Living as a Christian Facing Persecution in India | Interview w/David Witt | Episode #9

this is atrisk Radio welcome to atrisk radio at risk radio is a show where we talk all about the leaders inside the church at risk my name is Mark Stafford I'm here with David Whit now David Whit you started out your last newsletter with this phrase the world is on fire the world is on fire now what did you mean by that now I I look out my window you know I'm here in Arizona and I can literally see the smoke from the wildfires in California it seems like the entire West Coast is on fire right now but there's a spread of a fire of the Gospel that seems to go beyond what we're seeing literally here in uh the West Coast well yeah Mark as I was thinking about the days we're living in with we're doing covid-19 right now as people listen in in the future on our podcast here just to have context of when we're talking and during the year on top of it been all these natural disasters in California and the West Coast on fire in fact just an hour ago corresponded with one of our partners out in Santa Rosa California and they've had fire after fire there and we're just praying for them out there and it made me think about how we've gotten even headlines of it's not just in America but around the world in recent days there's been record fires on every continent uh that we're getting the news and how much the physical world though speaks of the spiritual realities of the spiritual fire that we're all feeling right now A people being shaken in their foundation with covid-19 and everything else and how the Lord is using that we see globally right now to draw people to themselves um and so that's why I started this newsletter out with the world is on fire and and really talking about what does that mean to us as the body of Christ as we're working with our brothers and sisters AC you know one thing I've noticed with Believers in my sphere here in the states is that we are really consumed about what's happening with the election about what's happening with covid happening with the economy there's a lot of things that are uh creating a lot of anxiety and stress for people here in the States but as I'm reading through the newsletter what I'm seeing is that uh our stress level our anxiety is almost is almost nothing in comparison to what's happening in places like India uh what's happening in India right now that we may not be hearing on the news yeah I I appreciate you bringing that up Mark I tell people all the time that if I ever feel bad about myself and our situation our political situation our society what's going on I just look what's happening around the world and I feel a lot better and I and I really feel like uh that's one of the beauties of serving others is that it lets you get outside yourself it gives us a you know a bigger picture of you know God's perspective and you know here's the short list if we just look at India that you bring up that we're you know highly invested into with some really intimate relationships there and just applauding what God's doing but just this year they've been one of the highest hit nations with covid-19 uh and this is just a short list a locust infestation I don't know if people picked that up this year they had a a massive a locust infestation uh destroying a high proportion of the crops there at Staples uh fires also floods landslides cych two major Cyclones this year a major plane crash and you know every time we have a major plane crash in the United States we know people that makes people feel and the shaking nobody likes that of course the economic turmoil that's going on with the rest of the world and how they're dealing with that especially the marginalized that so many poor in India that's huge and then they're having this military political conflict in China uh with China Pakistan and Nepal there's violent demonstrations for the Muslim minority against the discriminatory laws because uh the ruling party there's really trying to make it a Hindu pure you know nation and there's just conflict going on with um minorities including of course the Christians who we really try to highlight uh and the government corruption has been a lot there flagrant and severe persecution against Christians has just spiked this year um of even Indians losing their lives being beaten kicked out from their their Church buildings and and for their Villages um and then just most recently is um a chariot God who they believe the Incarnation of this Chariot God happened at this Temple um somehow he caught on fire and that came an opportunity for the enemies of of Christians and so a bunch of leaders and U fundamental Hindu leaders rose up and accuse the Christians of it and so there's been a bunch of um fanatical uh Hindus going after Christians and really advertising that in the media so it's it's a mess and and this is what our Indian family is having to deal with um while we're deal with our covid-19 so it's an interesting contrast for sure well tell me a little bit about that story um I don't have a file for an Indian Chariot God and the temple burning down that seems like something that's like out of you know uh a th000 BC uh tell me a little bit about the story behind that yeah no that's a great question because the Indian context really is so far outside of our normality because our idolatry in America looks so different but they they literally worship millions of gods in India and they're physical gods they make physical manifestations of them so they'll worship these statues and everything else I think the best equivalent that I could think of Mark is you know if someone took for uh evangelicals towards ban believers is the Bible you know and people started burning the Bible and um and making a a big demonstration against that that would really affect us and and we would feel that that's what the Hindus feel of their statues of these uh temples these temples they believe that those incarnations actually have the spirit of these gods in it and the way that they're honored or Dishonored is the way you treat the God so this uh Chariot um you know looking God at this one Temple where they beli this God first made itself you know known um caught on fire and it was burned and destroyed now no one knows the real reason for the fire where it came from but a rumor and a slander got out there against the Christians and some leaders got on the radio on media and they started advertising this is uh this is a Christians trying to bring down our culture and our religion it's a direct attack so then they started announcing that for Hindus to rise up and come against those Christians and they Nam some leaders and some very um you know visual churches over there organizations and so they were protest against Hindus against those um you know against those Believers and some pastors leaders got beat and and so that's that's what happened just this last week in India uh and that's just a microcosm of one event that's happening really daily now uh in India and across the the board there of what Indians are having to to deal with uh for their faith you know it says here in the newsletter there's a quote and he says fear of death is very common in our