Indian Evangelical Team

Greetings in the sweet and matchless name of our Lord Jesus Christ who said: “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27).

When I was in the school, I acted in dramas and I enjoyed it. When I stepped out of the Army uniform into a world of uncertainties to be a full time minister in October 1972, I was frightened, but I put on a front and acted as if I was not afraid.

Then a man from the other side of the street asked me, “Sir, do you need a room?” I could not believe my ears. I had walked for hours on every high way and byway of that small town and no one gave me a room. Now here was a man asking me if I wanted a room from the other side of the road. He took me to a restaurant, bought me a glass of hot milk and went away. He came back later saying that he had found two rooms and I could select one. Now I had a choice - but only when God intervened.

My ministry from that day on was and is a series of unbelievable miracles. His provisions are just like the stories from the book of Exodus. One thing I know - He walked with me from that day and I am quite sure He still walks with me. IET is the proof that Jesus is alive and He is with us - every day - to provide all our needs.

A few years later, we did not have food in our home. We did not have a mission or a church to back us. So we decided to communicate with our mission HQ in heaven. There was no provision that day. Next morning, when I opened the door, I saw Mr. Joseph sitting on our doorstep with his bedding. He told me that he too had resigned from the Army and had come to join me in the ministry. I explained, as we sat on a wooden box - we did not have any furniture - that I did not have even a cup of tea to offer. I suggested that he can join some other organization, which could give him regular support. Joseph said, “When you will have a chapatti (Indian pancake like bread) you can give half to me.” I took his hand in my hand and made a promise. That is the policy of IET even today. What ever we have is divided equally. More men came, a few to start with but then our Timothy's came .

A very small beginning - I landed at Katra on October 30. Lilly and Aby joined me on November 6th , 1972. Today there are 1136 missionaries almost all over India including the Andamans Islands and two neighbouring countries, Nepal and the Bhutan border. We thank God. We thank you. We request you to stand with us in the days to come to reach our dream - 2000 churches by AD 2000.

Our intention is to see a Christian in every village where there are no Christians. We will do all we can do to see this dream fulfilled. We will pay any price, necessary. Stand with us, please. Together we can see India reached with the gospel. It can be done and we can do it together.

My salvation is a miracle. I have no idea why God saved me? In the army camp of Kashmir where I was stationed, there were thousands of soldiers and I was one of the ten worst characters there. There were better individuals than I - more religious, from better families - with greater abilities.

I was a Havildar (Sergeant) but I never commanded even a small group. I never spoke in public or wrote. I was good just at drinking, smoking, gambling, fighting and my clerical job, but it pleased the Lord to save me.

1. It is dark.

2. The tomb is far away and outside the city. It is not safe for a woman to go at that hour.

3. There are no men with her.

4. The disciples are not going? If the disciples, who had the moral responsibility to go, are not going, why should she ?

5. They are going to a burial place. Asians are afraid of burial grounds and spirits even during the day. Is she not afraid? She could be?

6. The burial ground is guarded by Roman soldiers. Soldiers anywhere in the world do not respect women. It is not safe for the women .

7. She could have gone in the morning. It was a matter of a few hours. But she is in a hurry to go to the body of Jesus.

8. If someone will see her going in the dark there could be a scandal and affect her future (maybe her marriage prospects) and her family reputation. Yet she risked every thing and she went.

9. There was a stone at the mouth of the tomb. Who would roll the stone away? It looked impossible because the stone had a Roman seal over it.

10. She ran back from the tomb to the disciples when she found that the body of Jesus was stolen. In the days of Jesus an unmarried girl did not run through the street. She ran the whole distance - which is difficult because of the steep climb and on the return, the steep descent and the rough road. Two of the disciples ran to the tomb and she followed - running?

Within three months people saw me in my Army uniform in front of my army unit, in the nearby army barracks, streets, the cinema halls, bus stops, hospitals and everywhere, with bags full of tracts and gospels in various Indian languages. When I was distributing literature and preaching on the street, risking my career and inviting trouble, people asked me why. Why was I visiting other military camps, hospitals and nearby villages distributing Christians literature after work?

After one year, when I applied for discharge from the Army, the officers were angry. Why was I leaving a well paid job with security and a bright future? If I would wait for three years I would get life-long pension from the Government. Why did I want to leave the service so soon? Was I going to get better pay and facilities?

When my father decided to divide our family inheritance among my brothers and leave me nothing, I smiled and said that whatever I had earned in my twelve years of Army service was at his disposal and I asked him to divide that among my brothers. He asked why I was not interested in the wealth of this world?

I had a small plot of land in my village and because my village did not have a church I gave it to a Christian organization to construct a church there. When I asked my father's permission to do so he was upset and angry. He asked, “Suppose you die today, what will happen to your wife and child? Where will they go? Why do you act like a fool?”

