As Hindu radicals continue to wreak havoc on the Indian Christian population, one miraculous story of survival has emerged.
Pastor Tilak is known for his staggeringly effective evangelism ministry — having led some 40 families to Christ. Unfortunately, that put him in the crosshairs of the Naxalites, a Hindu communist insurgency group that wants to eradicate Christianity from India and a revolutionary rule in accordance with its Maoist ideals.
It wasn’t long before the faithful follower of Jesus was captured by the violent group, before being mercilessly beaten,” according to Open Doors USA. “Will you leave your Christian faith or not?” they asked him, offering to cease the punishment if he renounced his faith in Jesus.
“I cannot leave my faith … No,” Tilak boldly replied.
And with that, it seemed that his faith had been sealed.
The attackers bound his arms and legs together, before savagely beating him with a large stick. Tilkak was then forced to crawl up a mountain path, hauling himself through stones and thorns, suffering cuts across his body.
As the beating continued, Pastor Tiklak could feel the strength draining out of his body. Eventually, he slumped to the ground, motionless and, by all accounts, dead.
Happy with their work, Tiklak’s attackers tossed their victim’s body into a ditch and stormed into the homes of local Christians to mock them. “See, as your Jesus was beaten and killed, so have we killed your pastor now,” they snarled. “His body is in a ditch in the forest. Find him and bury him!”
So, a group of Christian families headed out to find their beloved pastor and bring him home for a dignified funeral. Eventually, they located him and carried his body back to their village, tears pouring down their faces.
Raised to life
As a large crowd gathered to view the body of their faithful pastor and mourn his passing, something extraordinary happened — Tiklak began to open his eyes.
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“When his persecutors heard the news, they rushed to the house to see it for themselves. Hindu villagers, the same ones who had urged the Naxalites to silence this man, were shocked. They were the ones who had complained that he was polluting the minds of their neighbors with his gospel, confident that the Naxalites would make quick work of him.”
Unfazed by the whole ordeal, Pastor Tiklak continues to engage in his ministry, which resulted in him receiving further threats from the Hindu extremists. Eventually, Tiklak was dragged out into the forest and threatened to kill his entire family if he did not leave the area immediately.
“I left the village with my family at once, as I had suffered extreme torture a year ago. I didn’t want the same for my family,” Tiklak explained.
Finding refuge in another village, Tiklak and his family were taken in by a kind man who offered for them to stay in his small hut. It wasn’t much, but the family made it work. Still, Pastor Tiklak admitted that he was rather traumatized by his near-death experience, and was reluctant to share the gospel in the new town. “We are still in the process of healing,” he added, noting that he had attended a seminar on being prepared for incidents of persecution.
“I learned in the seminar that we should not be disappointed as we are never forsaken,” he said. “God always has a plan for us.”
Do pray for this faithful pastor and his family!