If you read my last blog post, you’ll recall that this month my team has been given the privilege to partner with an Indian missionary, Shibu, and his wife, Lilly, who is Panamanian, to help reach the Indian population of 15k residing here in Panama City.
Because our ministry is relationship evangelism, one of the first days we were here, Shibu, gave us an overview of Hinduism beliefs and culture and most importantly how we can best share the gospel with the Indian community.
Shibu explained that it is difficult for Hindu’s to come to Christ because of social barriers and the cost of following Jesus. If a Hindu accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior, their family and community will betray him/her. They no longer belong, so they live in fear of rejection and their future.
With that said, most are closed off to Shibu’s evangelism efforts and for the ones that are open, it is a very slow conversion. The most effective way to share the gospel is to go slow and take time to first build a relationship.
What I found most interesting is that most Hindus don’t know what they believe. Some believe in a few gods, some believe in many gods, and some believe in no gods. They literally pick and choose. In general, Hinduism is more of a culture than a creed.
To give us a greater and more tangible understanding of Hinduism, Shibu and Lily took us to a nearby temple. I have never been to a temple before, so out of curiosity I was looking forward to going. Upon entering inside the temple, immediately my eyes where drawn to the statues of the main and popular gods that Shibu had told us about the other day. Emotions of anger and heartbreak towards the idea of billions of people worshipping these false gods flooded my mind. As we waited for the priest to meet us, we spent time walking around praying for Hindus. In a place plagued with demonic spirits and false worship, I loved praying and singing quietly aloud to the one true God who is worthy of praise.
I walked away believing that our prayers were heard and Hindu lives are going to change as a result!
Here’s a look inside our evening at the temple!
