20 Years of Wasted Life and 20 Years of Fruitful Life

June 26th is an unforgettable day in my life. This is the day that I was drawn to the Lord Jesus and was transformed by His Holy Spirit. Indeed, I was chosen before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4).

To know how my life was before believing in Christ, click on the following two articles:

• He Transformed my Life 

• June 26th—Why Is It An Unforgettable Day of My Life? 

It is interesting that I was born in 1976, came to the Lord Jesus in 1996, and this year, i.e. 2016, I celebrate 20 years of my life in Christ and 40 years of my existence in this world.

As I enter this day, I see that I wasted 20 years of my life on earth. From the time I was born until I turned 20 years in 1996, I lived a Christ-less and wretched life. Thankfully, from 1996 to 2016, my life has been fruitful in Christ. And from now on, may my good Lord make my life even more fruitful until He calls me home.

There are numerous lessons I have learned in my twenty years of my life in Christ. Let me briefly share some key lessons with you for the edification of your heart.

1. Seek to know God intimately. 

Ever since I was born-again, my heart became hungry to know God intimately. Nothing fascinates me like the lives of men and women who devoted themselves to prayer and walked humbly with God.

I must love theology and doctrines, not as mere information, but to grow in knowing the Lord as He revealed Himself in His Word. Sadly, there were numerous situations where my heart became cold. Nevertheless, to know and experience my Creator personally has always been the cry of my heart. This is nothing but the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

I have learned not to be satisfied just by studying the Bible. I shouldn’t be content simply by doing good works and good ministry. I must pursue to know the Lord of the heavens and the earth realistically, experientially and intimately. Let the passion of the Psalmists be our yearning too, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” (Psalm 42:1-2)

2. Do Not Neglect Personal Devotions.

In my years of Christian living, I have learned to give priority to personal devotions. This doesn’t mean I was firmly consistent in this discipline. I have failed more than one can count. Yet, by the Lord’s grace, I make effort not to neglect my personal devotions. This is the most important and enjoyable time of my every day life.

In my personal devotional time with the Lord, I meditate on His Scripture, write the insights I observe, and simultaneously spend time in prayer and worship. I wonder whether the rest of my life would be sufficient enough to share the lessons I have learned in personal devotions.

My great example to imitate in personal devotions is the Lord Jesus Christ. After his tiring ministry in the evening until night, this is what is written about him the next day, “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed” (Mark 1:35).

3. Walk with integrity of heart in family life. 

How I live my Christian life at home is more important than how I do ministry outside. Regretfully, I cannot express how many times I failed in obeying the commandments of Christ at my home. And when my wife and kids saw my worst conduct, I had to confess and repent of my sin before God and my family.

The most important place where I have to follow Christ and represent Him is in my family life. If I fail at home, I fail everywhere. I may be a good preacher, writer and leader; yet, if I don’t make effort to practice godliness before my wife and kids, I am simply a hypocrite. Therefore, it is my passion and pursuit to live a godly life at my home.

Many Christian leaders have terrible testimony in their family life; they only enjoy the praise and applause of those who do not know their walk at home. I have understood that more than what I preach and teach and write, what is more inspiring to my people is my practical Christian walk at my home. Like the Psalmist, I resolved, “I will walk with integrity of heart within my house” (Ps. 101:2).

4. Ministry is loving people. 

Just as it is possible to marry without love for one’s spouse, it is also possible to be in ministry without love for people. I have observed how terribly likely it is to have a passion for ministry without having a passion for people.

I have learned an important lesson that my first priority in ministry is to love those whom the Lord has put into my life. I should be interested in their welfare. I must listen to their sorrows and joy. I ought to be excited about their achievements. I have to serve them to see them grow and excel in the Lord.

Ministry is loving people. All the ministries that I do—such as preaching, teaching, writing, counselling…etc.—must emanate from my love for people. Without love, my ministry is dead. Although I may have a shining testimony in the eyes of people because of my knowledge and abilities, God does not care about my ministry if it is not done out of love.

The ministry that I do must reflect the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:15, “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?”

5. Never forget from where you came. 

When the Corinthians acted arrogantly, Paul wrote to them, “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth” (1 Cor. 1:26). What a humble reminder!

