Christian on a Crowded Bus (South Asia 4)

“It isn't easy to be a Christian here,” said Sumit, one of the South Asian Cru staff guys.

“How do you show everyone on a crowded bus you're a Christian?” he asked us.

That really stayed with me.

I guess in a sense it is easy to be a Christian in the United States. There isn't really persecution. I mean you might lose a few friends, maybe get beaten up, not get a job you wanted, lose a job, but the chances of being severely abused, truly persecuted, or even killed for your faith are pretty much nonexistent.

It isn't dangerous to be a Christian in America.

I think because of this we lose a little of how important our faith is. We take it for granted, that freedom of choice and speech.

We can talk about Jesus as much, or as little, as we want. And because of the principles upon which our country was founded and the culture, pretty much everyone knows who Jesus is and knows basics of Christianity. Albeit often very wrong, stereotyped, and not true basics, but they know something nonetheless.

In South Asia most people have never heard who Jesus is. They've never heard the Gospel, they don't know there's a God who loves them and sacrificed everything for them. Many have never even heard His name.

Here it doesn't seem to matter whether or not everyone on the bus knows I'm a Christian. In South Asia, it might be one of the only chances of those people knowing about Jesus.

There's a sense of urgency with the South Asian Christians that I find myself so often lacking.

We were riding in a cab once and at the end of the cab ride Sumit, who had been sitting in the front seat speaking to the cab driver in Hindi or Bengali the whole time, asked if we'd all pray real quickly because he had been telling the cab driver about Jesus, and they had prayed together and the cab driver wanted to know more!

When I get into a cab here, my first thought is not to share the Gospel with the driver. Actually, that's probably one of my last thoughts. This shouldn't be the case! Here I have at least ten, probably more, minutes in a car with a very captive audience. I should take that opportunity to have a conversation with the person, hear where they're coming from and what they believe, and then share with them the freeing truth of Jesus' love.

I should be doing that wherever I go, whatever I do. That should be my primary focus. How can I show Jesus' love and share that Good News with them?

I'm not constantly wondering how I can show people I'm a Christian. But I should be. I should be pursuing reflecting the image of God in everything I do. That could mean such simple things, like praying before my meal.

In everything I do, I should be showing I'm a Christian. Even on a crowded bus.