"Thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have no assurance of thy life; in the morning thou shalt say ,Would God it were evening! and at evening thou shalt say , Would God it were morning ! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see." Deut. 28.66,67
The above words of the Holy Scriptures describe my life in the year 1971.As a College student I was suffering from some physical ailment, probably pulpitation, owing to which I could not write my final exam in BA 2nd year in Guru Charan College Silchar. I consulted many doctors and ‘Kavirajas’ but could not get any relief. I was quite depressed.
I was born and brought up in a religious Hindu family. I searched for healing and peace of mind through reading the Hindu religious books. I found out that God was holy and was far away from mortal sinner like myself. That, I had to go through many rebirths doing good works in each birth and finally I might someday get to meet God the Creator and that after how many rebirths and after how much good works I might be counted worthy to meet God was not at all sure or certain.
Finding no solution to my problem I decided to run away secretly to a Hindu pilgrimage at Puri (in Orissa State of India) and thought to spend the rest of my life through calling on the name of God there as a ‘Sadhu’. I went to the Railway station at Silchar to check the train fare for Puri etc. The Ticket Counter people informed me that I could avail of the studentship fare discount if I was a College student. That night a peculiar thought came to my mind: "I have tried almost everything except Jesus Christ , the god of the Christians! Before I run away to Puri secretly, why not try this Jesus Christ , the god of the Christians?" Years back while reading in Grade seven I had read a Gospel of Mark brought by my cousin brother from a Christian bookshop. I was fascinated with the miraculous works of Jesus , of healing the lame, giving eyesight to the blind, letting the paralyzed to get up and walk etc. But so far I never had a direct dealing with any Christian on religious matters.
The next day I went to the Christian bookshop at Silchar and requested to the salesman to give me a booklet which would help me to find peace of mind. The salesman gave me the booklet –"How I got joy unspeakable and full of glory" written by Bakht Singh. Returning home I read the booklet from beginning to the end. Reading the booklet changed my attitude. Once I thought I had no hope but I could see that there was hope for me. My desire to die was gone. The writer was challenging me to try and experience the Saviour Lord Jesus Christ Who was the Living God and I could talk to Him like I talk to a man, He could answer my questions and solve my problems, heal my sickness and could give me peace! That , the Lord Jesus loved me and had given His own life to save me from my sins! That, He had risen from the dead to be my Saviour!
Without any doubt I could see that the Lord Jesus Christ was my only hope. I needed to confess that I was a sinner, believe that He died for me on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins and invite Him by faith into my heart as my personal Saviour and Lord. A struggle arose in my heart! What would my mother say of me if I become a Christian? What would my brothers, my relatives and my friends say ? They count all Christians as untouchables and anyone who becomes a Christian is an outcast, they believe that he and his whole clan will go to Hell! Now they all regard me as a good student , though they had never seen the wretched condition of my heart . The struggle went on for a week.
Again I went to the Bookshop and collected few more booklets and leaflets. "How to find God" written by Theodore H.Epp and a Tract in Manipuri language entitled- "God’s plan for your salvation" published by All India Prayer Fellowship, Delhi , were of great help to me in understanding more about this salvation in the Lord Jesus.
I was convinced that the Lord Jesus Christ was my only hope . But still I could not make a decision to invite Him into my heart. At this point , a few words from the first booklet were striking in my heart, "The Lord Jesus will never force His way into your heart . If you reject Him now , the light rejected will become darkness and your heart will grow harder and harder."
At last I broke down on 9th October 1971, at about 10.00 a.m. Deeply convicted of being a sinner, I knelt down and with tears rolling down I prayed to the Lord Jesus , "O Lord Jesus , I am a sinner .Kindly forgive me of my sins .Kindly come into my heart and give me your peace. I give my whole body and life to you, it is no more mine, it is yours. Kindly guide me in my life from today onwards and kindly heal me." I did not know how to pray properly. I prayed this prayer in my study room at my village Jhoragul. As I got up from prayer I realized something had happened to me. I was no more worried about my life. Neither did I want to end my life by running away to a pilgrimage town etc. A deep joy flooded my heart and could understand that the Lord Jesus had come into my heart and that He was reigning in my heart!
