The expansion of the Gospel has always been a journey of responding to specific, often unexpected, callings. Recently, PassionLife discussed the Pakistani calling, a realization that something significant was occurring in that region which necessitated moving it to the top of the international priority list. This movement culminated in a recent visit to Pakistan, a journey that revealed the vibrant, bold, and hospitable nature of a church living within a predominantly Muslim context. To understand the impact of this mission, one must look past the geopolitical headlines and see the faces of the brothers and sisters who form the global body of Christ, working tirelessly to bring the Gospel of Life to their communities. Through the introduction of biblical training in the native Urdu tongue, we are witnessing a Big Bang of world missions where the truth about the sanctity of life is finally being discussed in the open.
The Historical and Spiritual Context of the Subcontinent
To grasp the spiritual landscape of modern Pakistan, we must reflect on the history of the subcontinent. Long before the biological birth of the current generation, the region—encompassing India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan—was a vast area where various faiths, from Hinduism and Sikhism to the worship of fire and the moon, predominated. The arrival of the British and the East India Company around 1857 marked the beginning of a significant shift, as missionaries established a base for Christianity through social and community work. They built hospitals, colleges, and educational institutions that served as the initial light in the region.
However, for many generations, this history resulted in a Christianity that was often more of a cultural label than an inward transformation; many individuals were known as Christians by name without possessing a deep, internal faith. Today, that dynamic is changing as circumstances push individuals toward a serious relationship with Christ. This is exemplified in the stories of those who, despite being raised in Christian homes, only found the pushing button of real faith when faced with extreme life pressures, such as financial debt or the challenges of post-university life. It is a reminder that God can create goodness from bad circumstances, using the trials of business and debt to foster a desire for deeper meaning that only the Gospel can satisfy.
The Four Questions and the Gospel of Life
The core of the mission in Pakistan was the Four Questions training, a curriculum designed to provide a clear, logical, and biblical framework for valuing human life and responding to the crisis of abortion. While the United States accounts for only 3% of the world’s abortions, the remaining 97% represents a massive world missions challenge where the need is greatest. The training addresses this by asking:
- What does the Bible say about human life, including life in the womb?
- What does the Bible say about the shedding of innocent blood, specifically abortion?
- How can we apply the grace of the Gospel to the guilt and shame of abortion? This focuses on cleansing the conscience so that individuals are freed from their past to serve God.
- How can the people of God obey Scripture to stop the shedding of innocent blood in their midst?
In Pakistan, these questions have acted as a catalyst for breaking the silence. Previously, the church had not discussed these topics openly, but the training showed that the importance of life is a basic, foundational theme rooted in the Book of Genesis. We teach that we are made in the image of God, and therefore, neglecting the importance of life is a failure to honor our Creator. The training emphasizes that life begins at the very first day of conception—a truth reflected in the Gospel account of Jesus and John the Baptist. When Jesus was teeny and small in Mary’s womb, He was already a living person, just as John was in Elizabeth’s womb.
The Power of the Heart Language: Urdu
One of the most transformative elements of this mission was the realization of the Pentecost principle: the power of hearing the mighty works of God in one’s own heart language. While many in the region speak Punjabi, Urdu is the national language of Pakistan, understood by almost everyone. Before this mission, there was a gap in available resources; even local leaders sometimes found it difficult to grasp the full theme of pro-life theology when it was presented in a foreign tongue.
By translating the Four Questions manual and the scientific video Your Life Before Birth into Urdu, we provided a bridge for the truth to enter the hearts of the people directly. This is what we call the Big Bang of missions—when the barrier of translation is removed, and a local pastor can learn the truth in his daily language and immediately begin teaching it to others. This was movingly demonstrated when, shortly after the training, local leaders were already sharing these concepts with their own congregations in their home districts.
Hospitality and Security in a Sensitive Region
Working in an officially Muslim country like Pakistan requires a high degree of sensitivity and strategic caution. During our time there, we were acutely aware of the geopolitical tensions, particularly the mediating role Pakistan plays in relations between nations like the United States and Iran. To ensure the safety of both the visiting team and the local believers, much of the work was conducted under the cover of night. We stayed within the homes of our hosts during the daylight hours, while they brought people to us for fellowship and training.
Despite these restrictions, the hospitality we experienced was extraordinary. The local church is not only vibrant and bold but also deeply caring. We were treated to wonderful food and even deeper fellowship, forming friendships that went very deep in a short amount of time. This protection was not merely a reaction to current events; it was a necessary precaution in a region where sharing the Gospel can sometimes lead to incidents of persecution. By providing a safe environment, our Pakistani partners ensured that the primary task—introducing the Gospel of Life—could proceed without interruption.
The Global Body of Christ and the Mission Ahead
The experience in Pakistan serves as a powerful reminder that the body of Christ is global. It is easy for those of us in the West to become comfortable in our own settings and forget that our brothers and sisters are serving the same Lord in much more difficult and remote places. Seeing the passion for evangelism and the desire to be a light in a predominantly Muslim community is profoundly humbling and inspiring.
The task ahead in Pakistan is vast, as it is the fifth largest country in the world with approximately 262 million people. There is a great need for both the Gospel of Truth and the Gospel of Life. Local leaders have made it clear that they no longer wish to keep the truth hidden; they recognize that if they do not speak up for the vulnerable, they will be answerable to the Lord. There is a burgeoning plan to spread this training to even more leaders and to establish organized pregnancy help within the country.
To aid in this, we continue to promote simple but effective tools, such as the PassionLife Tiny Baby model. This model shows exactly what a child looks like at nine weeks of age, providing a tangible way for people to speak up and show the humanity of the unborn to mothers in crisis. When combined with the Four Questions and heart-language resources, these tools empower an army of good Samaritans to rescue the innocent in a winsome, biblical way.
Conclusion: A Prayer for the Future
As we look toward the future of the mission in Pakistan, we are filled with hope. The seeds of the Four Questions have been sown in the Urdu heart language, and local pastors are already discussing the importance of life in the open for the first time. The goal was always to provide training that is clear, logical, and biblical so that it can be easily shared from one person to another, spreading throughout family and friendship networks.
We invite you to join us in this work—not only by visiting our website to download these resources for your own use but by actively praying for our brothers and sisters in this remarkable nation. Our time in the Lahore region and beyond has shown us that the church in Pakistan is ready to rise to the challenge of protecting the most vulnerable. As we continue to serve where the need is greatest, we do so with a singular, powerful petition that summarizes our hope for the region: Let God arise in Pakistan.
This article is adapted from the episode transcript.