Dalit Priest Finds Jesus

March 4, 2007


To a Dalit who has been despised all his life, the love a missionary shows is life-changing.
Vikram's priestly rituals had been unable to cure his mother for years, but when Gospel for Asia missionary Arun prayed to his God, Vikram's mother was healed. The miracle shook Vikram's faith in the snake goddess he worshipped. But he still couldn't bring himself to believe in Jesus. How could he believe in a God he couldn't see?

As he battled these thoughts, the book Arun had given him fell off the shelf. Vikram picked it up and started reading. It was a Bible, and the words he read answered his questions and convinced him of the truth.

The priest received Jesus and began attending Pastor Arun's church. As a Dalit, it was the first time Vikram had ever felt hope. He had grown up rejected from society, along with his family. The religion Vikram had clung to was the very faith that left his people desolate, and he saw that nothing would be different for him. His mother had been possessed by a demon for 40 years—the driving force behind Vikram's desire to become a priest. He wanted to heal her. After this failed, his only hope was the message from Arun.

Arun had grown up in a nominal Christian family in India, but came to the Lord when he received a New Testament from a GFA missionary. Although his home state, Karnataka, is an extremely difficult area for Christians, Arun followed God's call and began ministry among a Dalit group there. His courage in sharing the Gospel eventually led him to Vikram, who now serves Jesus instead of the snake goddess.

Thanks to the ministry of missionaries like Arun—and the one who led him to Christ—thousands of Dalits are finding true meaning and hope in Jesus.



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