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January/February 1989 It is Not Easy to See Very Far Ahead at this Point in World History Two Great Study Bibles -- An Missions Cooperation in Evangelism and the Lausanne Covenat ACMC Prepares to Mobilize 6000 Churches by AD 2000
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A Tale of Two Cities India, a vast land of unimaginable diversity, is known as a Hindu nation. Yet not all of India’s millions bow to idols. Hidden among masses of Hindus, and virtually neglected by missionary efforts, lie more than one hundred million Muslims. Some unofficial estimates suggest that as many Muslims live in India as in the entire Arab world! In the following pages we will describe some of the Muslim communities in two major Indian cities. Names of individuals have been changed. DELHI More than one million of these people are Muslims. Unlike nominal Muslims in countries where they are the majority, many Delhi Muslims are devout adherents to Islam. When the call to prayer sounds out across the city five times a day, many men head for the mosques with white caps on for prayer. Women at home faithfully read their Quran and bow in prayer toward Mecca. Even so, a caste system and the use of charms and spiritual mediators indicate the influence of Hinduism on Indian Islam. Dehli Muslims themselves, however, display vast diversities. Cultural, educational, and economic differences divide them into distinct groups with limited interaction. Separate church-planting efforts are needed if all these groups are to be reached. In a sense, all North Indian Muslims look to Delhi as the focal point of Islam. Because of this, if a church movement were birthed among Dehli’s Muslims, it could well ripple across the more than one hundred million Muslims of India. Old Delhi Muslims Many Old Delhi Muslims pray daily at the mosque. Their Islamic steadfastness is seen in their high regard for the Quran and its teachings. The women almost always wear the bourdka, a black veil that covers from head to foot for modesty. Children also go to the mosque regularly to learn how to pray and chant the Quran in Arabic. New Delhi Muslims Many New Delhi Muslims believe the study of Islam is an important part of their education. Even though they are financially successful and modernizing, they still choose to devoutly follow the Islamic faith and practices. Their high morals and community concern have earned them the respect of other Muslims in Delhi. A breakthrough among New Delhi Muslims may well have long-reaching effects. They have strong influence on the education and direction of the younger generation. Because of their good reputation and strong family ties in various North Indian towns, an exciting spread of the gospel could occur if New Delhi Muslims came to Christ. East Delhi Muslims Thirty to forty thousand middle-class Muslim businessmen are drawn to East Delhi by opportunities to make money. The owners of small manufacturing or retail enterprises, they seldom interact with Muslims across the river and mostly befriend other East Delhi businessmen. However, their closest ties remain with relatives in the villages from which they have come. East Delhi Muslims can read and write— unlike their illiterate, hired workers. But they are less educated and more traditional than modernized Muslims settling in New Delhi. East Delhi Muslims are more concerned with immediate financial success than with higher education. Because of these values, other Delhi Muslims consider East Delhi businessmen to be uncultured and ignorant. Poor Laborers Many laborers come to Delhi from villages in surrounding states. They either sleep in the factory where they work or rent a small room with other workers. Their earnings, which are sent back to families, are much more than they could make in the villages. They try to visit their families as often as possible, and eventually they move their families to Delhi, where they usually live in small thatched huts or rented rooms. These shelters seldom provide electricity or plumbing. These laborers have little time to carry out the daily obligations of a good Muslim. Many also lack knowledge of Islamic teachings and add superstitions to their religious practices. Prayer Focus Pray for the salvation of India’s highest Islamic leader, Shahi Imam Buchari, living in Delhi. A movement beginning in Delhi could turn North India upside down. Pray for a powerful Muslim convert church to arise in Delhi among those with the greatest potential to influence other Muslims. Pray that God’s people would take advantage of the Delhi Muslims’ rare openness to Christians. BOMBAY Churches in Bombay are filled with Catholics and converted Hindus, but devoid of converted Muslims. Ever since the Muslims invaded India 800 years ago, the situation has remained the same: no generation of Muslims has yet been reached with the gospel. The need for compassionate, committed Christians to live and share the good news with Bombay Muslims is great, but no one is doing it. Each day thousands of Bombay Muslims make their way to mosques to pray. Islam teaches them to ceremonially wash before each of their five daily prayers. Many of these Muslims earnestly seek to know the one true God, yet they fail to recognize their need for an intercessor between man and God. They reject the idea that to be clean before God, men must be washed in Christ’s blood. Unknowingly, they are following a path that leads to eternity apart from God! So each day the process continues… Bombay’s Muslims making their way to their mosques, washing five times a day, but never really becoming clean. Several culturally distinct Muslim groups live in this city of ten million people. They include: The Memons For 500 years Memons have followed Islam. Today they remain untouched by the Gospel. Will another 500 years pass before they have an opportunity to follow Christ? Not necessarily. Memon churches could become a reality. If the Indian church and Christians throughout the world will wholeheartedly seek God on their behalf, thousands of Memons could well decide to follow Jesus. Rev. 7:9 promises that there will be Memons before the throne of God. Pray this into being! The Isna Ashri “His Holiness” Al-Moosavi Saheb heads the Shia Isna Ashri sect for all India and southeast Asia. He maintains personal contact with Khomeini and in his friendly, personable way serves as administrator and spiritual leader for this Muslim sect in Bombay. He has persuaded Muslims from other sects to become Shia Isna Ashri and has stated his regret that money is not presently available to send out foreign missionaries. The Malayalis Nevertheless, there is reason for hope for the thousands of Malayalis and other Muslim migrants in Bombay. Compared to others, they have an amazing amount of freedom in their lives since they are not bound by the restrictions of normal family life. This freedom, coupled with the loneliness of separation from family, makes migrants ripe for the gospel. The Bohras THE INDIAN CHURCH The church in Delhi and Bombay has a largely traditional and Western flavor. Many churches show little signs of life, and few have organized outreaches. Some fellowships are growing, rarely because of conversions, but mostly due to South Indian Christians moving to these cities. Several Christian communities exist, but they lack a concern for reaching their Muslim neighbors. The few evangelical churches in Delhi and Bombay do desire to see Muslims come to Christ, but they spend most of their effort on feeding those within the flock. Most evangelistic outreach is focused on those who are Christian by heritage, not by faith. Some believers may desire to reach out to Muslims, but they do not know how to begin. Even if Muslims did find Christ, they would not fit into the culture of existing churches. By becoming Christians, Muslims would be forced unnecessarily to leave their culture and embrace a “Christian” one. In turn, Indian Christians have historically been suspicious of any Muslim who turns to Jesus. The prevailing attitude is that Muslims will always resist the gospel, and that those who profess to believe are probably insincere. Also, most Indian Christians do not see the need for Muslim converts to have churches that are culturally suitable for them. Mission agencies run by South Indian Christians are doing solid cross-cultural work. But as yet, none are known to have targeted Muslims in their work. Prayer Requests Javed of East Delhi
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