Unstoppable Love: The Growing Church Amid Persecution

By Ajai Lall

When I think of the church in India, I don’t first think of persecution. I think of love. God’s love. A love so relentless it travels dusty roads to reach remote villages, sits with the broken in slums, and whispers hope through the prayers of grandmothers kneeling beside their beds. I think of the thousands of new believers baptized not in ease, but in conviction, and of the pastors who shepherd them not just from pulpits, but even from prison cells or hospital beds. The global church is experiencing God’s unstoppable love, and we are being strengthened and refined.  

Yes, persecution is there. But the church is growing stronger. 

Central India Christian Mission (CICM), has witnessed this paradox unfold consistently. Over the past several years, the anti-Christian sentiment has intensified. Laws meant to protect public order have been weaponized to suppress faith. Entire congregations have been criminalized for singing hymns. In many cases, just owning a Bible can make you a target. There are times when we’ve prayed for this madness to end. Everyone deserves to worship peacefully and yet, sometimes we just have to trust that peace will come as we worship faithfully.  

Here are statistics from 2024, as documented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) India: 

• 834 recorded incidents of hostility against Christians—the highest ever on record. 
• Over 200 of these attacks occurred in Uttar Pradesh alone, making it the most dangerous state for religious minorities. 
• 197 First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed against Christians, many of them based on fabricated accusations. 
• 128 cases were prosecuted under anti-conversion laws. 
• 724 believers faced imprisonment or illegal detention—many without due process. 

This is what was reported. But many suffer in silence. Each of these statistics tells a heartbreaking story. Families are torn apart. Leaders are forced into hiding. Loved ones feel unsettled, carrying this burden of prolonged trauma that no one should ever have to carry. Meanwhile, another believer is unjustly imprisoned for their faith. Behind every number is a name, a face, a testimony. 

We’re not just facing opposition. We are confronting a system deliberately designed to silence faith in Christ. FIRs (first reports to start investigations in a criminal case) are increasingly filed by people who aren’t even the alleged victims. Some bail applications go through, but many are delayed or denied. Home churches are targeted and raided, often during worship. These are attempts made to intimidate the faithful. Even the legal penalties are escalating. Under the amended anti-conversion law in Uttar Pradesh, if the convert is a minor, woman, or belongs to a Scheduled Caste or Tribe, the accused may face up to 20 years to life in prison. And yet, the church is strengthened when Christianity isn’t sanitized. This is the faith of the early church which is alive in all its rawness.  

What America Can Learn 

I’ve spent a lot of time in the United States over the past few decades. I love the American church deeply. You have supported missions with extraordinary generosity, sent teams and resources, and stood with us in prayer. At the same time, I also see a quiet danger: the temptation to confuse faith with comfort, success, or influence. 

What I see in India and in many parts of the world is a different attitude towards faith. It is a church that thrives not despite suffering, but because of it. A church that understands that following Jesus will cost something and chooses him anyway. There needs to be a time when we come to terms with the real difference between power and strength.  

When all the bells and whistles are stripped away and Christianity is not aligned with power, but instead stands as a witness to truth in the face of tyranny, how many of us are willing to stand? When the gospel is not just a personal blessing, but a dangerous public declaration that Jesus is Lord and Caesar is not, do we remain hopeful and faithful?  

So, What Can the Church in America Learn? 

First, that persecution is not the enemy of the gospel. Apathy is. When faith costs us nothing, we risk believing it is worth nothing. But when we see our brothers and sisters worshiping behind locked doors, risking their jobs and freedom, it calls us to something deeper. 

Second, that love is the greatest weapon. We do not retaliate when attacked. We pray. We serve. We forgive. This, more than any sermon, is our witness. As hatred rises, we respond with strength and mercy. We demonstrate empathy even when compassion doesn’t always flow naturally. We still wash feet. We feed those that may look like enemies. We choose love. 

Third, that global solidarity is essential. The American church must not look away. Your voice matters. Your prayers matter. Your advocacy and support make an eternal difference.  

How You Can Stand with Us 

Here are four simple but powerful ways to stand with the persecuted church in India and around the world: 

1. Pray specifically. Pray for courage, healing, and protection. Pray for our pastors, our leaders, our children. Pray not just for safety, but for supernatural guidance.  
2. Tell the stories. Many in the West are unaware of the scale of persecution globally. Share what’s happening. Talk about the cost of discipleship. Let the witness of the global church shape your own. 
3. Give generously. Ministries like CICM are not only striving, but also still thriving. Your giving makes that possible. 
4. Come and see. If you can, visit us. Worship with us. Listen to the stories. There’s nothing like seeing the Spirit at work in places the world has forgotten. God used your prayers to protect my family and we are more grateful for the United States than ever before. We want to connect with you.  

This Is Unstoppable Love  

The theme of this issue, “For God So Loved” is more than a memory verse. It is our anthem. For God so loved the world, the whole world, including India. Including the persecuted. Including the broken. Including those who burn our churches and arrest our pastors. Including those who have felt unloved, cast out, or forgotten. For God so loved that he gave. And so, we give our time, our resources, our very lives in return. 

The church is not shrinking. It is rising. It is radiant. It is refined in fire and more connected than ever across the globe. And it is teaching us, all of us, what it really means to follow Jesus. This is God’s unstoppable love for you, for me, and for the world.  

Ajai Lall is founder and executive director of Central Indian Christian Mission in Damoh, India.