When I left the Army, I got a considerable amount and people advised me to invest it for the future of my son. I did not want to do so because I wanted to live a life by faith. My pastor suggested that we buy some land in our mission station with that money. I did not want to do so because one day my kids or I may boast or claim that the foundation is money. I gave away all the service benefits I got by writing cheques to various Christian ministries in one evening.

At Pathankot we were growing fast. We planted churches like mushrooms. We trained new believers for the ministry and sent them two by two to places where there was no church. God gave us four acres of land, a large Bible school with all the facilities and a good living accommodation, a vehicle, and the respect of the town. When I walked through the street, aged people would stand up and come to me. When the MLA saw me on the street, he came out and touched my feet - a way of giving reverence in the Indian tradition.

Rev John Osteen gave us the money to construct a house in Delhi for our living accommodation. I gave to that beautiful building to the mission. Again the people asked, "WHY?"

Even today, I have no insurance or savings for me or my family, no property and no house. The Lord has given billions of rupees in my hands in the past 25 years. Many times it was for my family but always I put it in the mission fund. People sent money to the mission and designated money partially to my family. We very seldom took any money from it. We invested it in the ministry. Only the money sent to Lilly, clearly stating that it is for our family, went in to our family account. I never gave anything to my relatives. I did not keep any thing for me or my kids. I spent every thing in God's work all over North India.

When I needed money, I never took money from the mission. Never. My daughter got admission in a medical college in Latur and she was asked to pay Rs 1,40,000 fees (Non Resident Indian quota) lump sum for the first year. It was a tempting offer but I did not take money from the mission. I did not write to our supporters.

I have always believed in prosperity, yet I also believe in a simple living. That is what I see in Jesus . I slept on the floor on a plastic mat till we were given a bed. Then a sister sent a double bed to our home. Till then I used my hands for a pillow. We did not have a dining table. I cut my own hair (no one in India does it) to save a few rupees so that I could buy two new testaments with the money.

Once while travelling in second-class ordinary compartment in the train, my bank manager travelling in the first-class air conditioned coach, asked me why I was travelling in the overcrowded and filthy second class coach. I said, because there is no third class. I am happy to ride a motor scooter in Delhi. People ask me why I do not buy a car? Why such a simple life? Why this sacrificial life? WHY? When we were living in poverty, my child cried for an egg, my wife wore torn clothes - we received an invitation from a middle east country to take over a church with about 1000 Pakistani Christians. A house, a car, visa was all included. I did not even pray over it. I tore that letter into small pieces, and scattered it in the air. Why?

Yes, I answer like Mary. There is only one reason - I love Him. I love Him so much that His passion is my passion, His ministry is my ministry and the fulfilment of His compassion is my desire and joy. In that I forget every other thing. I sleep in my home for less than 90 days a year. This year it will be less than 60 days. I know that it is not good for me or my family, but when someone invites me to preach the gospel, to talk about India, how can I say that I want to be with my family and so I cannot come. I love Him and feel his pulse for the souls.

But see how good He is to me and my family. I am not educated. I have passed 10th grade. I joined a technical school (Poly Technic) but ran away. I did not go to a Bible school to study. I left my home at the age of nineteen, and joined the army. I speak Hindi and have lost touch with my mother tongue Malayalam.

The Lord blessed me. He taught me English. I kept my promise. I went to twelve states of India and preached the gospel before I went to Singapore in 1984. The Lord blessed me further. I have been to many other countries- thirty three so far - preached in churches - large and small and conducted small and large crusades. I have had the privilege to share the platform with great men of God like John Osteen, Kenneth Hagin, T.L Osborn, R. W. Schambach, K.P Yohannan, Paul Yongi Cho, Peter Yengren, Hal Oxley, Peter Morrow, Alan Vincent, D. G. S. Dhinakaran....

My salvation is a miracle. My Christian life is a miracle. But Jesus is the miracle worker. Above all He gave me a wonderful family who stand with me to see my dream and vision is fulfilled. Their lives are a series of miracles and you may rejoice reading their testimonies in the following pages. I rededicate my life today - the day I am completing 25 years in the ministry, to serve Him with the same zeal and faithfulness with only one aim - reach the unreached at any cost. I am today 55 years old. I am asking God to give me long life - to serve Him planting churches where there is no church, training young men and women for the pioneer work, to write books which will outlive me, bringing glory to my Saviour. I also ask Him good health as long as I live, so I will be able to travel to the unreached villages, and people groups as I have done in the past 25 years. I also ask Him to give me money needed for my ministry to preach, publish books, train men, plant churches.