Death Was Inevitable

Pastor Rakesh was missing—nowhere to be found in his small tribal village in the forest area of southern India. After pastoring for nearly seven years, no one would have thought his life would still be in danger.  The past was long forgotten and the family was busy in ministry. But they were wrong. They may have forgotten and moved on, but the terrorist group he once led didn’t.

In his youth, Pastor Rakesh was heavily involved in a communistic anti-government terrorist group; these  guerrillas currently control an estimated one-fifth of India’s forest regions. The goal of this growing and very dangerous group is to destabilize India and Sub-Continent with a well coordinated strategy with the help of international revolutionaries and covert support from Pakistan and China. This terror regime is being provided with sophisticated weaponry and the know-how for making and using improvised explosive devices—seized weapons and ammunition bear witness to this evidence.

One might say that Pastor Rakesh is a modern-day Paul … the very people he once persecuted are the ones he now loves and ministers to in the power of the Holy Spirit. His conversion was as remarkable as any other as he battled the war within to denounce his terroristic idealism and apprehend the cross of Christ.

But, now his family was grieved.  Counting the days since his disappearance it seemed obvious he would never return. His widow did her best to continue to feed the family but in a poor forest village, this would prove nearly impossible. Their congregation was poor and had no money to assist. The small community of believers was struggling to remain strong in faith considering the circumstances.

After much prayer, a new pastor was sent to the forest village to step into the position of Pastor Rakesh who was now presumed dead. A small offering of support was sent to the widow to sustain her until other arrangements could be made to support her and the children.

August … September … October … November … December … January.  Each month came without word.  Life continued to go on though the prayers for a miracle never ceased in the remote chance their beloved pastor was still alive.

One morning in late January, one of the children happened to be walking outside and saw a familiar form walking down the dirt path toward the village. Unsure whether to be afraid of an intruder, he ran back to his grass hut to call his mother who quickly summoned a few nearby men to check out the stranger who slowly approached. 

He was wounded, walking slowly, and lacking strength. Yet, as he neared, the men began to shout:  “Pastor! Pastor!”  

Many villagers ran to the entrance of the village to see for themselves.  There he was, alive and anxious to rest his weary body in the arms of his loving wife.

The story he told was one no one could believe. He was captured by the guerrillas and held hostage, beaten, interrogated, and deprived of any and all human comfort. Yet, he prayed and called on the name of Jesus to set him free from his captors.

Never in the history of the guerrillas had anyone returned alive. For some “unknown” reason, though, he was given the opportunity to return to his village if he swore an oath to never speak of his association with and participation in the terroristic activities of this group. 

Today, he has resumed his position as village pastor; his replacement works with him as they minister side by side to the villagers who recognize Pastor Rakesh’s return as nothing short of a miracle.

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It is ministries like Heart of God International that support the ongoing evangelistic work in the forest regions of India, taking the Gospel where no other evangelist has gone before, where most are afraid to encounter terror groups such as the one in which Pastor Rakesh participated in his youth.

His story is indeed a miracle of God’s sovereign protection in the worst of circumstances. Death was inevitable yet Life prevailed—life that is found only in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Redeemer, the Victorious King.

Please pray for Pastor Rakesh, his family, his village, and his ministry. Pray that those who held him hostage will come to know Jesus Christ as they begin to recognize the supernatural events that took place as they held Pastor Rakesh hostage.

Pray that God will be glorified day after day after day for the powerful work He has accomplished through this potentially horrendous situation. Pray that the Name of Jesus be lifted up and spread abroad, transforming the lives of men, women, and children in the tribal regions in India hidden deep in the forests.

© Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

Note:  All names, locations, and identifying information have been changed to protect the true identities and whereabouts of the subject people.