I was born in an inner-city slum and grew up in a poor family. I lived a terribly sinful life. It is from this situation that the Lord in His grace had saved me. I must never forget that I am a sinner saved by God’s grace. I deserved eternal condemnation but was accepted into God’s kingdom because of the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

One dangerous temptation I have seen is that when our influence grows, we tend to build our image based on what people think about us, forgetting our low and degraded state from which the Lord had saved. Constantly reminding myself from where I came and how I am saved by the Lord’s grace keeps me humble in life and ministry.

6. Work as a team. 

We know two are better than one (Ecc. 4:9). Also, three are better than two. And four are better than three. When I read the book of Acts, I seldom see Paul traveling and doing ministry alone, except perhaps when he was in prison. He always had traveling companions and did ministry as a team.

This is what I have learned—never do ministry alone. I work in church ministry as a team. I oversee TENTS ministry as a team. When I go to other places to preach and teach, I love travelling and doing ministry as a team.

My team has been a great strength, encouragement and support in the ministry that I do. I can’t imagine myself doing ministry without my team. I stand on their shoulders and serve the Lord. Further, I am blessed to have mentors, friends and mentees who are a great delight to my heart. Glory be to God for bringing them into my life!

7. Be generous in your giving. 

In Acts 20:35, Paul spoke to the leaders of church, “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” It is not actually the prosperous that are greatly blessed but the generous.

I have seen how exciting it is to express our passion to live for the Lord and serve Him. However, when it comes to money, many of us are not excited to give cheerfully and generously. The true test of our devotion to the Lord is not our head and mouth but our purse. Of course, generosity must be practiced with wisdom and discernment.

God’s Word has taught me that I cannot be Christ-like without being generous with money and material things. In loving us and giving His life for us, Christ became a living model of generosity to us. Although not so easy, I resolved to keep up my commitment to give away money regularly to my local church and to the needy, be it in good times or bad times.

8. Life is short. Don’t waste your time.

Psalm 90:10 says, “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.” In our stressful, polluted and wrecked world, not many may live up to seventy or eight years. Even if we live for so many years, they are soon gone and fly away. This speaks the fact that life is short and soon passes away.

As I turn forty this year, my heart is concerned that I am drawing closer to death. Surely, if I die it would not be a hopeless death. There is eternal life in Christ Jesus. But I have to give an account of my life to God so that I may receive what is due for what I had done in the body, whether good or evil (2 Cor. 5:10).

What is it that I have accomplished in my life till now and how much more I have to work hard with the strength God provides is a growing conviction of my passing life! Life is short and I have less time to fulfill the ministry God has given to me.

Hence, if I don’t want to waste my life, I must not waste my time. I must use it as a precious treasure. What the Lord Jesus said to His disciples often pierces my heart, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work” (Jn. 9:4).

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Glory be to my Creator and Redeemer for blessing me with a glorious and wonderful life in Christ! I love my Lord Jesus and I can’t imagine living a moment without Him. I praise Him for dying on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins, for rising from the dead to give me the hope of eternal life, and for His promise of second coming to take me to join with His saints in His everlasting Kingdom. Blessed be His Name forever and ever.

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Enquiries: 

cstephendavid@gmail.com 

(or)

messageforourage@gmail.com

From Burglar to Benefactor

This week, on June 26th, I have passed sixteen years of my faith in Christ. It is on this day, in the year 1996, I was saved and transformed by the life-transforming power of Christ Jesus. At that time, I was 19 years and now 36 years old. If there is any wonderful and unregrettable decision I have made in my entire life, it is the decision to give my life to Christ in my very young life. Hallelujah!

Stealing and Prospering
As I reflect on my past life, i.e. life before Christ, I feel ashamed of being a thief. I was clever at stealing from the time I was a small kid, stealing toys in shops. When in my teens, I remember of once robbing a set of products from a big shop. My friend was a decent guy and was so afraid of joining with me in this theft. Nevertheless, I persuaded him not to fear and stole the products.

Somehow I was observed and was caught outright. My friend and I were dragged to the nearby police station. When we watched other thieves badly beaten by the police, my friend was too afraid and shivered. As we were waiting for our trial in the station, we subtly escaped and ran like a deer from its predator and jumped into a running bus.

