A Testimony of Paul and Persecution of Christians in India

The recent persecution and hatred meted out against the Christians in India calls for a greater need of joint prayer effort on the part of the worldwide Chriatians. And here in Chikankata Corps atleast two prayer sessions are already offered for the same cause, for we know that if we do our part God will work out in the following ways-
* that Christians in India will be physically safeguarded

* that come what may, they will remain steadfast and strong in their faith
* that out of the persecution, more souls will be forgiven (for they know not what they have done) and be saved

Here is the General's call for his worldwide soldiers to prayer:

Urgent request for prayer - India Northern Territory
"I am asking on an urgent basis for prayer for our Salvationist comrades in the India Northern Territory. Salvationists in the State of Orissa have been directly impacted by recent civil disorder and are in need of our loving thoughts and earnest prayers.

"Following the deaths of local Hindu leaders, some fundamentalist Hindu citizens have been offering violence to their Christian neighbours, including Salvationists. Two corps halls have been destroyed together with a quarters building, and 100 Salvationists are now hiding in fear in the nearby forests. Please pray that God will protect them. Also our Boys' Home has been destroyed. Thirty children and the officers caring for them are now in police protection. Please bring this situation to God in prayer. Efforts are being made to relocate the children to another of our homes.

"Please pray for Colonels Kashinath and Kusum Lahase, territorial leaders, and all their staff, and especially for the divisional leaders in Orissa. God grant a swift return to normality and a restoration of tranquility in these communities. To date there are no reports of Salvationists injured or killed.

"Thank you for your fidelity in prayer.God bless you all.

Yours in Christ,
Shaw Clifton
GENERAL
The Salvation Army International Headquarters,
London

And here again, it is with utmost courtesy to Commissioner Lalkiamlova, International Secretary for South Asia, London that I have been posting this article of his entitled 'A Testimony of Paul', which he himself has dedicated to the persecuted Christians around the world. I hope it finds the readers with apt timing.

A TESTIMONY OF PAUL

“Paul, we have all heard about your dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus: Could you tell us more about what happened that day”?
“Yes, it is true I encountered Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road but that was not the beginning of my conversion”.

“So how did you come to be converted”?

“I think it began on the day Peter and his friends were brought to be questioned before the Sanhedrin. It was a very tense scene - this was their second appearance before the council; they had already been warned to stop speaking about Jesus, and remember too, it wasn’t so long since Jesus himself had been crucified. Peter and the others stood there and the High Priest, Annas, demanded in his booming voice: “Didn’t we strictly command you not to teach in this name?”

Without hesitation they answered: “We must obey God rather than men”.

That surprised all of us. Knowing their vulnerability, we thought they would beg for forgiveness, or at least show respect! So their answer enraged us.

But even more incredible to me was to hear my master, Gamaliel, whom I regarded as next to Moses, speak in their defence. Gamaliel never raised his voice; he always spoke slowly: “Men of Israel”, he said “be careful what you do with these men. Some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about 400, joined him. He was killed and all who followed him were scattered and came to nothing … Now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it - otherwise you will be fighting against God”.

I thought ‘He’s gone mad!’ Then, my second thought was; ‘They’ve bribed him to say this!’ but I realised that could not be, so I had to think about what he said - in fact, for days his words and their bold response: “We must obey God rather than men”, kept resounding in my mind. I didn’t talk to anyone about it, but the struggle inside had begun.

I did not give in easily; I didn’t want to accept what I had heard. Part of me was convinced it was all not of God. Then, one day, Stephen disputed with my friends. Unable to answer his arguments, they induced some men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God”. Stephen was dragged before the council where the liars made their accusations.

When the High Priest asked him “Are these things so?” to my astonishment, Stephen preached a sermon and a long one at that! Beginning right back with God’s calling of Abraham, he went right through our history, arguing that our nation has resisted the Holy Spirit and not kept the Law of Moses.

He said that in the Sanhedrin! Well men stood up, enraged, some thumped the furniture, others shouted, but then Stephen looked up to Heaven and said “Look I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God”. My friends could not tolerate this; they dragged him out of there and right out of the city.

STEPHEN’S DEATH

I went with them but at one point, amid all the commotion and noise, I remembered Gamaliel’s warning: “Be careful … if it is of God …” So I pulled back from doing anything to Stephen myself. Fortunately my friends asked me to hold their coats whilst they collected rocks and stones.

As they hurled the stones on him I stood there watching. There was yelling and hatred, blood and pain, but you know, that was the first time I saw the face of Jesus. I saw it in the face of Stephen. There was no sign of fear in his face. Actually, he looked as happy as if he was going to a marriage party. Looking up to Heaven he said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”. Then he knelt down and repeated the sentence Jesus had called out from the Cross: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”.

That troubled me deeply. I guess you could say I became a zealot with an uneasy conscience.

Basically I still believed we were right to stone Stephen. These people were blasphemers and enemies of Israel. I have always been a passionate, determined person - stubborn, you could say - and I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. No-one was going to be allowed to destroy those and dishonour our God!

But at the same time I was unsettled, and I asked God to tell me if I was wrong in persecuting them.

DAMASCUS

That prayer did not stop me taking letters from the High Priest to the synagogues in Damascus so I could flush out any Christians there, male or female.

So the day came when I set out with some other men, servants and soldiers. As we travelled I prayed: ‘O God of my fathers, if my experiences with Peter and his friends and at the death of Stephen were genuinely from you, please reveal yourself more clearly today and I will stop my opposition to these people’. There are no words great enough to express my gratitude to God for answering my prayer.

As we got near to Damascus, suddenly a light came from Heaven and shone around me and I heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

I asked, “Who are you, Lord?”

Then the voice said to me, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do”.

So I became a Christian, My whole life was changed and I became a new person.

That is how it all began”.

(This article is dedicated to Christians who are under persecution because of their faith, in the hope that at least, in some way, it will help them to face their trials boldly, knowing that the trials will ultimately have a very profitable outcome, just as the trials of those first Christians did for Paul).

Commissioner Lalkiamlova,
International Secretary for South Asia,
The Salvation Army International Headquarters
London

And me too, dear commissioner, I strongly believe this persecution will indeed accelerate the growth of Christianity in India.