[2024 Ramadan Day 11] North India, the land of youth that will arise with the spirituality of Apostle Thomas / Bangladesh, the army of holy light that will complete the last missionary history

<North India>

India, located in South Asia, has the world's largest population of 1.4 billion people and is a young country with an average age of 28 years. It also borders China, Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal and is the largest country in South Asia. India is a land with a long history as one of the birthplaces of the world's four major civilizations, and as a result, it is the land where many religions such as Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism originated. Therefore, religious pluralism, which embraces various religions, is prevalent in India. In addition, the world's attention has recently been focused on India as a “new world factory” that will replace China, leading to rapid economic development which will resulting into secularism.

India is the land where the church was established after receiving the gospel from Apostle Thomas, where William Carey, the father of modern missions in Protestantism, worked, and where many missionaries devoted themselves through the SVM Movement that occurred in the early 20th century. So, there are currently about 80 million Christians, the second largest Christian population in the world. However, most Indian Christians focus only on evangelization within their own region and do not partake in overseas missions; only a small number of ministers serve Muslims. Through missionary training that started with young people, young people are moving to the Islamic world with the Father's heart and serving as student missionaries, but there are still very few churches that are interested in and pray for Muslim brothers and sisters during Ramadan.

Additionally, most evangelization in India is oriented towards the south, with the northern region of India home to the largest number of unreached people in the world, most of whom are Muslims. When India gained independence from Britain, religious conflict between Islam and Hinduism arose, and eventually Pakistan and Bangladesh became independent. However, about 13,000 people have died in the dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir, and it is still one of the world's top three conflict areas.

The current government leading India exhibits extreme Hindu tendencies and is particularly discriminatory against Muslims. During the Corona period, the Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019 was announced. This bill was a law that did not provide citizenship to Muslims among refugees. When the bill was passed, protests by Muslims occurred all over the country and there was even bloodshed. However, with the recent announcement that this bill would be implemented one month before the general election, discrimination and persecution against Muslims are intensifying. As a result, Muslims are becoming more united as a community and strengthening their Islamic identity.

With the recent beginning of Ramadan, Muslims are trying hard to participate by gathering together as a family, fasting and reading the Quran. Even though they are not normally very religious, during Ramadan, they take care of their neighbors and fast together. Also, rather than thinking of this period as a difficult time of religious abstinence, they think of it as a fun time with family and a festive time where they can have fun with friends until late at night. Additionally, in Islamic seminaries throughout India, children, adults, and even women eagerly read the Quran. It is common to see all the children in the neighborhood carrying the Quran on the streets. Also, some young children fast without drinking water. They are bonding more strongly with their faith to protect themselves. However, they are tolerant towards Christians who are also persecuted by Hindus and do not show strong resistance to receiving alms. So during Ramadan, it is a time to share the Gospel and evangelize more.

Recently, there was a soul here who saw Jesus in a dream and accepted Him.

Brother A is 16 years old and went to an Islamic seminary to memorize the Quran and dreamed of becoming an Islamic leader. Although this brother strongly rejected the Gospel when we visited his home and shared it, he recently had the grace of meeting Jesus in a dream. In the first dream, this brother was falling from a very high place, and Jesus saved him by holding him. In the second dream, Jesus laid his hands on the brother's head. Through this dream, the brother confessed that he wanted to believe in Jesus as his Savior; and although his family had a very strong Islamic faith, he secretly read the Bible at home. Although he has not yet revealed his faith to his family, he is praying to grow in faith by overcoming the strong solidarity of Islam and relying on Jesus, who gave eternal life. To his question, ‘What do I have to do to become a Christian?’ we answered, ‘If you believe that Jesus died on the cross for you and rose again after three days, you will receive eternal life and become a Christian!!’ “Then I am already a Christian,” he confessed. Afterwards, when we talked about how we as Christians should diligently read the Bible every day, he already knew and was reading it too.