As I grew, I became more active in stealing things. I robbed enormous amount of money from workplaces, got involved in the distribution of counterfeit currency, produced fake identity cards and stole various things as I got opportunities. I was robbing so much money in my youth, not knowing where to store, I used to dump money in a big box, buying material things and enjoying a luxurious lifestyle. Influenced by some people who gained a lot of money from burglary, I was even forming a gang and planned to rob houses.

If I was not transformed by Christ at that time, you could imagine what kind of a stigma I would have been to my family and a great trouble to the society. If not for Christ, I am sure I could have either become a smuggler or a criminal. But my Lord Jesus is merciful and powerful enough to change sinful lives. I have seen Him transforming much worse lives than mine. Praise and glory to the life-transforming and life-giving Lord!

Confessing and Rectifying
One of the amazing things I have learned about trusting in Christ—you will not only receive forgiveness of your sins, but also get convicted to confess and rectify your sin before others. When Zacchaeus was saved, he said, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount" (Lu. 19:8). This is what the gospel of Christ does, leading people to repentance and proving their repentance by their deeds (Acts 26:20).

In the same way, when I came to trust Christ Jesus as my Savior and Lord, I received tremendous peace and joy in my heart. I was amazed and thrilled to know how much Christ loved and died on the cross for a wretched sinner like me. But at the same time, I got a conviction to go to the people against whom I had sinned to ask apology. One of the sins I was convicted to confess was a theft I committed years ago. I robbed a cycle from a known person, drove it to the downtown and sold it for a couple of bucks. After coming back, I pretended as if I didn’t know anything and tried to help him find his lost cycle.

So the Lord spoke to my heart to go and confess this sin to him, asking him apology and making recompense for stealing his cycle. I struggled a lot to confess before him the sin I committed against him. I felt ashamed and was even afraid of the consequences. Eventually, I went to him, humbly confessed my sin, asked for his forgiveness and gave him the money in recompense for stealing his cycle. He was surprised and gladly forgave me.

From Greed to Generosity
When I trusted in Christ Jesus, another thing I have noticed in my life is that the Lord turned my heart from greed to generosity. My heart broke when I saw people in need and God gave me His abundant grace to help others. Earlier I robbed things which belonged to others, but after knowing Christ, I have learned to share what belonged to me. This doesn’t mean I am perfect and selfless, but progressively growing in the grace of generous living.

In all these sixteen years of my life in Christ, I am grateful to God for using a once-upon-a-time thief to help countless people in various ways. Such is the power of the gospel. This is what Christ does when He comes into a sinful life, turning a sinner into a saint.

I am reminded of the words of Paul written to the Ephesians, “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need” (Eph. 4:28). What a great exhortation—a robber becoming a helper!

When coming to the cross of Christ Jesus and growing in the knowledge of the Holy One, a burglar stops stealing and learns to become a benefactor; a greedy man stops being greedy and learns to become a generous person; a plunderer stops plundering and learns to become a philanthropist; a selfish person—who may not be stealing things but yet keeps himself away from helping others—stops being selfish and learns to become a person who loves to share.

Well, this is why I love to preach Christ—I want to see miserable lives becoming wonderful beings and living for the glory of their Maker. People desperately need Jesus, for the Scripture says that all have sinned and cut off from the one and the only true God (Rom. 3:23). The gift of eternal life is only through the Lord Jesus, for He is the only one who died for the sinners and rose again from the dead as the Living Savior (Rom. 6:23). The Lord Jesus alone is the remedy for the world’s tragedy.

Related Articles:

• June 26th—Why is It an Unforgettable Day of My Life?
• He Transformed My Life

_______________________________

Enquiries:

messageforourage@gmail.com

June 26th—Why Is It An Unforgettable Day of My Life?

I have earned a reputation among those intimate with me about being a forgetful person. My friend says he can write a book on this hilarious part of my life. Then how is my mind stamped with this date—June 26th?

This day is the most remarkable day of my life. It is more important than the day I was born. It is more auspicious than the day I got married. It is more memorable than the day my children were born. Moreover, it would be more beautiful than the day I would die.

