Pastor Paul in a demolished church
Pastor Paul’s
testimony: bibles4mideast.com
I
was born as the fourth child of a retired Principal of a higher Secondary
School as well as an Islamic scholar and the president of the Jama’ath (parish
of the mosque) committee. My family is an ancient, prominent and orthodox
Muslim in South Asia.
More
than 4000 Muslim families inhabiting in our area and some Hindus at suburbs. No
Christians at all. There was not even a single Christian in the schools where I
studied.
Our
mosque is around thousand years old. My ancestors spread the religion of Islam in
that place and established the mosque. My grandfather is the founder of present
mosque. My ancestral home is very close to the mosque. The land revenue and the
auxiliary records of the mosque were kept in my father’s name well into my
boyhood. My ancestors were entitled to Muslim priesthood by heredity.
They had the designation as “Labba” with their names to indicate the
priesthood.
In
these circumstances, I was brought up with great regard and love for Islamic
teachings and its practices and of my family. I did my religious education
before I started regular schooling. No bad habits existed in the way of our
family life. I even wrote and published
a book about the Qur’an.
My
college education was held at a Christian institution. The vast majority of my
college classmates were Christians. I was the only Muslim in the class. I had
difficulty to mingle with my classmates in the beginning. But gradually I
became close and intimate with them.
Actually
it led me to evil associations and wretched habits. I started smoking, began to
use drugs and alcohol, done streaking, being known as rowdy in the city.
Damaging reports and ugly pictures concerning me began to appear in the
newspapers. As a result my parents, brothers, sisters and dear ones were
greatly disturbed. It seemed I may have to discontinue my education.
By
this time I became addicted on drugs and alcohol. My body began to shiver and I
became very tense if I did not use drugs at the habitual times. I was on the
watch-list of the Police. My parents cut off the money which they were giving
me regularly. I had lots of friends, ready for any adventure, when I had money
in my pocket. As a matter of fact my earlier friends became my sworn enemies in
my period of trial. I lost my peace of mind.
It
was at this juncture that some missionary students gathered courage to
talk to me. They claimed that Jesus is the Son of God, who was crucified for
mankind. He rose from the dead and He is the King of Peace. They further
claimed that if one believes in Him and confesses all sins he will become a new
person. I could not even imagine that Prophet Isa (Jesus) is the son of God or
that he was crucified and rose from the dead. I in turn exhorted them to reach
heaven by believing in Islam which is the true religion. I had heated arguments
with them on many occasions. They could only find fault with my wretched life,
but could not prevail over my arguments or prove my ideas wrong.
But
without losing heart, one day they brought some gospel tracts. Those were
based on the Bible which I considered forbidden, for it is abrogated. Hence I
went into a rage. The thought that the advice that I had given them earlier
regarding Islam, had made no impact on them increased my rage. I tore the
tracts into pieces. With despicable words I threw the pieces into their faces
and I gave warning that I would destroy them if they continued misleading
others.
It
was a serious matter that the students of priesthood in cassocks were publicly
insulted and persecuted, especially in the compound of a Christian institution.
It looked almost certain that I would be expelled from the college. I could
also expect troubles from any direction.
The
next day I went to the college armed with weapons, intending to cause violent
incidents. When I entered the class, the missionary students ran to me and
embraced me with love and joy. They surprised me by expressing regret for
having caused mental distress on me. If the college was run by my religion and
I was in the place of a missionary, surely I would not have let one free. In
fact, I was touched by their love, kindness and gentle nature. The Holy Spirit,
which reminds us about sin, righteousness and judgment, began to work upon me.
That
night I found a piece of paper in a text book in my room. On it was written,
“The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came to
the world to save sinners, for whom I am the foremost” (1Tim 1:15). On the
reverse side of the paper was written, “For the wages of sin is death, but the
free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). I did
not know those were the verses from the Bible. But I was overcome with
thoughts.
All
the sins, the excessions and violations that I had committed since childhood
began to appear before me as if on a screen. I recognized all my iniquities,
big and small. Each one of them transformed into a blister on my body. The
blisters burst open and became sores. The flesh and bones, from where pus began
to flow out, became very hot and began to melt. Worms were competing to get at
the marrow of the bones. The pain was unbearable. The stench could not be
described. I was being pulled into a bottomless pit. There was nobody to save
me. I cried out, “God, save me”.
Then
a man, holy, white and bright, descended from heaven and touched me. I
understood it was Jesus. For a moment I closed my eyes with a heavenly joy, for
His touch cooled my body and mind. When I opened my eyes all the blisters and
sores had disappeared from my body. I am purified as if washed with a perfumed
ointment. But Jesus, who came in bright and spotless, was now infected with
blisters and sores. Pus and discharges were flowing out of them. Worms and
maggots were roaming freely on his body. It was like an abominable, foul
smelling creature.
