers. If you do, your words will trap you. You will be under the power of other people, so you must go and free yourself. Beg them to free you from that debt. Don’t wait to rest or sleep. Escape from that trap like a deer running from a hunter. Free yourself like a bird flying from a trap." Proverbs 6:1-5

"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender." Proverbs 22:7

"For the Lord your God will bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you." Deuteronomy 15:6

"The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow." Deuteronomy 28:12

"At the end of every seven years you shall grant a remission of debts. This is the manner of remission: every creditor shall release what he has loaned to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother, because the Lord’s remission has been proclaimed." Deuteronomy 15:2 
(This, by the way, forms the basis of the loan forgiveness and Bankruptcy laws in our nation.)

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law." Romans 13:8

Beloved, never spend more than you earn, and live conservatively.  Never incur indebtedness. The only things you should ever have loans for are homes or cars or college student loans, and then again, only if the interest rate on the loan is less than 5 percent. If you choose to have credit cards, pay them off every month. If you cannot, chip away on paying off your credit cards every month until you have no balances left on those. Then, close out the ones you don't use or don't foresee using in the future. A credit card is a bank loan --- generally with an interest rate of at least 12 percent ---which is quadruple what you would normally pay for a home or auto  loan. People with bad credit can be charged up to 30 percent interest --- ten times the rate of a normal bank loan for a car. Credit Cards, when not paid off in full every month, can be as dangerous to your financial health as COVID or Cigarettes or large amounts of alcohol to your bodily health. Remember what I said earlier about loans? The road to sorrow and grief begins with a loan and ends in poverty. Contribute the most you are able, to your 401Ks every paycheck, and max out your IRAs every year. Use a good accountant and have your taxes professionally done by a good accountant. I have used H&R Block every year for over a decade and am very happy with their services. A good tax pro is critical and will save you a lot of money over the long haul. If you are financially savvy, do your own investing, otherwise hire a good Financial Advisor.

I cannot over-emphasize this...if you want to do God's work, learn humility first. If you are not humble, the LORD will forcefully humble you. What about this is unclear to you? Become humble and stay humble. If God Blesses you with plenty, do not show it off, but instead Praise and Thank God for the plenty He has given you. "thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over." Instead of buying that huge house and that fancy car, be content with an average home and drive your car for years until it falls apart. (Unless you have a large family and need that huge house!!!) Never show off your wealth. Always tithe (give 10 percent to the Church) the first-fruits of your labor, save the next twenty percent and live on seventy percent of your take-home income. (The 10/20/70 rule) 

...don't say anything at all. Our parents taught us this for manners when we were kids. However, did you know that this is also Biblical? Scripture says "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." Colossians 4:5
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29
"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger" James 1:19

Just as we have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23) and needed Christ to come along and bear our sins on the Cross to save us, we have each broken this cardinal rule of manners for speech, and with it, at one time or another in our lives, put our proverbial foot in our mouth. This is very easy to do, as we are each wired to talk. Communicating comes easy to us. Yet, our words can be used to tear people down or to build them up. It is extremely easy to tear people down --- to show them in a bad light, or to destroy their morale. However, to build them up takes a lot of time and effort. Just as it is extremely easy to bomb a City into oblivion and flatten it, but very difficult to build a thriving town from the ground-up, it is very easy to destroy the morale, reputation and credibility of an individual, but much harder to build people up. How easy is it to take a hammer and smash an exquisitely hand-crafted Rolex into smithereens...how  much time and how much effort does it take for a watchman to build one from parts?

Unfortunately, words are like arrows in a quiver. Once you let one go, you cannot take it back, so be very careful about what you say to people. God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason --- so we should listen more, and speak less. Lord knows I have made my share of blunders over the years and then regretted it later. Hence, back to what our parents taught us...if you cannot say something nice, don't say anything at all. 