“Why is it so” you might question?

June 26th takes my thoughts back to June 26th, 1996. On this day, I woke up from my bed with a heavy conviction and serious thoughts about life and death. Eventually, the Spirit of God brought me to the feet of Jesus. It was on this day the Lord Jesus visited me in a Sai Bai temple and made me His child and disciple. [Click here later to read my brief testimony about how I came to know the Lord]

How I came to Christ is still a wonder to me! I didn’t experience a miracle or hear an audible voice or see a vision or dream. I wasn’t even driven to seek Jesus for earthly blessings. I was simply wallowing in sin. But how good and gracious the Lord is—He sent His Spirit to convict me of my sins and of the reality of His presence and glory! I didn’t seek Him; He sought me. What an amazing blessing to be found by the Maker of the heavens and the earth!

“So what? What radical difference did it make as a result of believing in Christ?” some might ask.

This wondrous song, written by John W. Peterson in 1961, well expresses the excitement of my heart:

O what a wonderful, wonderful day, day I will never forget;
After I'd wandered in darkness away, Jesus my Saviour I met.
O what a tender, compassionate friend, He met the need of my heart;
Shadows dispelling, with joy I am telling, He made all the darkness depart.

Heaven came down and glory filled my soul,
When at the cross the Saviour made me whole;
My sins were washed away and my night was turned to day,
Heaven came down and glory filled my soul!

[Click here later to listen to this complete song.....]

On this day and from then onward, the Lord has made a world of difference in me. My life was tremendously impacted in many ways. Because of time constraint, let me share just a few of them.

Grand Purpose

I lived a life without purpose. Everything that I was doing under the sun, all of them were meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I didn’t know the reason for my existence and had no meaningful aim to live on earth. I lived for the sake of living and had done things for the sake of doing. I had no idea from where I came, what should I be doing on earth and where I was heading. I sailed in this world like a ship without a rudder.

Everything was centered on me—my pleasures, my ambitions, my money. And you know, when ‘self’ becomes the master, the wages it gives is ‘misery’. Ah, my life was miserable in serving myself!

Then when the day came, the glorious moment of knowing Christ personally, I had stopped beating around the bush. O, I found the grand purpose of my life! For the first time, I became excited and passionate to live for Someone worth living for. I realized—I am not the reason for my existence; there is an infinite, greater Being than me (a finite one) who created the whole universe; there is a greater purpose for my life than just me and my world.

Colossians 1:16 gives a definite answer to the purpose of life—“For by Him [Christ Jesus] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.”

What a great revelation! All things, everything—you and me and everyone—were created by Him and for Him. What a joy to know—Stephen David was created by Christ and for Christ! When Christ has created me for Himself, I have no better purpose and meaningful way to live than for Him. He is the cause of my existence. He is the purpose of my life on earth. He is my hope with whom I would be living eternally.

When Christ became the Lord of my life, joy and peace flowed in me like streams of water in the wasteland. From a dry desert land, He made my life a beautiful meadow. Yes, I am amazed at what Christ wrought in me!

Radical Change

The other day, I was telling my wife and children—you people have to be thankful to God forever, for if I was not transformed by Christ, I might have made your lives hell. Thankfully, my home is now a haven only because of Jesus. Without Christ, no doubt, I could have become either a smuggler or a criminal. That was the crooked path I chose. I was bent on doing evil things. Although I was in the police station two times due to minor offenses, I might have certainly ended someday behind the bars of prison due to serious crimes. I could have been a wicked and immoral husband, an abusive father and a stench to those around me.

Can someone love a wretched man like me? Unimaginable! I could not point to one person, from among the millions of gods many Indians believe (some of whom I once worshipped), and say, “He loved me and gave Himself for me.” When my eyes were opened to the gospel, I could point to only one person and say—Christ loves me, shed His blood on the Cross, offered His body to pay the price for the forgiveness of sins and rose again on the third day. How soothing are these words from Romans 5:8-9:

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

And that is not just a historical fact; it has become a personal and lively experience of my daily life. He loved me and gave Himself for me, a being unworthy of His abounding love and worthy of His holy wrath! Although He is currently invisible to my physical eyes (and one day I going to see Him face to face), His love and holy move that I experience by His Spirit living within me are more real than I can express. Thank you, Jesus, for revealing Yourself to me!