Yes!
“Surely he has borne our grieves and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him
stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our inequities; upon him was the
chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed” (Is
53:4-5).
Christ
had taken on himself all my afflictions. I should have been condemned to death
for all my sins. But I saw Christ taking on all my sins and being
crucified in my place for my sake.
Earlier
I never believed that Christ was crucified. I used to ask how our sins
would be washed away by his death, even if he was crucified. But now I was
convinced how and for what Christ died.
“For
our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become
the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21).
I
saw Jesus breaking the tomb and rising up from the dead. He was more glorious
and resplendent in resurrection than he descended from the clouds. I fell at
his feet crying, “My Lord and my God”.
I
do not know whether this experience which occurred to me in my own house in an
area where there are no Christians, is a dream, or a revelation or a
vision. I was not at all believing such kind of matters. But this experience transformed
me into a Christian. It enabled me to throw away the old man and made me
to become a new man. I received joy and peace, the like of which I never knew
before.
I
shared my conversion of mind and joy at the same night to my parents. Although
they listened me, but tried to dissuade me saying this was only a trick played
by Iblis (Satan). But I was convinced that the loving God has saved me
through His only Son and that I would inherit eternal life.
I
was baptized in water as soon as I accepted Him as my personal Savior. Lord
baptized me with the Holy Spirit and granted me gifts of the Spirit too.
But
mine was by no means an easy path. Some of the community I formerly belonged to
felt that my accepting Jesus Christ was an act of betrayal and they tried to
take revenge. Once someone sprinkled sulfuric acid on my body.
One
day I was narrating my Christian experiences to some of my friends near the
mosque. Suddenly one of my cousin brothers stabbed me with a knife. My lower
jaw was split. Everybody thought that I may die. But God saved me and made me a
witness again at that place. He was making arrangements to kill me in another
way and had a plan to convert it into a suicide. For the same he was
busily making a noose at the top of a tree. But a whirl wind blew and he fell
with the branch of the tree. He was near to death. Instinctively I wished
for his death. But Jesus ordered me to love and nurse him as He had loved me
when I was His enemy. At my initiative he was taken to the hospital and was in
plaster for more than six months. When he recovered, he accepted Jesus as his
Savior.
The
Jama’ath (mosque) authorities chained me, shaved my head, locked me in an
underground cellar when yet another person became a Christian. When I
tried to escape acid was sprayed on me. I was beaten up several times and even
lost a few teeth. I considered these experiences as lucky tips in the name of
Jesus and as a symbol of my spiritual fervor.
The
Lord visited a few more people who caused trouble on me. Most of them have been
led to believe in Jesus.
I
have two sons and one daughter. A terrorist group had sent a wing under a
commander to destroy my entire family. He managed to make my children consume
poison, and all of the three of them were in the hospital in a critical stage.
My daughter, though, remained in coma for nearly 30 days. Her recovery was just
like someone being raised from the dead. The commander, who wanted to kill us
was shaken to see the power of our Lord in action. He too became a follower of
Jesus Christ and dedicated himself to work for Him as a missionary and winning
many souls unto His fold.
I
and one of my assistant pastors were severely beaten in a village by a mob and
they burned down our prayer hall. God alone has saved me. Recently our Lord has
enabled me to overcome a murder attempt. By making an accident somebody tried
to kill me and I have undergone the treatment. While I was in the hospital my
wife and children also faced a murder attempt at home and God saved them
miraculously.
I
must mention that my parents, my brothers and sisters were all devout Muslims.
Most of the seniors are Hajis (man who did pilgrimage to Mecca is called Haji)
and Hajjummas (woman who did pilgrimage to Mecca is called Hajjumma). Having
let Jesus Christ into my life, I was ex-communicated and for quite some time
was not allowed to have any contacts with my parents and the extended family. I
and my wife felt sad about it and brought this matter to the Lord in prayers.
Gradually, I began to re-establish links with my people through letters and
telephone calls. Finally, a day came when they had accepted the fact that I
worship Jesus Christ, visited my place and stayed with us and their
grandchildren. I spoke to them about the love of God. They left, and we had maintained
good contacts since then.
Later
I was told that just two days before his death, my father accepted Jesus Christ
as his Lord and Savior because he had had a vision of Jesus with the marks left
by the nails and His hands and feet. My mother too became a believer shortly
before her death.
My
deep burden is reaching gospel to the unreached, especially to the world of
Islam and winning them unto the salvation of Jesus Christ at any cost. “Bibles for Mideast” spreading
the Word of God in Asia, Africa and Middle East by God’s grace because of the
prayers of many.
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