"A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul." Proverbs 18:7
"The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of the fool invites destruction." Proverbs 10:14
"An evil man is trapped by his rebellious speech, but a righteous man escapes from trouble." Proverbs 12:13
"He who guards his mouth protects his life, but the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin." Proverbs 13:3
"The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him." Ecclesiastes 10:12

Even more can be said about avoiding gossip. Here is a story I first heard from one of my Pastors years ago, but is also repeated here: https://moralstories26.com/short-stories-on-rumors-wise-judge/ I am summarizing for the sake of brevity:

"Once an old man spread rumors that his neighbor was a thief. As a result, the young man was arrested. Days later the young man was proven innocent. After being released he sued the old man for wrongly accusing him.

In the court the old man told the Judge: “They were just comments, they didn’t harm anyone.” The judge told the old man: “Write all the things you said about him on a piece of paper. Cut them up and on the way home, throw the pieces of paper out your car window as you drive. Tomorrow, come back to hear the sentence.”

The next day, the judge told the old man: “Before receiving the sentence, you will have to go out and gather all the pieces of paper that you threw out yesterday.”

The old man said: “I can’t do that! The wind spread them and I won’t know where to find them.”

The judge then replied: “In the same manner, simple words may destroy the reputation of an innocent man to such an extent that one is not able to fix it. If you can’t speak well of someone, rather don’t say anything at all.”

Moral of the Story: Let’s all be masters of our mouths, so that we won’t be slaves of our words. Don't blame anyone without knowing fact or truth. Your words may ruin someone's reputation without any fault of theirs....or even ruin their lives. 

I first wrote about this topic on August 4th, 2021 here (http://www.paulsgospel.org/motd/on-integrity) Satan is often called the accuser of the Brethren (Brothers in Christ) because he lays false accusations upon the Saints (the elect, the chosen, the people of God, us.) Satan wants to snatch us from the arms of Jesus, but he does not realize that we are Chosen and elect and Sealed with the Holy Spirit:

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." [1 Peter 2:9] 

"In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory." [Ephesians 1:13-14]

So while you have to be incredibly careful, remember that Jesus has already won! 

"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. [Ephesians 1:13-14]

Beloved, all it takes to defeat Satan is one prayer --- One prayer in Jesus' Name, that's all. As I mentioned in my previous article on the subject, Satan is the accuser of the brethren. He accuses us of our sins before God. Satan doesn't want God to extend grace and forgiveness to us, nor does He want us to receive God's grace. However, Satan is defeated already...! He was defeated at Calvary when Jesus was nailed to the Cross and died for our sins.

"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. [Revelation 12:10]

Hence, we are presented Holy and Blameless before God, having the Righteousness of Christ imputed to us.
To be holy (ἅγιος; hagios) means to be dedicated, pure and set apart from sin; not only in our position before the Lord, but also practically in our relationships with other people. To be blameless (ἄμωμος; amomos) means to be without fault or defect.

"God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." [2 Corinthians 5:21]

So beloved, as Christians we must therefore continue to walk Holy and Blameless in His sight, for such a great sacrifice was made for us. He bore the cost of our sin on the Cross --- something we must never take for granted, or lightly. We have Salvation and Eternal Life through Him who loved us and knew us before we were even born. 

There is a personal injury attorney who works out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin by the name of David Gruber. His firm has a catchy slogan running on his television advertisements...ONE CALL, THAT'S ALL. His claim to fame is that with one call he is able to fix, restore, and assist folks wronged, and who may be due compensation arising out of any sort of personal injury, whether automobile, wrongful death, slip-and-fall, dog bites, or otherwise. One call, and his firm takes care of it for you.

So I was travelling internationally recently and scheduled to fly back into the US on January 11th. On January 10th the situation looked grim for travel everywhere. COVID cases were rising, and the country I was visiting as well as the United States had instituted lockdowns and stringent COVID testing procedures and timelines. New CDC guidelines made it mandatory that COVID RT-PCR testing had to be completed no more than 24 hours prior to re-entry into the US. The morning I was to fly back, I placed the video call to E-Med, and discovered to my horror and dismay that the COVID tests I had packed in my suitcase for testing for the flight back home had expired, even though I had just recently purchased them. Apparently these guided and proctored tests only have a shelf life of sixty days, and there is no expiration date listed on the box, only a LOT NO on the box that you need to reference against a spreadsheet on their website....how would the average consumer even know to do this before departure? So here I was in a foreign country, feeling stuck, not knowing where to turn for help. There would be no way I'd be able to catch my flight back home that night. I was in a remote area of the country I was visiting, scheduled to fly back to the capital city, then back home to the US. In a panic I began calling everyone I knew. Nobody knew of a lab offering rapid RT-PCR testing in this remote town. I was sure I'd miss my flight and be delayed returning home. Everything looked sure to go wrong and delay my return. 