Considering how I loved to sin and desired doing sinful things, I could never have changed myself. Only someone, who is perfectly holy, loving and sovereign, could do. And when I was encountered by that loving and holy person, Jesus Christ, I didn’t just receive forgiveness for my sins but my practical life was radically changed. He made me a different person.

Of course, I am not perfect but God is patiently working on my life to shape me in becoming a person He wants me to be. There were times I turned my back on Him and forsook His ways; however, He didn’t give up on me and won me back.

It really amazes me—the person who was a thorn to those around him, Jesus has touched him and is now using him to be a blessing to many. My heart gets excited when I see Christ touching lives and making a difference in them through me. I give all glory to Him who is doing good things in and through my life.

Unflinching Hope

Were you ever struck with these thoughts—What would happen to me after I die? Where will I go?

Earlier I avoided thinking about such things. I was obsessed with making money and thriving in life in whatever crooked way possible. But when God arrested my attention to consider the inescapable fact called ‘death’, it was a chilling moment.

When Christ Jesus saved me, my whole perspective about life, death and afterlife has changed. I didn’t just find the purpose to live on earth but also found hope to die here peacefully. My mind was enlightened to the glorious fact that death in Christ is a birthday in heaven. I realized that death is not the end of the road; it is just a speed bump.

Because there is life after death and am accountable to God about how I live on earth, I endeavor by God’s enabling grace to live a godly life, not to attain salvation but out of gratitude for receiving it. Because there is life after death, I am encouraged to endure afflictions on earth with hope that life will be gloriously different in the afterlife (heaven). Because there is life after death, I am not hopelessly frightened to face death. Because of what Christ had done on the Cross, I can shout, "Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?" (1Cor. 15:54-55)

Before Christ, I had no words to respond when questioned—what would be my reaction if I know I am going to die in a moment? I lived in despair. But now, in Christ, how marvelously different! Before his death, the great evangelist D.L. Moody said, “Someday you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody of East Northfield is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now.” That would be my response too—I would be more alive than I am now. I know my destiny. I will kiss the rod of death and fall into the arms of my Lord. Maranatha!

Think and Decide

Friend, if you haven’t put your trust in Jesus and living a purposeless life, eventually to face hopeless death, I invite you to come to Christ who laid His life on the Cross for sinners. He is the One you need to save you from your sins and from living a miserable life here and forever. Everybody dies here but not everyone dies with hope. That unflinching hope to face death boldly is found only in Christ, the ultimate conqueror of death.

Or maybe you have once put your trust in Christ but now have fallen in love with the world and became cold in your love for the Lord. Then I urge you to repent of your worldliness and turn to the One who forgives you and gives you a new beginning. Nothing can satisfy you except the Maker of your soul who created you for Himself. Heed these words of your beloved Savior, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door of your heart, I will come in and fellowship with you and you with me."

"Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." (1Ti 1:17) 

CLICK HERE TO READ THE THIRD PART OF MY TESTIMONY.

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He Transformed My Life

Stephen David's interview by CBN INDIA on how he was encountered by Christ Jesus.



"Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous Deeds." (Psalm 71:17) 

It is written in the Holy Bible, “Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples” (Psalm 96:3). I gladly take this great privilege to testify of the goodness and the greatness of God in my life. The following message is a brief testimony of my life and most importantly, of His grace upon me. 

LIFE BEFORE CHRIST

Family Background

I was born in the year 1976, on September 30th, in a lower class family. We lived in an inner-city slum for years. Half of my life was spent there and I remember the difficult times our family went through. My papa was a bus driver and poured his entire life for the upbringing of our family. My mom was a housewife and she too sacrificed her life for the service of her children and husband. My parents begat three sons and one daughter, also adopted two cousins. I am the youngest and of course, the most pampered son.

Religious Upbringing

Our family was not very religious and I did not know what it was to grow in a godly family. Our religious background was basically Roman Catholicism, however, my family believed in polytheism and therefore all of us were idolaters. I still remember how as a child I used to go with my family to various religious places of different religions. We worshipped anything or anyone the crowd followed.

