[Today's Prayer] Indian police charge 37 Christians with conversion charges

According to Christian Today (CT) in the UK, on August 15th (hereafter local time), five people, including three pastors, were summoned by a lower magistrate, detained on the same day, then released on bail.

In an interview with UCA News on the 18th, Pastor Dinesh Kumar said, “When the Christian community was holding a prayer meeting in the Dalit district of Rajpur on Independence Day, the police came and arrested five people.”

“Our community has been holding prayer meetings on Sundays and other important days for a long time,” said Pastor Kumar. “We did not harm anyone in the area and there was no opposition from the locals. We were all shocked by the police raid,” he said.

“The neighbours know who made the false report, but we want to live peacefully here without anyone objecting,” he added.

According to Pastor Kumar, on February 12th, the police and Hindu militants broke into his home and arrested 16 people, including three women.

“Pastor Kumar was released after four days, but the police charged five of them under anti-conversion laws. Christian missionaries scheduled a prayer meeting on Independence Day and converted members of the Dalit (Untouchable) community.” said UCA.

The police claimed that they had “received information from Saurabh Saroj, the leader of the Rajpur village, that the Dalits had converted to Christianity through various inducements.”

A local Christian leader told UCA News, “The Indian Constitution allows religious freedom to hold or participate in prayer meetings.”

Another Christian leader said, “It is shocking that the police restrict people from exercising their basic rights on a day when the country celebrates independence.”

Source: Christian Today

For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. (Romans 14:7-8)

Lord, You are worthy of what is most precious to us. We hear the news that people are being arrested for believing in Jesus and holding a prayer meeting in India.

They have held prayer meetings for a long time and did not harm anyone, but were shocked by a police raid like never before.

We praise the Lord who does not turn away from pain and suffering, but surely remembers and redeems.

The Indian churches are experiencing suffering like never before, but let them rise up without any fear of death, boldly confessing that they are the Lord's whether they live or die.

May countless souls of India return to the Lord when they see the faith of the Indian church, who do not give up even in the midst of unfair and incomprehensible situations.

Would You strengthen the confession of faith of the Indian church so that the global church can be challenged.

May one million young generation Indians who breakthrough hardships and confess ‘if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord’, rise up and advance toward the ends of the earth.

Because of this, let us quickly see the glory of the Lord’s return!