Pray & Fast for Christian Influence Upon India's Media and the Progress of the Gospel Among India's Unreached

Science popularizer, Carl Sagan, once referred to the media industry as a “celebration of ignorance.” He echoes American humorist, Will Rogers, who quipped, “All I know is what I read in the papers, and that’s an alibi for my ignorance.”

In 1962, President John Kennedy stated, “A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”

Someone else has said, “Whoever controls the media controls the mind.”

Today, in India, millions of minds are deliberately being influenced by lies, ignorance and the absence of truth.

In recent months, 60 Indian journalists have disappeared for daring to criticize the Indian government. Indian bureaucrats have increased pressures upon writers and reporters who take seriously Indian constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech. Not long ago, a well-known Indian intellectual was assassinated in his home after he publicly dared to call into question the worship of idols.

With its secular values, Hollywood exerts a tremendous influence over America’s youth. In India, the world’s largest lm production studio is found in Hyderabad. Both lm industries peddle world views opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Since 60% of India’s population is under 25, we face a battle for the minds of the next generation.

What can we Christians do about this? We do not have the billions of dollars (or rupees) to counter such massive, anti- Christian industries, but we do have God, who has given us the gift of prayer.

Jesus invites us to pray for big things: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:7-8). Paul tells us that God is “able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (Ephesian 3:20).

Our problem is not that we ask God for too much, but we insult Him by asking for too little. Do we really believe God is greater than the largely pagan media industry? Do we really believe God has called Christian men and women to become salt and light in media and communications? Then we must let our prayers reflect this conviction.

I invite you to join with us this February as we pray for India’s media industry and India Gospel Outreach’s role in helping to enlarge Christian influence in the media to influence young minds for the true and living God of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Pray also for the progress of the gospel in India’s states.

Pray, knowing that our God is able. Pray, and expect great things from God.

T. Valson Abraham

Below, population figures come from India’s 2011 census. Christian population figures come from Operation World, from best estimates of Christian workers in those areas. Find states and territories on the map at the bottom of the page.

February 1 Pray for faith to expect great things from God because He is always able to do greater than we imagine. Today’s state: Arunachal Pradesh, pop. 1.4 million (19% Christian) February 2 Pray for Christian influence in government to insure constitutional guarantees of worship. Today’s state: Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, pop. 120.2 million (9% Christian)

February 3 Pray for India Christian University and development of schools of media and communication, arts and entertainment. Today’s state: Assam, pop. 31.2 million (4% Christian) February 4 Pray for God’s truth to reign in India’s media. Today’s state: Bihar, pop. 116.7 million (0.3% Christian) and Jharkhand, pop. 33 million (6% Christian)

February 5 Pray for God’s calling upon His men and women for India’s media industry. Today’s state: Delhi (India’s capital), pop. 18.7 million (1.8% Christian) February 6 Pray for greater influence of Christian worldviews in India’s newspapers, TV, movies, social media. Today’s state: Goa, pop. 1.5 million (41.5% Christian)

February 7 Pray for exposure of government corruption in trying to destroy their opponents. Today’s state: Gujarat, pop. 60.4 million (1.2% Christian) February 8 Pray for God’s anointing of men and women to bring reform to India’s government, leading to greater freedom of press and speech. Today’s state: Haryana, pop. 25.4 million (0.3% Christian)

February 9 Pray for Indian Christians to engage as writers, artists, journalists, etc. to advance the message, person and cause of Christ. Today’s state: Jammu & Kashmir, pop. 12.6 million (0.3% Christian) February 10 Pray for India’s media to make truth its highest priority, rather than political propaganda and agendas. Today’s state: Himachal Pradesh, pop. 7.1 million (0.2% Christian)

February 11 Pray for receptivity to Christ among India’s non-Christian writers, philosophers, artists, etc. Today’s state: Karnataka, pop. 61.1 million (6% Christian) February 12 Pray for Christian professors and instructors to teach these subjects at India Christian University. Today’s state: Kerala, pop. 33.4 million (35.5% Christian).

February 13 Pray for financial resources to support an India Christian University faculty for schools of media and communication, arts and entertainment. Today’s states: Madhya Pradesh, pop. 72.6 million (2.2% Christian) and Chhattisgarh, pop. 25.5 million (2.5% Christian) February 14 Pray for all of India’s children and youth to come under influence of the gospel. 60% of India’s population are under the age of 25. Today’s state: Maharashtra, pop. 121.4 million (2% Christian)

February 15 Pray for high-quality information industry with a biblical worldview. Today’s state: Manipur, pop. 2.7 million (41.8% Christian) February 16 Pray for a strong influence of the gospel on India’s film industry. (India produces more movies than Hollywood—the most in the world). Today’s state: Meghalaya, pop. 3 million (76% Christian)

February 17 Pray for influence of the gospel upon India’s present non-Christian media leadership. Today’s state: Mizoram, pop. 1.1 million (90% Christian) February 18 Pray for growing numbers of high-quality Indian Christian writers, journalists, artists, musicians, composers, etc. with outreach into every facet of Indian life. Today’s state: Nagaland, 2 million (93.1% Christian)

February 19 Pray for more effective Christian use of social media and internet in India. Today’s state: Odisha, pop. 42 million (2.8% Christian) February 20 Pray that India’s pastors and congregations will encourage those called into Christian media ministries. Today’s state: Punjab, pop. 27.7 million (2.2% Christian)

February 21 Pray for mutual support and encouragement among India’s Christian media community. Today’s state: Rajasthan, pop. 74.8 million (0.4% Christian) February 22 Pray against proliferation of cell phone pornography via Bangkok and other parts of the world. Today’s state: Sikkim, pop. 608,000 (7.5% Christian)

February 23 Pray for greater awareness among Indian’s Christian community at-large of the importance of a strong Christian presence in Indian society. Today’s state: Tamil Nadu, pop. 77.9 million (19% Christian) February 24 Pray for Christian-based media industry in India that reaches every age, ethnic and social group with Christian values and the gospel. Today’s state: Tripura, 3.7 million (5.5% Christian)

February 25 Pray for courage among India’s intellectuals to oppose government efforts to control the minds of India’s people and push their anti-gospel agenda. Today’s state: Uttar Pradesh, pop. 200 million (0.3% Christian) and Uttarkhand, pop. 10.1 million. (0.6% Christian) February 26 Pray for India’s men, women and children to yearn for truth and to be satisfied with nothing less than truth. Women and girls make up only 48% of India’s population. Today’s state: West Bengal, pop. 91.3 million (1.2% Christian)