God's Providence: In Times of Epidemic.

How did early Indian Christian converts react to their existing conditions (as in similar conditions like our days) -

"...the existing Christian communities are seen to be prosperous beyond the average; ..they are known also to be remarkably immune from disease: if attacked by epidemics, large numbers of them recover. The ultimate cause of this latter remarkable fact is, of course, God's grace; but the immediate cause is that men who have awakened to hope no longer submit to avoid calamity, they take the missionary's medicine, and, better still, they make a fight for their lives".*

This is the great promise we have from the Lord Himself, "And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, .." (Exodus 12:13).

"The Lamb slaughtered" (Jesus)(v7), "His death" (on the Cross)(v9), "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4,5)

We have hope, because His blood is our sign, and we have hope to endure to live, and surely we will win over this pandemic. The Lord our Savior never changes (Hebrews 13:8), and we can surely trust and believe on.

*H.B.Hyde, South Indian Missions - The Present Opportunity, 1908.

The Church - it's Philanthropy

63. DISCUSSION WITH C.F. ANDREWS

[On or after November 9, 1936]

GANDHIJI: Their (Christian missionaries) behaviour has been as bad as that of the rest who are in the field to add to their numbers. What pains one is their frantic attempt to exploit the weakness of Harijans. If they said, ‘Hinduism is a diabolical religion and you come to us,’ I should understand. But they dangle earthly paradises in front of them and make promises to them which they can never keep. When in Bangalore a deputation of Indian Christians came to me with a number of resolutions which they thought would please me, I said to them: ‘This is no matter for bargain. You must say definitely that this is a matter to be settled by the Hindus themselves. Where is the sense of talking of a sudden awakening of spiritual hunger among the untouchables and then trying to exploit a particular situation? The poor Harijans have no mind, no intelligence, no sense of difference between God and no-God. It is absurd for a single individual to talk of taking all the Harijans with himself. Are they all bricks that they could be moved from one structure to another? If Christian Missions here want to play the game, and for that matter Mussalmans and others, they should have no such idea as that of adding to their ranks whilst a great reform in Hinduism is going on’.*

Reform! Why do you need a reform when you are so true towards the untouchables?

The mission of the Church is not just to evangelize and nurture, but to be a part of social cause too.

One missionary remarked, "It ought to be frankly recognized that it may be towards the Motherhood of the Church rather than towards the Fatherhood of the Savior from sin that the faces of the pariahs and aboriginal races of India are being slowly turned. They may be seeking baptism, for the most part not from a desire to have their lives and consciences cleansed from sin and to enter the eternal life of God, but because the Church presents itself to them as a refuge from operession, and as a power that fosters hope and makes for betterment."*

The Holy Bible reads,

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,

36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?

38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?

39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?"

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

(Matthew 25:35-40, NIV).

*Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Volume 70, page 58.

*H.B.Hyde, South India Missions - The present opportunity, The east and the west, VI (January 1908), 78.