Day by day the joy began to increase in my heart. I was also healed of my physical ailment. I bought an English Holy Bible and began reading it day and night. I started telling about the Wonderful Saviour Lord Jesus Christ to my relatives and friends starting first from my mother. The more I told about Him to others the more the joy was multiplied in my heart! The day when I didn’t find someone to tell about Him , I felt unhappy and dry! Soon I was convinced that the Lord Jesus was calling me for His service. I wanted to spend every inch of my life for Him. I wanted to think of Him , speak of Him and to live for Him! I wanted to spend every moment of my life for the Saviour. He was speaking to me through His Word and by His Holy Spirit. He was carrying my burdens, answering my prayers and leading me day by day ! "Therefore, being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Rom.5.1, 2
Persecutions and sufferings also came for my faith in Christ. My family members, initially who were not against Christ, started opposing my faith due to pressure from villagers and I was ordered to live outside of our house and sleep and stay in the cowshed with our cows(We had about 4 cows at that time!).I had to live with the cows in the cowshed for about a month .One day the village priest came to our house with a ‘holy water’ jar and a leafy branch of a particular tree(‘Tairen Masha’ in Manipuri language).And the priest sprinkled holy water with the tree leaves to cleanse our house of defilement due to my becoming a christian! One night all the village elders of my village (Jhoragul) , numbering about twenty , came to my house and conducted a "Bichar Sobha"( Judgment Session) for my being a Christian. One of the elders asked me why I had rejected my ancestral Hindu religion and had taken the ‘Religion of the White-Skin people, the Sahebs’.I replied that by trusting Christ as my Lord and Saviour, I got forgiveness of all my sins and that I was sure I was going to Heaven. The elder got very angry at my reply and scolded me accusing Christian missionaries of running profit-making businesses in India in the name of preaching religion. Another elder made fun of my having assurance of Heaven, and asked me what day of the week I was going to go to Heaven , Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday? The elder explained that it would take a long process of research and devotion to find an experience with God and to have an assurance of Heaven, whereas I was only young and wearing a spectacle due to eye-problem. I replied saying that the Lord Jesus had promised in the Holy Bible that anyone who believes on Him were forgiven of all sins and were instantly become a citizen of Heaven while on earth and that he or she had become a child of God. But the elders either could not understand or could not believe what I said Another elder expressed that it was not good on their part to forcibly stop me from following Christ but that I should voluntarily do it. After about three hours of discussion by the elders as to what to do with me, finally one of the elders conveyed me their decision saying that I was to voluntary stop from following Christ and return to Hindu faith, otherwise I could not continue to live in the village and I must leave the village. After this warning, the elders left. I began to pray,"Lord Jesus, you are my captain and I am your unworthy spiritual soldier. I have shared your good news of salvation to my village people and now they want me to get away fron this village. Kindly guide me where to go next and share this good news of free salvation to the lost sinners." I met a man by the name of Mr. Sathiabalan , in Silchar Baptist Church ,on a Sunday Worship Service. He share about the ministry of "Discipleship Centre ,Delhi" and said that he was looking for some Christian young men to do street evangelism work in cities like Delhi and Calcutta etc. I felt it was a door opened for me by the Lord and I applied to join the same.
By the Lord’s leading, on 15th May 1972 , under an arrangement with "Discipleship Centre,Delhi" ,I went to join the "Operation Mobilisation India", ministry in Calcutta, which was primarily a literature evangelism ministry done by Christian youths. In May 1974 I left O.M.India and joined "Discipleship Centre, Delhi" for two months , which was conducting a Gospel Literature Outreach Program in Assam State of India where I belong. Then on 25th July 1974 , I joined "Burrows Memorial Christian Hospital at Alipur"(in Cachar District of Assam), to witness among patients and local people of the area about the Lord Jesus. I was employed as a Hospital Chaplain . Then in November 1974 I was sent as a Pioneer Missionary by Alipur Baptist Church in collaboration with the B.M.C.Hospital , to a new place called Jiribam in Manipur State. I was sent to preach the Gospel with a view to establishing a Local Baptist Church in Jiribam. The Lord blessed the evangelism work. First I started a Weekly Fellowship called "Jiribam Baptist Fellowship" with those who responded to the Gospel message. Later "The Jiribam Baptist Church" was organized on 3rd March 1976 with nine baptized members. The membership grew to 25 in 1977. I was shepherding the new church as Acting Pastor. Then, I left Jiribam on 31st December 1977 to become the Pastor of Alipur Baptist Church having been called by that church.
Serving the Lord as Pastor of Alipur Baptist Church since 1st January 1978 the Lord has taught me many lessons and also transformed the church into a lively active church whereas the church was almost inactive without having a Pastor for nearly seven years. The Lord has given me a wonderful wife Jahanara on 4th July 1979 and He has blessed our marriage with four lovely children since then. My deeper burden in my heart is to see many local churches planted in different parts of India. Already the Lord has given us a number of souls in the surrounding villages and we have started about five church groups in the neighboring areas of Alipur Baptist Church. Praise and glory be to His name only!
By the grace of the Lord -"Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think"- He used me over the years to lead many Gospel Outreaches in Cachar and different parts of India .The Lord used me as Part time Lecturer at Northeast India Baptist Bible College & Seminary, Silchar for seven Semesters in 1990-93,1999-2000. The Lord also used me as one of the Teachers at FBCI’s vernacular Bible School at Silchar for 3 years in1989-90,1993. The Lord helped me to complete my secular studies and earn the degrees B.A.(with Distinction) from Nambol L.S.College,Manipur and M.A.in Manipuri Literature from Manipur University in 1988-89.The Lord also helped me to do theological studies while in Pastoral service and helped me to earn the degrees of Master of Arts in Biblical studies in 1982-84(from Northwest Baptist Seminary, India Extension at Bangalore) and Doctor of Ministry from Baptist Bible Seminary, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania,USA, in 2003-2008.
To me, serving the Lord has been adventure all the way and sweeter every day! Having been in the ministry for over thirty years , I feel like praying to the Lord (like Caleb)-"O Lord, Give me this mountain!"(Joshua 14.12). There are many mountains still to claim.
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