village go ahead just just address that line uh yeah fear of death so again one one the and that goes to another story actually that you're connected to that we also shared in our newsletter is there's many um God has raised up some Believers in very violent areas who um there's there's two conflicting groups there's the government and there's the Marxist communist military and there it's a big jungle area and the the marxists are hiding in the jungle and then they're recruiting from the villagers to help them and you know the government doesn't know who's who and and so there's daily sometimes gunfights going on people getting killed the government's watching the CI civilians to if they're trying to figure out if they're working with the Communists the Communists are watching the civilians to see if they um you know they're they're telling on the the Communists and so the civilians are getting caught in the middle of this and of course the Christians really in the middle who are just to being a light for Christ and um and so again that quote is talking about the the the mass of fear that's coming this Village and this area um for you know people are they're afraid they're being um they're going to die in a time in fact just last week we got an update there one of the men that was working he's a Forester I Ranger and he was starting to come to one of the discreet um secret house churches underground churches there the Holy Spirit was really working on his heart and he was asking questions and really getting hungry for that well suspicion got out by from the Marxist that he was working with the government and collaborator and they just killed him last week um and so they're they're all feeling this fear and see it's a life and death situation they need Jesus that's what we know it's not a political solution it's a spirit spiritual solution marked and that's what God is doing in India that we want to keep supporting and get behind to bring transformation to these areas well we're going to go to a break but we come back from the break we're going to hear back from David wit some more and talk about what we do with uh biblically with persecution that our brothers are facing our brothers and sisters are facing in India and uh and how what we can learn from that we'll be back in just a couple minutes can you imagine trying to disciple a church with only one Bible this is Mark Stafford from at risk radio and our contacts in Venezuela are telling us incredible stories about people coming to know Jesus all the while pastors are missing Bibles for their people after receiving a Bible from our ministry one man said with tears in his eyes no one has ever given me such a beautiful gift at risk radio in our partnership with s so International is working to bring 2 million B into Venezuela for more information about how you can help go to atrisk radio.com welcome back to atrisk radio I'm online here with David wit David Whit is the CEO of s so International uh David when I read this passage from second Timothy chapter 4 verse2 this says preach the word be prepared in season and out of season that takes on a whole different context when we're dealing with India where when they preach the word their life might be on the line tell us a little bit more about what's happening with our brothers in Chains in India this is what we love about our Global family Mark is because they're such great examples of hearing the word of God and obeying it and inspiring us and and that's why the testimonies are so powerful and this you just quoted the the first part of our you know our talking together here of our a church planner uh aov and he um he is in this conflict area this jungle area with them again that fear of death is very common in our village he start out but this is where it goes that we quote him that I want everybody to hear and really be impacted with the faith going on here he says they are looted and even their basic daily needs are stolen from them and here it is yet I love yets in the midst of corruption right yet they love their enemies as called upon the word of God they demonstrate such joy and assurance that this world is not their home they have a future inheritance waiting for them and and and this is again a newer believer I mean he's he's came to Christ just a few years ago has been you know trained as a church planter and now he's stepping out with joy and fearless Faith um and changing lives and you know and in this area because the conflict so great we as we already mentioned they have to meet in secret they they meet in small groups small homes and and they're just sharing the word of God loving people so they don't have to live in fear anymore but they know God's hands on them and that the purpose of loving their enemies and sharing the faith and the life of Jesus Christ and I think that's the example that we need today as Mark is so many American Believers and churches are facing you know economic you know the ties are down in many churches I mean I I know many churches are having that conversation do we continue um many Believers are saying wow what do I what do I do going back to church I I I I you know do I risk getting covid-19 but I'm lonely here you know um we need to to have the Faith of Christ and we need to do what he tells us to do and that's sometimes is literally the risk of Our Lives um and I think what a great example as America is going through great triun uh Temptation today that we can have the example to be faithful here but also stand with our family all the way in Asia and and so that's so much of our heart uh of s International you know again internationally serving leaders who risk much for Jesus um I would love to get this in the hands of um Believers out there listening if they would want to know more about this newsletter this month they could just ask for the uh newsletter um from October here and we'll get that in their hands yeah a lot of people who are listening to this are wondering what they can do uh it's an incredible story that a man comes to know Christ and he doesn't just change his life around uh for Christ but he even goes the next step and says I'm going to become a church planter and start a new church in my Village how can people come alongside a man like this and help him live out his faith in the midst of persecution all the Believers always ask first is pray and we're asking for the um family of God to pray today and during the international day of prayer for the persecuted church it's coming up in November we have all kinds of resources even on our website a video uh we have this newsletter and some other newsletters we'd love to get that in your hands for your personal encouragement um and also for your Church Fellowship so reach out to us so we can give you some materials uh to empower you to be a witness for Christ and and his uh body out there around the world all right to be kept up to date about what God is doing within the church at risk all over the world go to atrisk radio.com and sign up for the news newsletter I'm Mark Stafford and this is Ben risk radio you've been listening to atrisk radio for more go to atrisk radio.com atrisk radio is a production of s International [Music]