Our Body in Orissa

Not many Christians in America know about the vicious violence against their brothers and sisters in Christ that broke out in Orissa, India in August. But the magnitude of their sufferings is horrific. As of today, hundreds of Christian homes and churches have been demolished or burned to the ground, and estimates put the total number of Christians murdered near 50. Close to 20,000 Christians are living in unsafe refugee camps and more are hiding in jungles.

As the killings spread out to nearby states, little has been done by the Indian government (local and State) to improve the situation. I am wondering if and when our major media will pick up this news and report it as they are supposed to? Since Christian persecution has never been their forte, the answer might be "never." However, we, as Christians, can do a lot for our own body. The Bible says that the body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body (1 Corinthians 12:12).

During my prayer time this morning, my eyes laid upon this scripture in 2 Timothy 3, "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." Do you know that those believers in India live righteously and follow Jesus boldly even if it cost them their lives? That's why the Hindu extremists are filled with jealousy and hate towards them. The Hindus murdered our brothers in the most gruesome ways. They set fire to homes when Christians were inside. They ordered them not to return home unless they converted back to Hinduism and paid a huge fine to perform a conversion ceremony. One elderly man was forced to burn his own Bible in front of everyone. The Hindu mobs demanded that pastors and Christians stop converting local people and slaughtering cows because cows are considered sacred in Hinduism. A young woman who tried to stop the mob from attacking children in an orphanage was thrown alive into a burning building.

What will you do if parts of your body are set on fire? I don't believe you would just sit and let your whole body burn. I also believe that the Church needs to step up and help their family in a crisis like this. Paul wrote to the Romans and gave this instruction, "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love." And "Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn."

You can easily do what Apostle Paul did by devoting yourself to the body of Christ now! Prayer is our first weapon as Christians. Pray fervently that the Lord will protect and comfort Christians who are suffering in India. Pray that despite the horrid situation, the number of believers in India would grow. You can also send your financial help to Christian organizations to help rebuild homes, orphanages, and churches that were destroyed. Write to the media to inform them of this situation and request that the crisis be immediately reported to the world. Lastly, you can contact Indian government officials to ask for protection of Christians in Orissa and request that the Christians are treated fairly.

For more information and an update on Orissa Christians, please check International Christian Concern and Gospel for Asia websites.

This article appears on International Christian Concern's Blog.