Justin Lebo
Recently, I (Justin Lebo) traveled to India where I met a faithful pastor named Naik, who had been imprisoned for boldly preaching the Gospel. He was falsely accused, beaten, starved, and thrown into a mosquito-infested dark cell. For nearly seven months, he suffered without proper food or water—yet he never renounced the name of Jesus.
In that prison, surrounded by hardened criminals, God used Naik mightily. Over 70 inmates accepted Christ, while he was there, and today, he continues to evangelize across India, traveling thousands of kilometers each month to testify of Christ’s power.
While I was there, I too was invited to preach in many churches. The hunger for God’s Word was overwhelming. These believers live with very little materially, but their faith is rich and alive.
God showed me something sobering: India is a mirror held up to America. In India’s poverty, there is purity of faith. In America’s abundance, there is spiritual complacency. We are rich in resources but poor in fire. The people of India hunger for Bibles, for fellowship, and for sound teaching—but the laborers are few.
The pastor asked for our prayers and partnership—to help raise up house churches, print Bibles in local dialects, and continue reaching the language groups in India with the Gospel. He and his two sons live by faith, aspiring to become missionaries themselves.
This is a call—not just to admire their courage, but to examine our own. Will we respond to God’s call? Will we awaken from comfort and partner with those risking everything for Christ?
“To live is Christ, to die is gain.” – Philippians 1:21
Let us not grow lukewarm while others bleed for the Gospel.
