Lausanne World Pulse – Themed Articles – The Doors Are Closing for the Gospel: A Call to Re-visit Our Theology of Missions and Strategies

By Enoch Era

“Hello. I am Bhasker.” His neighbour responded, “Hello. I am Lenny.” “Are you from_____?” (mentioning the destination) “Yes, I am studying there.” “Are you a Christian?” “Yes.” “Which church do you go to?” He mentioned the name of a church and further questioning revealed that he was Catholic.

“Do you read your Bible?”

The conversation followed along typical evangelistic lines for the rest of the journey. The talk could be heard several seats away; indeed, most of the co-passengers were able to hear. It was a late evening journey between two major cities in a foreign country. The bus was filled with people returning home after a busy day—most of whom wished to relax for the 2-hour ride. As the above conversation was loud, many of the passengers shot impatient glances their way.

Bhasker was a Christian. He wanted to get to know the person next to him, and since the conversation led to it, he was also presenting the gospel.

In the same bus a few seats ahead there was another Christian man sitting next to a woman. Both overheard the above conversation. As they neared the destination the woman gathered her belongings. The man looked at her and said, “Hello. Are you getting off at the next stop?” To which she responded, “And the next question will be…‘Do you read your Bible?’”

Why did the woman respond this way?

Obviously, she was annoyed by the other conversation, and since she had seen both men together earlier, her response was to preempt any further conversation. Such sensitivity toward the gospel and Christians can take the form of violent attacks and worse in many parts of the world. It certainly does in India, where both the men in the above conversation come from. The Evangelical Fellowship of India reports several incidents of violence against pastors and Christians nearly every week in nearly every part of India. But such sensitivity and antagonism toward Christianity and to the preaching of the gospel is not just an Indian phenomenon.

The anti-Christian wave we have witnessed in India in the last two decades is neither new to the Church in India nor to the Church at large. The Lord Jesus Christ himself and later his disciples made it very plain in their teachings and writings that opposition to the gospel will come (John 14:33; Acts 16; 2 Timothy 3:12). The subsequent history of the Church is a witness to it. While opposition to the gospel should not surprise us, there is an urgent need for Christians worldwide to introspect, investigate, and revisit our theology and our ministry strategies and practices. In many cases, “the doors are closed” not so much to the gospel, but to the way we preach that gospel. 

Enoch Era is an itinerant preacher based in Hyderabad, India. He is also involved in training and mentoring preachers, in evangelism/apologetics, and in expository preaching. Previously, he served as an evangelist through Ambassadors for Christ India and Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in India.