It is amazing to see how God loved India. The Book of Esther names India as one of the 127 provinces ruled by Ahasuerus. (Esther 1:1) Hence, some people in the medieval past considered India to be the end of the earth or the uttermost part of the world. (Acts 1:8)
Church History: Not only in the Scripture, but God’s love is seen throughout, beginning from the gospels. It is also possible to state that God specially loved India for the following four reasons.
Gospel: When the resurrected saviour appeared to the disciples behind the closed door, Thomas was not present. The Lord, who had authority over heaven and earth, chose to appear again for the sake of one person: Thomas. It is not just for Thomas, it is for all Indians, as God sent him to India. Hence, the Indian church history begins from the gospels. As Paul reached the Jews first by preaching in the synagogue among the Diaspora, Thomas reached out to the synagogues in India. Thomas used the same sea routes used for trade during the Roman Empire. He brought the gospel to India in 52 AD. A Christian community has existed throughout history in Kerala since then.
Francis Xavier: He is considered one of the greatest missionaries in the history of the Church. He came to India in the year 1542 and served in Goa, and down along the Western and southeastern coastal regions of India. He established a seminary to train priests and oversaw the construction of about 40 churches.
Tranquebar Mission: The first Protestant Church mission was the Tranquebar (Tharangambadi) mission. Commissioned by the king of Denmark, they reached the East coast of India in 1706. The first Bible in an Asian language was published in Tamil in the year 1715. The first priest in Asia, Aaron Pillai, was ordained in 1733.
Serampore Mission: The Father of Modern missions is William Carey, who was the first missionary to be sent by a Para-church organization: the Baptist Missionary Society in 1793.
Am I grateful to God for His love for India?