Pastor Kumar traveled a long way from domestic violence and persecution of other Christians to conversion to Christianity. India is ranked 11th in the 2023 WWL Bullying Report.
In March 2021, a group of extremist Hindus attacked the Reverend Chandra Kumar’s Church. They interrupted the service, accused the pastor of forcing people to convert and cold-bloodedly took their Bibles from the parishioners, ignoring their pleas.
An Indian pastor, Kumar, was beaten and imprisoned during the attack.
Kumar spent weeks in jail on false charges. Now he is free and tells his story of how God miraculously changed his life.
A broken life
“My name is Chandra and I live in India. Before accepting Christ, I was a Hindu and worked as a rickshaw driver. I had bad habits: I drank alcohol, smoked and behaved badly and arrogantly in the company of others.
In addition, I beat and tortured my wife on a daily basis. When my wife couldn’t take it anymore, she left. It wasn’t long before she filed for divorce.
My father-in-law and mother-in-law had accepted Jesus a long time ago and they managed to get my wife to accept Christianity as well. It gave me a chance to take revenge on my wife for leaving me.
I went to the police station to report my mother-in-law’s missionary work. I had many contacts through my driving job, so I asked the Hindu leader of the RRS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), a Hindu national organization, for support.
He along with some members went to the police station to corroborate my claims but they did not lead to anything.”
300 gods, but no peace
“We didn’t have peace and the family was broken up. However, my father-in-law and mother-in-law urged me to believe in Christ and accept Him, but my heart was hard. I told them that I already believed in three hundred Hindu gods, which was surely enough.
There was no peace in my marriage. I felt that the wife’s parents were disturbing my own peace and I wanted to take away their peace. After my first attempt at revenge failed, I decided to do something more drastic: I tried to kill myself and blame my father-in-law for my death.
I drank poison mixed with alcohol and it was absorbed directly into the bloodstream. My wife rushed me to a local hospital, but I was not admitted there. The same thing happened at the county hospital. I was finally admitted to a big hospital.
I had been in the emergency room for three days when the surgeon told me and my wife that the poison in my blood was so strong that I would not live more than ten days. My wife was broken.”
From death to life
“After three days, I was transferred from the emergency room to the general ward, where I could receive visitors.
The pastor of my wife’s church came to see me and asked, “Do you believe in Jesus?”
I was in a very bad state at that moment, ina very bad state, so I could only mumble: “Okay, pastor, I believe.” I asked him to pray for me.
When he prayed, my body trembled. It was a completely new experience. As he prayed, the pastor put his hand on my forehead and I felt the blood flow inside me. It also felt like something had been removed from my life. Instead of the ten days that the surgeon announced, it’s been about 15 years and I’m still alive!
I had 300 idols but none of them saved me. When I believed in Jesus, I was healed immediately.
A new beginning for the whole family
“During my recovery, my wife taught me to pray. I prayed to God: “Father God, forgive me and give me a new life. I want to live only for You.”
God answered my prayer and gave me a new life. From that day on, I wanted to know Jesus Christ. God revealed Himself to me through His Word and I began to understand Christ.
I learned about His power and was filled with the Holy Spirit. God called me to serve, and on top of that, He brought my family together.
All our family members have come to the feet of Jesus and we have served Him for ten years.
Source and photo: Vaimon vainoamisesta vankilassa saarnaamiseen – Pastori Kumarin tarina Intiasta | Open Doors Finland
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