My elder brother, in his teens, happened to become a devotee of one of the admired gods of India, ‘Shirdi Sai Baba.’ Not only did he lead others to become the followers of Baba, in the year 1990, he also won me over to become Baba’s follower. I became an ardent worshipper of Baba and followed various rituals. To me all religions were various roads to God and I did not mind accepting anything that seemed to be appealing. Like many others, I did not care to examine my beliefs or practices as long as something good resulted according to what I had desired.

Secular Education

I suppose there is not much to speak about my academics. I was not a bright student and with much difficulty studied up to class 10th. I became too mischievous when I was in the 9th class and caused problems in school. After coming to the 10th, I started to bunk classes to watch movies and loaf around. Because of my misconduct, my Principal almost decided to terminate me from the school. Due to my family’s pleading, he relented and gave me another chance to continue my studies. Nonetheless, I continued to live a rebellious life.

In the year 1991, I worked hard for a while and somehow managed to finish my matriculation (SSC). I do not take the credit of passing the exam because I cheated. Moreover, I was in relationship with a girl at that time. Over the time of my entrance into the college, though I was unfit to take subjects relating to medicine, because my girlfriend chose to do Bi.P.C, I too opted the same. Sadly, I could not finish my college while my girlfriend went through and eventually became a physiotherapist.

During my college years, my family was under dire financial struggles. My father went to the United Arab Emirates to earn a considerable amount of money to support my family. Regretfully he was deceived by the agent. He suffered terribly in the desert and lost his health. With the hope that our father is going to send surplus money, my family went ahead and got my sister married. You know how expensive it is to have a woman get married in India, for it involves dowry and numerous other expenses. After her marriage, our hopes were shattered and our family went into debts and faced severe accusations and insults from the creditors.

Troubled by our afflictions, my father went to the extent of selling his kidney in UAE to help us in our desperate condition but the doctors had to reject his plea because he had acquired diabetes. Removing his kidney will inevitably cost his life. Here in India, not knowing what to do, my mother and brother virtually decided to commit suicide, after giving poison to the rest of the family members. Thankfully, by the grace of Jesus Christ, things did not happen as they desired for my brother Nelson was saved at that time. Eventually, it took almost eight painful years to come out of our debts.

During those pathetic circumstances, I stopped going to college and started to work as a waiter in a pub where there was a cabaret act. I almost lost interest in studies by then and was caught up in a mood to earn money and enjoy life. If asked today about my secular academic studies, I must honestly admit that I am not a well-educated person, having only a tenth class certificate, that too passed in first class by cheating in the exam.

Indulgence in Wickedness and Evil Habits

Encircled by the poverty in my family, I supposed money to be the answer for life. I resolved to earn as much money as I could, be it through good or evil ways, to live a carefree and pleasurable life. Through lying and by producing fake educational certificates I secured work in an eminent hospital. There I began to misappropriate money. Once caught without sufficient proof, I was transferred to the main branch under disciplinary action. However, that would not restrain a person who had already committed himself to acquire riches by any and all means. My only aim was to become an affluent person through whatever means. I was pursuing various illegal ways to reach my goal. In 1995, one person, whom I suppose to be a maoist, had observed my radical life and offered me money to commit a murder. Without taking the time, I immediately consented to do anything for money. However, we both had a conflict later and the plan to murder failed. I thank God for not letting that happen.

In my wild passion for obtaining more money and pleasure, I began to sink lower and lower in behavior and morality. I got addicted to smoking and loved to drink. Once I got drunk to such an extent that I almost behaved like an animal and fell unconscious on the road. My friends carried me to my house and I slept like a dead man for more than normal hours. Due to smoking, even today if I run fast for a little distance, I struggle to breathe normally for at least half an hour. I was earning a lot of money in an improper way and lived a hedonistic life. There were times I ended up in a police station twice and in a court case on a petty issue. I was lured into pornography and lost the basic moral senses of humanity. My heart was wretched, my speech abusive and my lifestyle horrible.

