God’s Word goes from door to door in Tamil Nadu

INDIA — With a population of almost 1.1 billion people, India is a vast melting pot of castes, cultures and religions. The southern state of Tamil Nadu is no exception. Here, Christians are a very small minority and have not always found it easy to worship openly. Nevertheless, they have continued to try to serve the communities in which they live and have discovered that personal contact is the most effective way of sharing the Bible message.

The Bible Society of India has been supporting this ministry by supplying local churches with Scriptures in various languages through its Chennai Auxiliary. Volunteers go from door to door, often late in the evening when they can be sure that all family members are at home, to share God’s Word. If families show interest in receiving the Scriptures and are able to read them, the volunteers return with a free Bible, New Testament or Selection in the language of the family’s choice. This personal approach has produced positive results, the Bible Society reports.

Conviction

“What is most remarkable is the strong conviction that the new believers demonstrate once they have committed their lives to Christ,” it says. “We have also received reports of cases where, as a result of one life being changed, many other neighbours have shown an interest in knowing the God of the Bible.

“One person who came to faith as a result of this ministry is 30-year-old Suresh. He is married and has a nine-year-old son. He works in the government transport department. A team of volunteers visited his house and gave him the Scriptures in his own language. They told him about Jesus, his love, the message of the truth of the Bible and the power of God to give peace and joy.

“He was hesitant at first, but after reading the Scriptures he asked for a whole Bible and God spoke to him through his Word. During a subsequent visit, Suresh was ready to accept Christ as his Saviour and wanted to join a church. A month later, Suresh, his wife and their son were baptised.

Witness

“They are now active members of a church close to their home. Suresh has also become a volunteer and is a living witness in his neighbourhood. He is now considering entering a Bible college to study the Scriptures and hopes to enter into Christian ministry on a full-time basis.” (WR 405/2 - 09/10.06)