The Power of God's Word in India

"There is nothing more powerful than introducing people to the Word of God"

From the very beginning of our ministry in 1938, Crossway has existed to publish gospel-centered, Bible-centered content that will honor our Savior and serve his church. Sometimes, in God’s plan and providence, this ministry takes us to the farthest corners of the world.

In 2014, Crossway launched the first phase of the ESV Global Study Bible project, an effort to distribute ESV Global Study Bibles to pastors and church leaders in over 60 countries, often in places of great need around the world.

Rev. Dr. Bobby Gupta serves as president & director of the Hindustan Bible Institute in India (HBI), a key partner in Crossway’s ESV Global Study Bible project. Through the ministry of HBI, Crossway has been privileged to distribute 80,000 ESV Global Study Bibles to Christian leaders throughout India. Recently, we sat down with Dr. Gupta to learn more about the church in India and how God’s Word is transforming hearts and lives in that country. Here are some of his thoughts about the power of God's Word:

One of the most powerful things happening today in India that is causing [the church] not only to be wide and everywhere, but also to be deep and multiply, is the Word of God. There is nothing more powerful than introducing people to the Word of God and allowing God’s Word to begin to become rooted in their lives, in their minds, and in their hearts so that they’re beginning to reflect God’s glory.

I would love for people who are listening to pray for the pastors here in India—that they’ll highly value the Word of God; that they won’t treat it as a textbook, but that they treat it as a love letter from God, and help the people inside the local churches to realize their life needs to be under God’s authority and be transformed by God’s Word in order to become more like Jesus.

Please join in prayer for Crossway, for Dr. Gupta and our friends at HBI, and for all of India:

That as God’s Word goes forth, it will become rooted in the hearts and minds of his people;
That the Lord, in his gracious provision, would ensure the safe production, printing, and distribution of the next 100,000 ESV Global Study Bibles. (These Bibles are in addition to the 250,000 Global Study Bibles that were already printed and distributed during the first phase of the project);
That the lives of pastors, church leaders, and believers in thousands of churches across the globe who will receive these Bibles will be transformed by God’s Word and become more like Jesus (Romans 12:2).