LET THE TRUE FREEDOM RING

July 4^th marks Independence Day in the United States.  Most of us attend picnics & sit on blankets enjoying the fireworks!  It’s great to be free as a nation, but even greater to be personally FREE INDEED by the blood of Jesus Christ. 

On another July 4^th, 1944—Subhash Chandra Bose spoke his most famous quote.  As part of a motivational speech for the Indian National Army, he urged the people of India to join him in his fight for independence against the British government.  Spoken in Hindi, his words were highly evocative—“Give me blood, and I shall give you freedom.” 

India.  An independent nation.  A Hindu nation.  A nation of castes, categorically classifying people into different segments of society.

India.  I see your lands, your regions.  I hear your cries for truth.  I smell your poverty.  I am touched by your needs.  I want you to taste freedom. True freedom. 

Seeing the Land

During my recent trip to India , I had an opportunity to travel by road everywhere I went.  Traveling by car, I could get to know the culture of each region.    My companions & I rested overnight in Open Air Motels (Dhaba) and visited all of our Partner’s India Church Plant locations.  We also visited the Discipleship Centers & the Humanitarian Project Sights.  We witnessed society’s cruel caste system against the thousands of innocent children—many of them not able to attend school as 1^st or 2^nd graders, but destined as small children to manual labor.   I did not just see the land or the region, I saw people.  My eyes drank in their poverty, their lack of hygiene, food and much-needed health care.  I saw a dying Indian people, my Indian people, in need of freedom and truth.

Hearing the Hearts

Wherever we stopped and had conversations with the local people, I heard the urge in each heart for knowing the truth.  “Give me blood, and I shall give you freedom” echoed in my ear as I traveled around to these places.  An incredible slogan which stirred the youth of India to join a revolution for independence, but in reality a deafeningly silent slogan since freedom is still missing from India , despite the blood that was shed.

The Indian church planters have heard this plea of human hearts.  I hear millions of desperate Indian people, my Indian people, calling out for freedom, truth, and eternity.

Touching Needs with the Gospel

In contrast to Bose’s July 4^th slogan, a verse came to my mind:

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to PROCLAIM FREEDOM for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.”  Isaiah 61:1

Jesus came into this world to set us free, once and for all.  He did not want our blood to set us free, but He Himself shed His blood to set us free!  This powerful message just gushed out of me wherever it got a chance to.  Because India is a Hindu nation that believes in gods who protect the innocent and destroy the sinners, they need to be touched with the Gospel message that proclaims freedom:  God loves sinners!  In essence, I told my Hindu friends the truth of salvation.

I am touched by the needs of the Indian people, my Indian people, and I feel God’s Spirit moving amongst the Indian national church & pastors that many may come to experience freedom, truth, eternity and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Tasting Freedom

The great Indian poet & composer of the National Anthem, Rabindranath Tagore, wrote Gitanjali (Song Offerings): 

...Where the mind is lead forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action-
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father,
Let my country awake. 

This is the heartbeat of India.  Every soul longs for freedom.  Millions go to different pilgrim places in search of truth and salvation (Moksha) that would set them free.

The ministry of Partners India has seen this longing for freedom satisfied in national workers & new converts.

I was delighted to see the passion of our native Church planters seeing one more person come to the Lord Jesus Christ.  They spend considerable amounts of time on their knees before they go out to share the Good News.  I was in tears seeing brand new believers in very remote regions singing praises to God & listening eagerly to the Word of God.  They enjoy the true freedom of Christ.

We have dedicated students in our Discipleship Centers, training them to be Ambassadors for Christ.  Many of them came to Christ all alone and they are suffering persecution from their families.  They are truly building the kingdom of Christ and are dedicated to this task with fervency.

Partners India continues in efforts to make strides in health care, livelihood projects & in humanitarian efforts.

Thank you for your powerful prayers and financial support that have ‘let freedom ring’ inIndia.   You are the ones making the difference for Jesus Christ.   Please continue to give as Jesus prompts in Matthew 10:8, “Freely you have received, freely give”.   Please continue to pray that the Truth will set Indian people, my Indian people, FREE, free indeed!

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Ashish Pushkaran
Founder & Executive Director