GOD, GOSPEL AND INDIAN CHURCH HISTORY

The LORD God Almighty, had and has a very special place for Indian, in His heart. The history of Christianity in India dates back to the very first century. Thomas, one of the twelve chosen apostles of Jesus, came to the Malabar coast, in South Western India, in 52 AD. There is a strong tradition that, apostle Bartholomew also came to the Jewish groups, settled on the western coast in 55 AD, through the then existing trade routes, between India and the Roman world. 

Even though the gospel came to India in 52 AD, nothing has moved dramatically. Even the presence of two apostles, who were chosen by the LORD Jesus Himself, had personally come, stayed here, and witnessed to the Redeemer, couldn’t make the native people to venture beyond their own communities, and spread this good news to everyone. What a tragedy.

It took one thousand six hundred and fifty one years [1,651 years] and Protestant missionaries from Europe, for the gospel to be preached to the masses of India. The first Protestant missionaries to set foot in India were two Lutherans from Germany, Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg and Heinrich Plütschau, on 9 July 1706.

What a pity…we, the Indian Christians should be ashamed to see this fact in the Indian Church history. Even today, most Christians are riddled with corruption, nepotism, denominationalism, casteism, regional and linguistic preference, over everything else. I am a witness to all these practices, for about thirty years now. It seems to grow and not subside.

May the LORD help us. May we rise above petty and irrelevant things, to proclaim the glorious gospel to everyone, as our Redeemer intended.