Well, in the midst of my fear and anxiety, I remembered who my LORD, SAVIOR and MASTER was. It was none other than the guy who walked on water --- Jesus. So I bowed down and prayed "Dear God, if it be your will, please change this situation, and let me get on this flight tonight and be home on time. In Jesus' precious name I pray, Amen." ONE PRAYER, THAT'S ALL...!!! Within moments, all the ducks lined up. The town's most famous physiotherapist called back with a referal to the owner of the nearest town's largest COVID testing lab. Within a half hour a sample collection technician was at the residence where I was staying and collected my sample and promised to return results to me by that evening. I headed to the international airport confident that I would receive a report, positive or negative.  Sure enough by 5:30PM that evening the report was in my hand, and I breathed a sigh of relief seeing a negative result. Praise and Thank God! I quickly uploaded the report to the airline, and was checked in for my flight home that night. 

One prayer is all it took to turn the situation around. Beloved, have you ever been in a situation where the odds looked impossible? Did you ever stop to pray in that situation, and watch God work miracles on your behalf? If you haven't, try praying the next time you find yourself in a pickle...but better yet, why not talk to God when you are not in need of Him? Pray, and Pray often. "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thesalonians 5:16-18 If you pray when everything is going well in your life, your prayers will be more in the form of Thanksgiving and Praise for all you are Blessed with. You will then form an intimate friendship with God, and it won't be so difficult for you to come before Him with requests when you are in need of Him. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by Prayer and Supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Would I buy these E-Med COVID test kits in the future? Absolutely, I would. Would I now know to check the LOT NO on the box against the spreadsheet on their website before I depart, to make sure the tests were not expired? YES. So should you....! 

This is a massively vast subject, and not one I could probably do justice to, however, I will try. Beloved, if you have believed upon the name of Jesus, you must be Baptized. If you were Baptized as a baby because your denomination believes in baby Baptisms, then technically you are Baptized and you do not need to go through the ritual again, however, many Churches in the non-denominational Evangelical Protestant movement  encourage you to get Baptized as an adult when you believe upon the name of Jesus and are ready to accept Him as the Lord, Savior and Master of your life.  

Indeed the Bible calls for us to be Baptized when we believe. So, what exactly is Baptism? 

Baptism is the process of dying to your old self and experiencing a new Birth in Jesus Christ. When you are Baptized you leave your old world, your old habits, your old self behind and become new. You declare that the old James, the old Michael, the old Russel, the old Sam, the old Brittany, the old Mary, the old Peggy, the old Rachel, the old Susan, the old Patty, is gone and the new one is born. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” [2 Corinthians 5:17]

When you are Baptized, the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you are sealed with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit begins to work on your character and in your life in order to bring about true transformation in order to mold and shape you in the likeness of Christ. You are then considered to be "Born Again"

Baptism is also a change in familial legal status in numerous respects. You get a new Father  --- God --- ABBA --- LORD --- The Alpha and the Omega --- the Creator of all the Universe to whom you now have free access in prayer through another new relative --- an elder brother called Jesus (did you know you had an elder brother with a Middle-Eastern name?) and a new family of brothers and sisters in Christ approximately 2 Billion strong across the world. (Data sourced from https://www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/global-christianity-exec/ ) In many countries around the world where babies are given non-Christian names by their parents, it is very common to undergo a legal name change along with Baptism, from an old, non-Christian name to a new Christian name, signifying death of the old self and birth of the new self.  

