Persecutor finds forgiveness
Ikshan angrily drove a church planter named Raja out of his village. Then one day Ikshan asked to see Raja again...
Church planters in India face intense persecution - yet often those who oppose the Gospel can be transformed into God's most passionate believers!24 June 2010
The Hindu fanatic group roughly pulled Raja, a Mission India church planter, to his feet and beat him with thick sticks.
When Raja fell to the ground, Ikshan, the leader, screamed insults and kicked the church planter in the stomach over and over.
The group dragged Raja to the middle of the village square early the next morning. They made a big scene, yelling to draw attention to them.
“This man,” Ikshan screamed harshly, “is forcibly converting people to Christianity.” Ikshan spat in Raja’s swollen face. “That will not be tolerated in this village!” He kicked Raja again.
Finally, Ikshan let the church planter go, warning him never to enter their village again.
That night, Ikshan couldn’t sleep. Or the next night. He felt tormented by demonic spirits, and was constantly gripped by fear.
One day, Ikshan couldn’t take it anymore. He scrambled up a tree - and wildly threw himself off the highest branches. He just wanted to die.
But he didn’t die. He was rushed by onlookers to a nearby hospital, where the doctor told him he had fractured several bones.
Ikshan’s fear returned. Scenes of his brutal torture of Christian believers replayed over and over in his mind, tormenting him all night.
In the morning, Ikshan asked his friends to call Raja - the very church planter he had warned never to return to the village.
When Raja arrived at the hospital, Ikshan asked for forgiveness for what he had done. Then he asked Raja to pray for him.
And Ikshan slept all night for the first time in weeks.
After Ikshan was discharged from the hospital, he encouraged Raja to share the Gospel in their village. He began attending church. And in time, Ikshan accepted Jesus as his Savior!
Today, Ikshan is sharing the Good News with other villagers.
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