Hallelujah! During this Ramadan period, the day of the Lord's power, when the darkness seems to be stronger, I believe that the Lord will call from this land the holy young people who have chosen and dedicated themselves to Him with joy. I believe that Muslims, the last unreached people group in North India, will overcome the darkness and rise like the dew of the morning to become the holy 10,000 MBB (Muslim Background Believers) who will save all peoples.

<Bangladesh>

As Bangladesh means “Land of Bengal, Country of Bengal,” approximately 98% of the people are Bengali and speak Bengali. In 1947, the country was separated from the British colony of India into West Pakistan (now Pakistan) and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), and became independent from Pakistan in 1971 due to discrimination and inequality from West Pakistan. Of the population of approximately 170 million people, 90% are Muslims, and the evangelization rate is only 0.2% among very few ethnic groups, excluding Bengalis.

In Bangladesh, ‘Ijtema’, an Islamic missionary gathering that began in 1946, is held. Through this gathering, they strengthen Islamic unity, harmony, and brotherhood, and listen to the teachings of Islamic religious leaders to solidify their dull Islamic identity. It was held in two stages in February 2024 this year. Phase 1 took place from February 2nd to 4th and Phase 2 from February 9th to 11th. The opening sermon of the first phase was delivered by Maulana Ahmad Buttullah of Pakistan. And on the last day, it ended with ‘Akheri Munajat’. AcheriMunajat is a five-minute prayer facing Mecca in Saudi Arabia and is a demonstration of international Muslim solidarity, with participants seeking mercy and world peace. Approximately 5 million people from home and abroad participated in two rallies.

While Bangladesh pursues traditional fundamentalist Islam, its society as a whole has strong secularist Islam. Although Bangladesh is a poor country with a GDP per capita of $706, it is achieving economic growth as the world's second largest clothing exporter and is competing with neighboring countries. Through cooperation, they are pursuing city construction projects and dreaming of emerging as a developing country. However, due to high prices and the growing gap between the rich and the poor, the lives of the common people are difficult and the next generation is left without the benefits of basic education. The youth of Bangladesh are as free-spirited as the youth of any other country, enjoy foreign cultures, and admire their lives.

During Ramadan, there are many people who reestablish their identity as Muslims by fasting, but there are many young people who do not fast in any formal way.

I believe that during this Ramadan, many young people and the next generation will return to the Lord as they realize that there is no hope in the world and in Islam.

A short-term team met Sister N and invited her to their worship gathering. They began holding worship services every week at their house, and each time Sister N brought her five sisters and nephews to join her. The team longed for worship gatherings where the Word is proclaimed and praise is sung in the homes of slums built with tin sheets.

Sister N heard of Jesus, but after hearing that Jesus is our Savior, a conflict arose in her heart. She was seriously worried as she shared with her husband the stories she heard about Jesus during worship meetings. Every week before listening to the sermon she would say, "Although my faith is still weak, I hope to meet Jesus deeply through the weekly worship meeting." In particular, there were several children from the next generation in that worship group. I hope that those children will grow up to become the next generation who believe in Jesus and spread the gospel through the Word.

I believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only hope for Bangladesh! The young people of Bangladesh who live without hope and without knowing the truth will rise up as people who give their lives for Jesus and the Gospel! Furthermore, they will rise up as a holy army that will lead all nations to Jesus, the light!

[Today’s prayer]

1. May the 200 million Muslims in North India who are persecuted by Hindus and are strengthening their identity during Ramadan know that Jesus is the only one who comforts them. Every time the Gospel is shared with them, may more souls return. Especially those who seek spirituality, may the Holy Spirit allow them to meet Jesus through dreams and visions. On the day of the last battle, among the 200 million Muslims in North India, please pray that Jesus may raise up an army of 10,000 MBB (Muslim Background Believers) like the morning dew, who will go out and serve the Lord in all nations with all of their lives and devotion!

2. During this Ramadan, please send young people from the Korean and world churches to shine the light of the gospel among Bangladesh so that the youth of Bangladesh and the next generation who are trapped in the darkness of Islam and cannot understand the gospel will return to the Lord. Pray for the faithful God to strengthen the faith of the believers who He has established in this land. Please pray that the churches can spread the gospel more diligently during Ramadan.