The Workers are Few

What about those who have never heard the message of Christ?

With increasing violence and intensifying persecution, Indian Christians are living in desperate times as many are being told to denounce their faith and convert to Hinduism.

In March of this year, a Colorado-based ministry was forced out of India after the Indian government stopped the transfer of the ministry's funds to Indian offices and churches. Compassion International had helped provide aid to more 145,000 Indian babies, children, and mothers since 1968. There are now 589 churches who no longer have that much needed support.

Compassion may no longer have a presence in India, but nearly 600 churches are still there. And in a country that is only about 2% Christian (according to a census), there are a lot of people that need to be reached.

But what if there are people who are never reached? What about those all over the world who may never have a chance of hearing the message of Jesus Christ?

In Romans, it says "some knowledge of him has been made clear" to all people as He has "shown himself to them" (Rom. 1:19 NCV). His "invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead" (Rom. 1:20 NKJV). No matter where a person may be, they can look around and see that there must be a Creator who made it all. For someone not to believe means they have intentionally made a choice to ignore what God has revealed to them.

But this does not diminish the call that Jesus gave to each one of us. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19 NKJV).

C.S. Lewis describes it in this way:

"But in the meantime, if you are worried about the people outside, the most reasonable thing you can do is to remain outside yourself. Christians are Christ's body, the organism through which He works. Every addition to that body enables Him to do more. If you want to help those outside, you must add your own little cell to the body of Christ who alone can help them."

Prayer works. And so does the unified body of Christ who are acting through the power of the Holy Spirit.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (Luke 10:2 NIV)

Read more about Compassion International and India.

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, (New York, HarperCollins, 2001), 64.