“Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature…. These signs shall follow them that believe…they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover…After the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven and sat on the right hand of God, and they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the Word with signs following.” From: Mark 16:15 to 20.
Certainly this command of the Lord has never been rescinded. Neither has Jesus ceased to confirm His Word with signs following. There are still many corners of the world that have not been reached with the Gospel Message.
Pastor Rakshana of India for Christ has followed that method in the ministry there in Chilakaluripet. He preaches the gospel message simply, yet powerfully. Many outstanding miracles do follow.
Chiefly Hindus surround INDIA FOR CHRIST compound. A section of Muslims live nearby also. The common sight of Hindu Temples and the sounds of Hindu mantras on the one hand, and the regular distinctive calls to prayer of the Muslims from the Mosque on the other hand, characterize the neighbourhood. Neither a Muslim nor a Hindu will come voluntarily into a Christian service. In their culture and religion they are not permitted to do so. Thus in the beginning stages of the church in Chilakaluripet, only a few people would attend the Christian services.
Pastor Rakshana, though a highly educated and well experienced man himself, desires, like the Apostle Paul, only to preach with the demonstration of the Spirit of God and power, not with enticing words of man’s wisdom. Using this method has resulted in the salvation of many souls. Remarkable signs and wonders began to take place early in the ministry.
Before long the word got around town and to the village people, that this Pastor who had come from another district in Andhra Pradesh, would pray for sick people who were brought to him, and that they would be healed. Gradually confidence increased as they saw the miraculous healing. The numbers of people attending the services began to grow.
A PROPHETIC DREAM
One night during this early period in the development of the ministry, Pastor Rakshana had a strange dream. In his vision it was as though he was returning from a trip to his home place, which is located very far from Chilakaluripet. In the dream, as he approached our compound, he could see to his amazement that on the signboard, which was fixed at the edge of the property, the words had been changed. Instead of just showing the name of our institution, “INDIA FOR CHRIST CHILDREN’S HOME”, it was written this way in the Telugu language:
“The PLACE OF PEACE AND HEALING.”
Questioning what he was seeing, doubt arose in his mind. “Who changed the sign? What has happened here?” The phenomenon deeply puzzled him. Yet the vision was so distinct that he could never erase it from his mind. Even when he awoke, he said to himself, “Was it only a dream?”
Truly this dream soon proved to become exactly what the sign declared. God was indeed about to cause this place to be “A Place of Peace and Healing.”
Was it not true that when Pastor Rakshana had first set foot on the land and had prayed to the Lord to show him where to find water on the land, that he had made a vow? He had prayed thus: “Lord if you will give me water here I will consecrate this plot to you as “Holy Ground?”
Now the truth was evident. It was indeed hallowed and being used for the glory of God. This was God’s direction and His plan.
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AN OUTSTANDING MIRACLE
One Sunday morning after the people had gathered into the little church hall, and the service had begun, during the leading of the praise and worship, suddenly, a disturbance occurred just at the back of the building. Pastor Rakshana immediately sent assistant Pastor Lazarus, back to determine what was the cause and to settle the commotion. Moments later Lazarus returned. Panic-stricken, he gasped: “They have brought us a dead body! What can we do?”
Turning the leading of the singing over to Lazarus, Pastor Rakshana went back to investigate the situation. Lying there motionless on a cot, which had been provided by our people, was a
12-year-old girl. Flies were swarming around her face. Truly she looked in every way like a corpse.
Through their sobs and wailing, the Hindu parents related what had occured. Their daughter had been stricken with a high fever while in their remote village. They had brought the girl into the town and admitted her in one of the hospitals. For the past three days she had been in a deep coma. She had not so much as flexed a muscle nor blinked an eyelid.
After great efforts by the doctor trying to save the girl, finally he spoke these devastating words to the parents: “There is nothing more we can do. Take her home to her village. She will die within a few hours.”
When they heard the Doctor’s words, their last hope was gone. The distraught mother let her hair down and began the typical “death wail.” Others observing the grief of these parents, said to them, “Over on the edge of town there is a Christian church where they pray for the sick. People often get healed there. Go and see if they can do anything.” Weeping, but willing to grasp at the
last straw of hope, they placed the child in a Rickshaw and made their way over to the church.
Hearing this tale of woe and the grief of the parents, Pastor Rakshana laid his hand on the girl and prayed to the Lord Jesus to save this precious young life. After a few moments of his prayer, the girl’s eyelids quivered and her muscles began to twitch. She then opened her eyes. With that, a ray of hope flooded the hearts of the distraught parents. The Pastor said to them: “You please stay right here. We are having prayers just now. When we are finished I will come back again and see you.”
Two hours later, after the service had been dismissed, the Pastor returned to find the young girl sitting up on the edge of the cot and talking with her parents. She was quite fine! Both parents fell prostrate at the Pastor’s feet, in typical Indian fashion of showing gratitude, to express their thanks. He then took the opportunity to tell them that it was not of his own power, but by the love and power of Jesus Christ. He explained the way of salvation to them.
They remained there that night. In the morning they returned to their village with great joy. On the third day all three returned. The daughter was skipping with delight to show her full recovery. She was as fit as and vigorous and any child or her age.
Such outstanding miracles as this cause people to realize that none of their “poosaris” nor Hindu priests, nor any others persons who work witchcraft, could ever produce such a miracle healing. Truly it reveals a higher power than they ever had known.
Word of the miracles that were happening was spreading abroad into the town and out to the villages. By cycle rickshaws, by auto rickshaws, on the busses or carried in arms—people started arriving in numbers. Any time of the day or night an individual or a group would come to be prayed for. As the physical bodies were touched by the mighty power of God, hearts were also opened to be able to receive the truth of the gospel. Nothing in the religion of the fathers could compare with this.
No one was sent away without hearing about the love of the Lord Jesus who died for the sins of the world. Gradually, more and more hearts and minds became open to the truth. Our little congregation continued to increase as trust grew. The Pastor preached the profound Word of God.
”Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”
True story from Andhra Pradesh, India.
Told by Evelyn Splane,
Missionary/Founder of INDIA FOR CHRIST, and more recently the Visionary founder of:
GOSPEL OF CHRIST OUTREACH Website
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