Baptism --- The Scriptural Reference

The term “born again” refers to a new beginning in the relationship between God and the person who is born again. [John 3:​3, 7] God adopts those born again as his children. [Romans 8:​15, 16; Galatians 4:5; 1 John 3:1] Similar to those who are legally adopted, they experience a change of status, becoming part of God’s family. [2 Corinthians 6:​18] Jesus said: “Unless anyone is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” [John 3:3] So being born again prepares a person to rule with Christ in God’s Kingdom. This Kingdom rules from heaven, so the Bible describes the “new birth” as providing an inheritance that is “reserved in the Heavens.” [1 Peter 1:​3, 4] Those who are born again are given the assurance that they will “rule together as Kings” with Christ. [2 Timothy 2:​12; 2 Corinthians 1:​21, 22]. When Jesus discussed the subject, he said that those born again would be “Born from Water and the Holy Spirit.” [John 3:5] This expression refers to Baptism in water followed by Baptism with the Holy Spirit.​ [Acts 1:5; 2:​1-4] Jesus was the first person to be born again. He was Baptized in the Jordan River, after which God anointed (or, Baptized) him with Holy Spirit. Jesus was thus born again by the Holy  Spirit as a son of God with the hope of returning to life in heaven. [Mark 1:​9-​11] God fulfilled this hope by resurrecting Jesus as a spirit.​ [Acts 13:33]

Adult Baptism --- the Process

The word “baptize” comes from the Greek word baptizo (βαπτίζω) which means “to immerse or dip under water”. In Adult Baptism, a Pastor Baptizes you by submerging you under water (signifying death to the old self) and after a brief while bringing you up out of the water (signifying new Birth) The process of Baptism is generally witnessed by the entire Church family who are asked to walk alongside the individual being Baptized, for the remainder of their life, and help, guide, and support the individual getting Baptized.  

Caveat and Caution 

I cannot stress this enough --- An individual must genuinely desire radical change in their life before they are a candidate for Adult Baptism. They must repent of their sins and ask God for forgiveness and ask Jesus to come into their life to be their LORD, Savior and Master. 
At the least, Baptism must include (a) genuine repentance for sin, and turning away from their sin, and (b) the beginning of genuine change and transformation in character to the likeness of Christ. This is generally the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives and takes time.

I have decided to follow Jesus --- No turning back, no turning back. 
​
There is a very famous song which I have heard played at many Baptisms whose lyrics go something like this: I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back. The world behind me, the Cross before me, no turning back, no turning back. I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back. Here is a link to this very famous song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRb769P50IQ
The great revival in Wales about 150 years ago resulted in many missionaries travelling all over the world  to spread the Gospel. One particular region of the world was particularly hostile to Christians. This region had hundreds of aggressive tribes who as a sign of greatness in their tribe would take the head of their enemies and hang them on their walls. The missionaries were not welcome by these tribes. However they knew that they were called by God and continued to share the Gospel amidst severe opposition. One missionary was successful in converting a man, his wife and two children. As a result many other villagers turned to Jesus. This angered the village chief and he summoned all the villagers. He demanded the man and his family who were first converted to renounce their faith in public or face death. 
Touched by the Holy spirit the man said:
“I have decided to follow Jesus.”
The chief ordered his archers to shoot the two children. The arrows pierced the boys and they fell to the ground. He asked the man again...will you deny your faith? You have lost both your children. You will lose your wife too.”
But the man replied:
“Though no one joins me, still I will follow.”
The chief was full of fury and ordered the wife to be shot down.
The chief then asked him for the final time to deny his faith and live.
In the face of death the man said the final memorable lines:
“The cross before me, the world behind me. No turning back.”
He was shot dead like the rest of his family.
The faith of this man triggered a revival in the village, starting with the Chief who could not understand why   this man, his wife and their two children would die for a Man who lived some 2,000 years ago in another continent. So he too wanted to encounter that faith. In due course of time the Holy Spirit touched him and in a spontaneous confession of faith, he declared, “I too belong to Jesus Christ!” When the villagers heard their Chief confessing his faith in Jesus the entire village accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior

​How many times can I be Baptized?


Although it takes only one Baptism to be counted as a Christian, some decide to be Baptized multiple times, and there is nothing wrong with that. I was Baptized thrice, at three different Churches. 

