Abdul has spent all of his 23 years in Baisi, a town of about 10,000 people in Bihar, India. As we arrived in Baisi we asked several different men if there were any Christians or churches nearby and most of them gave us boastful variations of “No, this place is only Muslims and some Hindus, there are no Christians here. If you want a church you should go to Purnia.” (Purnia is a city about 25 miles away.)
Baisi is a town locally famous for being a stronghold of Islam; young men from across the region come there to be trained in the ways of Islam. Yet somehow, when we found Abdul and his father working in their roadside store we discovered they had a deep interest in Jesus and His books. For the last few months they have been studying the books of Jesus, obeying what it says, and even leading similar studies with their friends and relatives. A few of the Muslim leaders in the town have begun to show a desire to read these books and hear more about Jesus. Something is happening in Baisi.
The state of Bihar contains approximately100 million people living in villages just like Baisi. Only a few decades ago Bihar was referred to as “the graveyard of missions”because no ministry ever seemed to take root and grow. Things are changing but Bihar still only has a Christian population of 0.05 percent, which rivals regions such as Somalia and Afghanistan for the lowest overall percentage in the world.”
Little has been done to reach the 17–20 million Muslims of this state. Muslims like Abdul, his family, and many others in villages like Baisi throughout Bihar are still waiting to hear the good news about Jesus. In the future, when someone in these villages asks where the Christians or churches are, what will be the reply?
LET’S PRAY
- Pray that the Lord of the harvest would raise up workers in Baisi and throughout Bihar.
- Pray that the Spirit of God and the Word of God would draw Muslim leaders and whole family groups throughout Bihar to Jesus.
- Pray that Isaiah 55:11 will come to pass in Bihar: “… It is the same with my word. I send it out and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”
Post credited to the editors at Worldchristian: visit http://www. worldchristianconcern.org/donate to support mission efforts to reach the unreached for Christ.
