MICAH KIM

Living a life that befits what has been won for us through Christ Jesus and his death and resurrection is a long and arduous process. And in my opinion, a very big hallmark of such a life is the drive to share the love that God has demonstrated for us to all who are willing to listen. STSM was one such opportunity to do so for myself, having the privilege to go to South India for the month of July. For most of the duration of our stay, we stayed in the city of Bangalore at a seminary in the neighborhood of Chellekere. The name of the seminary was AECS (Asia Evangelical College & Seminary) and was headed by Missionary Abraham Chung, who hosted us for the majority of our stay there. The bulk of our ministry included VBS and something we called “discipleship” groups, where we were to pair up and talk about our faiths with a group of 10-15 students of varying grades. And for the last week of the trip, we toured several major cities in India, including Kolkata, Varanasi, and Delhi.

Throughout the entire trip, I was able to pick up many things about the culture, especially pertaining to the many contrasts between it and American culture. While both are very similar in regard to being considered melting pots, that similarity is brought to light in very distinct ways. India is a very religious nation, with Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity being at the forefront of many different aspects of the culture. And because of their prevalence, the supernatural is seen as almost a backdrop to everything, with Hindu gods being plastered everywhere from storefronts to government buildings. However, this emphasis on religion unfortunately resulted in a form of religious nominalism in the mindsets of a big portion of the locals I interacted with. While speaking with the students in our discipleship groups, an almost universal sentiment was that their religious beliefs would never get in-between their relationships with each other, even if it went against their religious tenets. To me, at least, this was very indicative of a consequence of religion merging with culture, tailored specifically to Indian society, and the flexibility of the Hindu religion.

A similar theme arose while visiting Varanasi, a known holy city that was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Our team was able to tour its streets and temples, as well as witness a fire festival dedicated to said god, getting a first-hand glimpse of the brokenness and idolatry present. However, rather than seeing what I expected to be fervor and passion, what I instead witnessed was a little more normal and more mundane than that. The audience of the festival was made up of bored faces and phones lifted up to record the spectacle. It honestly seemed more like an obligation than anything else for the people that were there. Of course, this is a major generalization. I very much doubt that was the case for absolutely everybody there, but I do think the point I’m trying to make is delivered in that the general attitude towards religion really wasn’t all that devout. If anything, the thought that struck me instead was how similar it was to what I saw back home, and not just from the people around me, but also in myself as well: desensitization to the beliefs and faiths we say we hold so dear. While this really isn’t a very rare phenomenon, it did cause me to think over what I recognized as the universal presence of sin,  and with that, the universal need for God’s neverending grace.

India’s flaws and struggles with sin were very apparent to me at first glance, with their traditions and customs revolving around the honoring of false gods being approached with such a sense of normalcy. However, upon further reflection, I was reminded that while India does have such apparent shows of idolatry and sin, that shouldn’t detract from our impressions of that same presence everywhere else in the world. We’re all at the behest of the influences that our cultures impose upon us, and due to our sinful nature, those influences have a tendency to steer us away from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whether we’re Christian or not. For India, it’s the acknowledgement and worship of deities like Brahma and Shiva, and for America, it can be concepts like individualism and personal advancement. However, as mentioned before, that prevalence only points to the necessity of God in our lives: all of who He is and what He’s done for us. In recognizing the sin that pervades almost everywhere we go, the Gospel and all of its ramifications become all the more important in bringing us to Christ, who is our salvation. 

Exclusively through Him, we are able to access the everflowing source of peace and joy that is found in our relationship with Him, as well as our hope that lies in heaven above. While it was very easy to see the depravity that is present in India, that same distaste should also be directed towards the general elevation of worldly things above God, which is present here in America as well. All of it serves to take away from the truth of the Gospel, and deprives us of that same peace and joy. I think in realizing these things, it made me all the more appreciative of my identity as His son and all that He saved me from through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Furthermore, because of this necessity, the importance of missions is made all the more apparent in delivering this message of hope and love to those who are still entrenched in the trap of sin. All in all through STSM, my emphasis on evangelism, as well as the Gospel itself, was reaffirmed in many different ways. I was blessed to be able to respond to that calling both in India, and anywhere that God has and will place me. Praise Him for all that He is doing around the world!