ENCOUNTERING JESUS CHRIST

In living a wicked life, my heart became terribly restless and I started to question myself about where I was heading. I was told about Jesus Christ but I was reluctant to either hear or believe. To me, money and pleasure was the answer to life. Believe me, my family was scared of my lifestyle and some of them, who already came to the knowledge of the Savior, started praying for me.

There came a time when I was preparing to commit a crime along with my friends. During that process, on June 26th 1996, something happened to me that changed the rest of my life. A heavy conviction came on my heart when I woke up in the morning and my mind was bombarded with questions about my life and future. There was nothing auspicious or a miraculous encounter to think about God.

On that day I happened to go to the temple of Sai Baba, along with my relatives and stood before the idol as the devotees were coming in one by one to worship. To me, all gods were one, and I found nothing wrong in differing religious practices.

However, on that day a powerful conviction gripped my heart and my sins emerged before me. I could clearly sense my evil heart. The Holy Bible actually condemns idolatry. I was convicted that I was worshipping a man-made god in Sai Baba temple and not the One and the Only True God. The thoughts about Jesus were becoming more real to me. He is the only Lord and God of the whole universe. With a repentant heart, there in the Baba’s temple, I knelt and gave my life to Christ and became His follower. Oh, I was born-again! It amazes me even today how God visits in unexpected places. 

LIFE AFTER CHRIST

When I became a Christian, my life drastically changed. Jesus transformed a horrible beast like me. I came to know that there is only one God and none other and salvation is only in Jesus’ name (Isaiah 45:22; Acts 4:12). When I shared this with my friends they mocked at me and abandoned me for taking a decision to follow Christ. I wasn’t disturbed much because the love of God was all-sufficient for me. During that time, I learned, “People may love me thinking that I am good but God loves me knowing that I am bad.”

After being saved by Jesus Christ, I was passionate to know God more and more. I knew nothing about God and the Holy Bible except the gospel of Jesus Christ. The only thing I knew was that Jesus loves me, laid His life for me on the Cross and rose on the third day and that He was the only Savior and hope for the perishing world. Well, the Lord made a way for me to join in a Bible college. I wasn’t good at speaking English and I struggled a lot to learn there. During my theological studies, initially, I could not preach well in English due to the language barrier.

Thankfully, God gave me the grace to become a diligent reader of the Holy Bible. For the first time in my life, I started to spend long hours reading books in the library. Finally, after three years, I completed my graduation in theology and lectured there for a while. Later, I started a ministry and am continuing to upgrade my theological education. Currently, the Lord has blessed me with preaching, teaching and writing ministry.

I must also mention that there were ups and downs in my Christian life. There were times I turned my back on the Lord and grieved His heart. Nevertheless, God chased me in His love and persevered patiently with me. He is constantly working in my life and now I cannot imagine my life without Jesus. The joy that I have in Him now is nothing compared to what I was pursuing in the world before coming to Christ. I am eternally grateful to know that the Lord Jesus Christ alone is the answer for life.

Final Words 

Once in a hopeless condition, our family is now a mighty witness of Jesus Christ. My elder brother, C. Nelson David (a former devotee of Sai Baba), was the first person in our family to believe in Christ. Today he is an outstanding servant of God and a wonderful pastor and preacher of God's word. My papa trusted Jesus in his latter days and went to be with the Lord in the year 2003. My sister, Vinolia, is active in ministry. My mom has an evangelistic heart and passionately shares about Jesus with many women. My girl friend, Chaitanya Devi, trusted Christ in 1997 and we both got married in 1998. We are now blessed with two wonderful sons, Joy and Joe, and serve the Lord together.

Dear reader, if I was not saved by the grace of Jesus Christ, I would have become either a smuggler or a criminal. Jesus is the One who is able to save and change sinful lives. You may not be as worst as I was but the Holy Bible says that we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23); and the wages of sin is death (6:23). When we repent of our sins and trust in the Lord’s finished work on the Cross for the atonement of our sins, our sins are forgiven, our lives are transformed and we have eternal life.

My life is a testimony of what God can do through a man who can do nothing by himself. Yes, He can bring the best out of the worst. The following Scripture is something I ought not to forget in my life: “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1 Corinthians 1: 26-29).

CLICK HERE TO READ THE SECOND PART OF MY TESTIMONY.

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