Church Planter – North India
Andrew P. was called by God to pastor a church in North India after getting a couple of seminary degrees and taking part of a internship program. In this internship, he was able to experience ministry in a healthy church, biblical elders, and expository preaching. It prepared him for the pastoral work ahead.
Testimony of Conversion
I am Andrew P. from Odisha, which is in the eastern part of India. I was born, and brought up in a Baptist Christian family (three sisters and myself). Being born into a Christian family, I attended the church from my youth, and was involved in church activities such as Sunday school, youth meetings, and the celebrating of various holidays like Christmas. Even though I was participating in the services, I did not know Jesus Christ personally. For me these things were ritual and religious duties. In other words, I was a nominal Christian. There was no joy or peace in my life, or any experience of knowing God. As far as my personal life was concerned, it was sinful. I ran around with the wrong crowd and I would go with them to drink and gamble. I was no different than those of the world. As a matter of fact, my life was becoming more and more sinful as I got older. I was lonely and hopeless.
Having completed my intermediate studies, I thought of going to the city of Bangalore to do some work. While I was working there, I was discouraged and felt isolated. However, God had a different plan in my life. During this time, I met with one of the pastors and began to attend a church in Bangalore. It was here that I realized that I was a sinner and needed a Savior. I repented of my sins and believed in Jesus Christ. Eventually, I took the water baptism in 2002.
After this incident I had a desire to learn the Word of God. So I enrolled in the seminary and completed my B. Th. and M. Div.. While studying in seminary, I was mostly influenced by the prosperity preachers. That became my message as I started preaching about health, wealth, and prosperity. But in the Sovereignty of God, He brought me to a church in North India that preached the true gospel. This was a blessed time as I began learning about the amazing Grace of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was invited by the pastor to take part in the internship program, and thus, I became an intern. During those days I started learning about the importance of the church and the necessity of the life, character, and responsibilities of a biblical pastor. Now, by the grace of God, the Lord has called me to teach and preach these things. Please continue to pray for me as I now lead a church in Northern India.
Note: For security reasons a pen name is used for this missionary.
Stephen began working for HeartCry in 2015. As coordinator for Asia, North America, and Western Europe, he currently oversees the missionaries over 10 countries. He currently lives in Virginia with his wife and four children.
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