Film teams often encounter persecution when they show a movie on the life of Jesus Christ. |
Two Gospel for Asia-supported missionaries were brutally attacked August 8 after screening a film about Jesus in Maharashtra, India.
It was late at night and Jayant Mehta and Dayanand Tambe were packing up all their film and audio equipment after showing the Man of Mercy movie in the courtyard of a believer’s house.
The screening was a success, with many of the villagers coming to view the film. But when it was time for the missionaries to head home, about 45 anti-Christian extremists rushed upon Jayant and Dayanand and heaped abuse on them. They snatched their film equipment and began beating them. They dragged them to their van and decided they would take the missionaries to the police station to have them arrested for illegal conversion.
The merciless beating continued until they reached the police station, where they brought their false complaints against Jayant and Dayanand.
They charged the missionaries with bribing people to convert to the Christian faith, even producing fake names of people who could testify against the believers.
The two missionaries stayed in police custody until early morning the next day. They were finally released after a local GFA leader contacted the police station and asked for their discharge. They were ordered to appear the next day for further inquiry.
Their film equipment, which remained with the religious fanatics, was returned to them intact August 10 after the police viewed the film and confirmed that the allegations were false.
Please pray for Jayant’s and Dayanand’s quick healing and that they would not be discouraged because of this incident. Pray also for the extremists and the police, that they will come to know the love, compassion and salvation of Jesus Christ.