Thanks, Jerry.  This kind of puts things in perspective.

DJ

-----Original Message-----
From: Jerry Martin [mailto:revjm@...]
Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 11:38 AM
To: Pastorsforum@...; Pastormail@...
Subject: [PastorsForum] Prayer for a beaten pastor.


Brothers this story is about being beating for the sake of Christ.  Please
pray for this pastor and his family.



Brutally Beaten for the Sake of Christ

Kiran, 28, knows he could face danger at any moment. A GFA pastor laboring
in North India, he ministers where there are groups that actively oppose
Christian work. But he probably least expected an attack on June 17 as he
made a routine trip into the city to buy household items for his family.

Walking down the city street, he noticed a group of GFA Bible college
graduates, home for a week's vacation before beginning full-time ministry
among the unreached. Eager to see how they were doing, he approached and
greeted them.

What Kiran did not realize was that his friends were being interrogated by
12 youths who strongly opposed Christianity. When the youths saw Pastor
Kiran and recognized him as a missionary in the area, they grew even more
angry and began to raise their voices against Christianity and Christian
work.

The five Bible college graduates were able to escape, but Kiran was
sandwiched in by the young mob, now numbering 75 people. They immediately
threw him down and dragged him around.

For three hours they repeatedly beat and shoved Pastor Kiran. Then they
brought him to a public gathering place, intending to break his legs and
hands with an iron rod. But they were unable to locate one.

Physically and emotionally drained, Kiran fell unconscious. A leader of the
anti-Christian group then approached and intervened on Kiran's behalf,
asking the youths to leave him alone.

For half an hour Kiran lay on the ground, shirtless from the attack. When he
came to, he boarded a bus to head back to his village. But on the way, the
bus stopped running, and Kiran had to walk three miles to a nearby village
where he was able to stay and rest for a week in the home of a new believer
he had led to Christ.

Sometime during that week, Kiran began to feel significant pain in several
areas of his body. He also remained weak and could not sit up for very long.
He went to a local hospital, and x-rays revealed internal injuries in his
neck, elbow, leg and arm.

GFA Pastor Kiran's body still hurts from the beatings he received more than
a month ago, but he is faithfully continuing his ministry. The attack has
made new believers fearful of the very real threat of being ostracized from
their villages if they continue to serve Jesus-but Kiran regularly visits
and encourages the new believers to stand strong in the faith. And his hope
is that those who persecuted him for his Christian witness will one day be
his friends and know the God he loves.

Please pray for Pastor Kiran, his wife and two children. And lift up the
Lord's work in the city where he was beaten, as the threat of persecution
continues daily. Two days after Kiran was beaten, one of his attackers
confronted a GFA Bible college graduate coming home from a worship service.
He grabbed the Bible college graduate's bag, removed his Bible and publicly
burned it. Please pray that this place where God's Word was burned to ashes
will soon turn into a place where His people can stand and proclaim the
Gospel to those who so desperately need to hear.





























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"In essential things, unity; in non-essential things, liberty; and in all
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