Steadfast Witness in India Faces Jail Time for Sharing Faith
Life can be problematic in Hindu-dominated northern India, but I never imagined receiving threats of prison time for sharing my faith.
About three years ago, before being a Christian, I suffered from a severe eye problem causing intense pain. I was taken to India’s most sacred religious sites and performed all of the rituals. Unexpectedly, the priest washed my eyes with cow urine, and consequently, the degree of burning increased with each wash.
The Lord Heals My Sight
A Christian brother shared how Jesus healed a man, who was blind from birth (John 9). He told of how Jesus heals not only the body but also wounded and broken souls. Great joy and excitement entered my heart. In fact, that day I prayed with the Christian brother by faith for Jesus to come into my life! Hallelujah.
After I began to grow in the Lord and my desire to serve Jesus increased. Additionally, I was introduced by a church planter to the SOM India network. I was trained with instructors and graduated in the 19th class.
Compassion and God’s Grace
Similar to Jesus’ example, I felt compassion for the crowds because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36). The Lord has been drawing my heart to gatherings and groups wherever they are, one of which I discovered was finding a crowd in a train station.
Faithfully, I was moved with love to walk from person to person and talk about Jesus, as I do every time I travel. The station policemen watched closely this time and tried to hear my conversation because I boldly communicated the gospel. When the train arrived, we all boarded, and the same police officers boarded as well.
Trouble on the Train Could Mean Jail Time
As the train passed through a dense jungle area, someone suddenly pulled the chain, and the train came to a halt. The railway police who had boarded the train came running right to our coach and started shouting at me.
The police officers falsely accused me of pulling the chain. They began intimidating me and portraying me as a criminal in front of the passengers. They took me to another police station, where I was questioned and harassed for nearly 5 hours and was threatened with jail.
Alarming Threats of Prison
Finally, the authorities threatened me to stop sharing my faith, or they would take away my freedom. They told me I was disturbing passengers and warned me not to share my faith again. The threat to imprison me faded by God’s protection, but they did fine me for repeatedly talking about Jesus. Please continue to pray for me as the Lord uses our brothers mightily in this region to plant churches and provide leadership.
Despite the charges, nobody can prevent us from sharing our faith. The Holy Spirit prompts us to continue to share the Hope of Christ. We pray for God’s continual protection and boldness to share Christ.
