Many people of other faiths are open to hearing about Jesus and Christianity. Just begin with a conversation with them.
Hinduism is the major religion of both India and Nepal, but is also found in other parts of South Asia and around the world. Hindu worshippers are found in almost every part of the world. One out of every seven people in the world is Hindu.
Our global economy has opened the door for many nationalities to immigrate and visit other countries. You probably have Indians in your community or working at your business.
Many people of other faiths are open to hearing about Jesus and Christianity. Just begin with a conversation with them.
If you’ve traveled most anywhere in the United States recently, you’ve likely had contact with a follower of Hinduism, a religion that is becoming a major factor on the American religious landscape.
Witnessing to Hindus can be daunting. A seminary student described his effort to reach out to a Hindu, saying, “They have all of those gods. I just felt … helpless.”
With 330 million gods, a Hindu’s simple response can be, “How can we be wrong, if we accept that everyone is at least partially right?”
Still, increasing numbers of Hindus around the world are trusting Christ. The church in India now encompasses more than 70-million people, the world’s eighth-largest Christian population.
To initiate sharing Christ with a Hindu, consider these three steps:
Befriend a Hindu. Invite your new Hindu friend to coffee or tea. Invest time in your new friend.
Avoid the urge just to be the person’s friend. Take a leap of faith and talk about spiritual ideas as soon as possible. Mention how God has blessed you, so the person will know that you are a spiritual person.
Look for “spiritual clues” — indications that God is working in the person’s heart. If the person mentions thinking about spiritual matters, recognize that he or she might be open to a Gospel presentation. Seize the opportunity if it is available to take the bold step of presenting the Gospel to your friend.
Consider this example:
Donald McKinney* is a veteran pastor who has served in India for more than 11 years. When sharing with Hindu people, Donald looks for a person’s needs and shows how Jesus meets those needs.
Donald always starts a conversation with the topic of his friend’s family, such as his mother, father, wife or children. Then, he continues the conversation by asking about their needs. He keeps the conversation going until he finds something that isn’t going well in the person’s life.
There are always needs. Whatever the need is, Donald asks, “How are you feeling about it? Is it worrying you?”
Donald expresses his concern and says, “I believe in the one, true God because He really loves me. I will pray for you. The one, true God knows your problem and knows about you.”
Then Donald says, “Would you mind if I pray with you right now?” He bows his head and clasps my hands in a posture of prayer. If his friend is a man, he puts his hand on his shoulder and prays immediately for the need.
With that prayer, Donald has ministered to his friend right away. Then he thinks of a story in the Bible that would relate to his friend’s dilemma.
After sharing the Bible story, Donald tells his friend, “But all those blessings did not make me a true believer. Those were a kindness to me from the one, true God.”
Sometimes, Donald gives his friend an opportunity to give his life to Christ at this point. Many times, though, he waits. Why? He waits because his friend still needs to deal with many issues, such as idolatry and polytheism. Donald says it’s better not to rush the process.
Donald’s approach is simple and reproducible. Start now to pray about finding a Hindu friend with whom you can share Christ.