Indians are fast becoming followers of Immanuel. The numbers of followers of Christ are growing in a country that has history of theocracy. In India turbulent history, it has been ruled by Hindus and Buddhists, Muslims, Christians (British Empire) and now is Hindu again. But there was a chance for India to become officially Christian thrice. Gandhi approached the faith and sought to adopt it, and lead India to Immanuel. He was captivated by the concept of no caste system, "There is no longer Jew or Gentile, Greek or Scythian, slave or free, male or female, all are one in Christ." (). Ghandi wanted to abolish the caste system of Hinduism which at the top echelon is Brahmin who considers themselves to be deities, and the lowest caste being Untouchables, who cannot be acknowledged, touched, or talked to by higher castes. In the Hindu caste system priests are at top and engineers and entrepreneurs near the bottom, thus priests get paid more than an inventor of the next great iPhone. Gandhi wanted to end this, but when he approached Church leaders he received bigotry and the misconception that there is a caste system in Christianity due to ill treatment by bigots.
During one of many wars between Hindus and Buddhists, surprising, Buddhist Monks were some of most ruthless and savage warriors (see The History of the Renaissance World: From the Rediscovery of Aristotle to the Conquest of Constantinople, Susan Wise Bauer); Islam found its way into India. What happened was Hindus were facing Buddhists getting an upper hand, and so the Muslims promised to help the Hindus retake their country and bashed the Buddhists into submission. What really happened was Islam did its namesake, it made the infidels, both Hindu and Buddhist submit to Islamic religion, government (Sharia), and culture. India was suddenly split in three. The battle for India's soul became so heated, that the British Empire partitioned it and eventually the country was cut in two, one remaining India and the other Pakistan. In the year 2008, the leaders of India approached churches in an attempt to Christianize India, to create by the own volition of Indians, a Christindia. The leader had to choose between Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam. The Churches once again failed, they said, "We have no the money to help you." So the leader said, "We want Christianity, but if it comes to Buddhism and Islam, then we won't have Islam, but we don't really want Buddhism." (How Islam Plans to Change the World, William Wagner).
There is a thirst in India for Immanuel, for Jesus Christ. Here in United States of America, many Indians are Christians. India is ripe for the harvest, but for some reason, thrice the country has had chance to be Christian and it doesn't happen. First time was by force via British Empire, which economically and spiritually lifted the country to becoming Westernize. The second time was by Gandhi seeking the Church. The third time was the leaders of India wanting to adopt Christianity as the official religion and faith of India. Why is India denied the chance to join Christendom? It is baffling to me that no one sees the big picture! That Gandhi was turned away and then when leaders who were Hindu wanted the Holy Trinity as their God and make Christianity the religion of land like Constantine the Great did, the Church responds, "we don't have money,"?! This is shameful! It isn't about money! Jesus says, "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." (Matthew 6:24). Why then do believers talk about money?! India wanted the faith and the response of churchmen is "we don't have money." Ugh. India has history of Christians who did not have money helping them, case and point was Mother Teresa who has left legacy and perhaps was forerunner and path paver for the faith.
What puzzles me is that a country wanted to Christianize, was asking for help in this, and the response is not enough money. But in countries that are "rocky ground," (Matthew 13:5) for the gospel like Japan, there are so many Churches trying to make inroads. Why is India being ignored? The Indian people have great hearts and they contribute a love to family of Christ that is unique and special. Because church did not act, the mysticism of Hinduism are flooding Western countries in form of Yoga, when we could have been influencing them with Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus). My cocerns is not for more numbers or Christian papal power over India. What matters is souls, and that these people know love of God and salvation through Jesus Christ (John 3:16). Jesus told us, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19). One of those nations is India, and it even was asking to be Christianize, which means an open door for missionaries and to teach the faith to those who have been forgotten like the Untouchables and to tell those Brahmins that they can use the red ruby in their forehead and red garments to honor Jesus Christ and to signify the Blood of Christ that washes sin away; in fact a Brahmin can learn that God can live in them if they believe in Jesus Christ and caste aside their Hinduism, for it is written, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me," (Galatians 2:20), "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test," (2 Corinthians 13:5-6), "so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love," (Ephesians 3:17), and "Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?," (1 Corinthians 3:16). The Untouchables can take heart that Jesus touched, talked to, acknowledged, and healed the most unloved people lepers, "A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy." (Matthew 8:2-3). Even more than this Jesus talked to a untouchable woman of his time:
"Now he had to go through Samaria.
5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”
8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” (John 4:1-26).
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