Is there a legal document proving Baptism?

Yes, there is a Certificate issued to folks who are Baptized. Two of mine are shown below as examples:

The Mission Field --- The most difficult challenge in all of Christiandom

In all the Christian Ministries, the most difficult work anywhere, in my opinion, has got to be the Mission Field. The work becomes even more difficult when you travel to a non-Christian majority nation and attempt to make disciples there. Yet, many are not only brave enough to do it, but do it for years at a time as a part of their call to the Ministry. Indeed it is an integral part of our Faith, and many choose to do it because they feel led by the Holy Spirit to obey “The Great Commission” which is the commandment that Jesus gave us after He was resurrected: “Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;  they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:14-18

My personal experience of research in this area has been the country of India where the majority of the folks are Hindu, a small percentage Muslim, and the remainder scattered between Christian, Sikhs, Buddhist, Jains, and no declared religion. It is interesting to find that the Christian population in the country has remained steady between 1951 and today, a mere 2.3 percent. (Data sourced from the Pew Research Center  https://www.pewforum.org/2021/09/21/religious-composition-of-india/  Indeed the article states that Hindus made up 79.8% of India’s 1.2 billion total inhabitants in the most recent census, conducted in 2011. That is 0.7 percentage points less than in the previous census in 2001, and 4.3 points below the 84.1% recorded in 1951. Meanwhile, the share of Muslims grew from 13.4% in 2001 to 14.2% in 2011 – up by a total of 4.4 percentage points since 1951, when the census found that Muslims comprised 9.8% of India’s population. Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains, who together make up nearly all of the remaining 6% of the population, were relatively stable in their shares since the 1951 census.

In my frequent travels to India, I have met Christian missionaries and residents from numerous denominations --- Jehovah’s Witnesses, The Mormons (who call their missionaries Elders) non-denominational Protestants, Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, and others, all who attempt to carry on Church Services, Fellowship and Bible Studies as though they were in a Christian-majority nation. Fortunately, India has thus far (other than the occasional disruptive event) been largely accepting of Christians and Christianity as well as all the other religions which have thus far attempted to worship and grow here. However, this may not remain the case over the long haul if the Indian Government feels that a second religion is challenging the dominant Hindu religion here. However, there are glimmers of hope, even here. In the Indian State of Andhra Pradesh, a full 25 (twenty five) percent of residents claim to be Christians. India is home to some really beautiful old historic Churches and Cathedrals, dating back to the period of the British and French occupation of the country.  It should be noted that even though Christians and Christianity comprise of only 2.3 percent of the population, that number makes up 28 Million Christians in a country with a population of 1.2 Billion people. While this may not sound much, realize that the number of people who claim to be Christian in India surpass the number of all residents living in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana combined. Yes, the number of people residing here in this small, densely populated country is absolutely mind-blowing, and jars the psyche. 

Here are the Challenges in the Mission Field as it pertains to India:   

