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India, as a nation,
is a wonder. |
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It is much more complex
than Europe. |
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When we look at the races that are there,
people groups that are there, |
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religions that are there,
cultures that are there. |
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But India remains
as one nation. |
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That is an amazing wonder. |
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It has over
1 Billion people. |
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Let me put that in a
very simplistic manner. |
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00:00:26 |
Cut United States of America
into 3 pieces, |
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and take one piece
and put in that one piece, |
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three times
of American population there. |
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00:00:38 |
That is India. Such thickly,
dense populate country, is India. |
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Or 1 Billion people.
So, quite often I say, |
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India is the country
that God loves 2nd most, |
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next only to China,
who is a little ahead of us in population. |
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And so, population wise, demographically,
India is a big nation. |
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00:01:02 |
And it's a democracy. And democratic system
is quite grounded, well grounded in India. |
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And that works well. |
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00:01:06 |
And India has come of age,
I would say. |
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00:01:10 |
India is a nuclear power now,
and the nations in the world, |
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pay attention to
the voice of India, today. |
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And then when we come to
science and technology, |
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India is doing amazingly well
in this field. |
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00:01:25 |
Talk about information technology,
or computer engineering, |
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00:01:30 |
India has become the hub
of the new science and technology. |
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00:01:34 |
So, India has a great voice
in the world today. |
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Amazing things are happening
in India today. |
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Especially, north India, where thousands
and ten thousands of people |
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are turning to the gospel,
to Jesus Christ, these days. |
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Especially, from the people group
called 'dalits.' |
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'Dalit' literally means 'broken.'
Broken by the social system. |
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Demoralized, oppressed,
dehumanized people. |
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For thousands of years. |
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For them, the Gospel is a
good news. |
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It says, you are important.
You are created in God's image. |
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And not only that you are created
in God's image, God loves you. |
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He has loved you so much so
that he has sent his son, |
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Jesus Christ, to die for your sake.
And to save you. |
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And that clicks very well
with the dalit people. |
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And they turn to the Gospel,
for humanity. |
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For a human identity,
right here in this world. |
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They also know that the Gospel
promises us eternal life. |
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So, life in its fullness,
is offered in Jesus Christ. |
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No wonder, Jesus said
'I am the way, the truth, and the life.' |
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And that promise of life
attracts thousands of people |
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00:02:45 |
from the dalit background
to the Gospel, these days. |
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00:02:49 |
The Church is growing very fast
in India today, in an explosive manner. |
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00:02:53 |
And there are many who believe
that the Christians will number |
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more than 50 million.
That is almost 5% of India's population. |
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00:03:02 |
In different parts of India,
Christian missionaries are beaten up. |
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Christian stars are beaten up.
Their Churches are being burnt. |
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All kinds of Bibles
are burnt. |
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And the Christian missionary duties
are opposed and resisted. |
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And, there are times when even
some of them lose their lives as well. |
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The wisdom of martyrdom. |
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00:03:22 |
But, that is quite normal
for the Church. |
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Nothing unusual is happening
when the Church is growing, |
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00:03:29 |
in a predominantly
non-Christian context, as it is in India. |
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India is the land of languages.
We have 18 major languages. |
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And, over 2000 dialects,
spoken by millions of people. |
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So, that is a big challenge,
again, for Christian missionaries. |
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How to make the Gospel,
the Bible, available for these people. |
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00:03:50 |
Those who can read, we need to
translate the Bible and put in their hands. |
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00:03:53 |
Those who can not read,
we have to make oral Bibles. |
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And, both are happening but I must say that
we have not yet come to the challenges fully. |
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00:04:02 |
There was a time when India
was receiving missionaries. |
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But almost a hundred years ago,
the picture began to change. |
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00:04:11 |
Different States in India,
which are conducted by themselves, so to say, |
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culture wise, have begun to send
missionaries to other parts of India. |
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00:04:19 |
Now, we have south India
missionaries flooding north India. |
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00:04:23 |
We have missionaries from northeast India
come down to the plains of India. |
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00:04:26 |
And more than that,
from India, missionaries are going |
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to other parts of the world,
especially to southeast Asian countries. |
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Even east Asian countries.
Go to Cambodia. |
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You will find Christian missionaries
from India, there. |
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You go to England, you can find
missionaries from India, |
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working among the whites as well as
Indian diaspora, in England and Europe. |
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In the east,
a sending county today. |