1. Resistance to Change. It has always worked for me this way, and these are the God/Gods I have always worshipped. Why should I change? Convince me that Jesus is real and that Christianity is better or superior to my religion. This is an argument you hear often. The problem with this argument is that other than to narrate the story of Creation and the Bible, and what Jesus did for us on the Cross, there is absolutely nothing else a missionary can do to bring someone to faith in Christ, except to pray for the person. As Christians we know that the Holy Spirit must work within a person before they generally accept Christ. However, as Bill Hybels once said, you can push the door of acceptance to Christ open just a little bit more, and it may take many people over the course of a lifetime to do so before the door is finally fully open for Christ to walk through it.  We can do our small part in conveying the message, but it often takes many messengers to make real change happen.  
2. No concept of sin. How can you convince a person that they need to be saved of their sins when they live in a society where sin is not a concept. That is like selling mosquito repellant or snake-venom antidote to an Eskimo in Alaska. There is no perceived need to be saved from one’s sins because the concept of sin doesn’t exist. There is a concept of right and wrong, and actions and consequences, however, there is largely no concept of sin. Hence no concept of the need to be saved from your sins or having to give account to God for your sins.
3. The Hindu concept of Karma. The Hindu concept of Karma is that when you die your soul takes on another body and you return as another creature or person. If your deeds in this life are bad, you may return as a snake or as a mongoose or as a rat or something dreadful, and if your deeds are good, you return as a human being with greater rank, comfort and privileges than your current life, and this cycle of Birth, death and rebirth continue endlessly until you finally achieve Nirvana (Salvation) and are one with God. Seriously? Do I want to be reborn and re-attempt life a million times until I get it right, when Jesus promises us instant Salvation when we believe upon Him?
4. The majority imperative and ease. It is extremely easy to go along with the majority of people in your county and believe what they believe than to go “against the grain” and be different. It requires a kind of grit and determination and stick-to-it-iveness which many don’t have. It is easy to cave in, to pressure by friends, relatives and others around you who are not believers and relapse into old habbits and the old way of thinking, Indeed the pressure to conform can be a huge factor in backsliding into a person’s former religion.
5. Plurality in Religions. The concept that all religions lead to the same God, is extremely prevalent in the Hindu religion. Many Hindus will read the Bible, acknowledge that Jesus was the Son of God, or at least a Prophet, and then claim that all religions and all paths lead to the same God and go back to their idol worship. They seem to conveniently ignore or misbelieve John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
6. Persecution. While it is fortunate that India does not persecute Christians and allows us to gather and worship as we please, it is extremely difficult to do so in other nations, especially in Muslim-majority nations where Christians are severely beaten, tortured and even killed for their beliefs. The Martyred Church has had many strong believers who would rather give up their lives than renounce Christ, and I have discussed some of these in my posts over the years.

 
 
These are just a few of the challenges of the mission field in India. The Churches, Seminaries and Fellowships which are succeeding and gathering large followings seem to generally be tucked away in distant rural areas, away from the large Cities where they may gather the scrutiny of the press and the mobs which gather from time to time to enact or inflict damage upon anything they perceive as a threat to their old ways of doing things.
 
How can you help?

1. I would encourage all Christians to consider picking a country (any country) and financially supporting a missionary outreach cause there.
2. I would encourage all Christians to spend at least six months over the course of their lives to give of themselves --- their time, talent and treasure, in the Mission Field.

 

​Beloved, along with loving the LORD your God with all your heart, soul and mind, the LORD desires us to be humble, and walk in humility. Indeed the scripture is full of admonisions about being proudful, haughty and arrogant: 

"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" Proverbs 16:18 
"The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverted speech, I hate" Proverbs 8:13
"When pride comes, then comes dishonor; but with the humble there is wisdom" Proverbs 11:2
"O man, what is good...and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to  do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" Micah 6:6-8
"The Lord tears down the house of the proud, but maintains the widow's boundaries" Proverbs 15:25
"The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor" Proverbs 15:33
"All those who are arrogant are an abomination to the Lord; be assured, they will not go unpunished" Proverbs 16:5
"A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor" Proverbs 29:23
"Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor" Proverbs 18:12
"Haughty eyes and a proud heart - the lamp of the wicked - are sin" Proverbs 21:4
"The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life" Proverbs 22:4

Even the Apostle Paul had a thing or two to say about humility...
"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." Philippians 2:3

Beloved, I cannot over-emphasize this...if you want to do God's work, learn humility first. If you are not humble, the LORD will forcefully humble you. What about this is unclear to you? Become humble and stay humble. If God Blesses you with plenty, do not show it off, but instead Praise and Thank God for the plenty He has given you. "thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over." Instead of buying that huge house and that fancy car, be content with an average home (unless you have a large family and need a huge house!) and drive your car for years until it falls apart. Never show off your wealth. Always tithe (give 10 percent to the Church) the first-fruits of your labor, save the next twenty percent and live on seventy percent of your take-home income. (The 10/20/70 rule) Always walk with your head bowed low in reverence to the LORD, and give honor to both those who deserve it, and to those who do not. Remember, the LORD sees all and knows all. He is Omniscient and OmniPresent. You cannot hide from Him. The maker of the world knew you before you were born. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you..." Jeremiah 1:5