From Hinduism to Christ - Raj & Sulakshana Nagi
Sulakshana Nagi : I was born and brought up in a Brahmin family. My mother was a very devout Hindu. Every morning I could hear her chant mantras and worship her gods. I was brought up with the belief that my good works were the key to eternity. My father also believed in God but he was a silent worshiper. In 1989 I married my husband against all odds and opposition from my family and my husband’s family due to the fact that my husband was a Kshatriya and not Brahmin. Unfortunately, I very soon realized that the man I married was not really the man I had loved. He turned out to be an alcoholic and there was actually nothing good in him. I was devastated and had no where to turn for help. I started praying to my gods, fasting and went to the temple regularly in the hope that my husband will one day be the man that I really married. But I saw no changes in him that could make him a better person. We continued to live together like strangers and this went on for 7 years.
In October of 1996 my husband’s life time dream came true when he got visa to come to the US. After he arrived in Atlanta (USA), he started working in an Indian store where an Indian Pastor would buy grocery and would casually talk to my husband. One day out of nowhere my husband’s boss told him that he was being fired and he did not need to come to work the next day .My husband panicked, he knew nobody and had no one to turn to for help. As God had everything planned, the same Indian Pastor (Pastor Avinash Raiborde) came to the store that very day and saw that my husband was vary sad. He asked him the reason of his sadness. My husband responded that he was in big trouble. The Pastor offered to pray for my husband. He took my husband to his car and prayed for him. At the end of the prayer the pastor said "My God says your problem will be solved in 3 days". My husband laughed in his heart and thought ‘he must be nuts' because here was this man who had no clue about his problem and yet with such a confidence states that the problem will be solved. Sure enough in 2 days my husband got another job.
This amazed my husband and then my husband became very curious to know this God who actually talks to His creation. My husband then started looking for this Pastor wanting to know the formula for talking with God. Finally when my husband found him he asked him what kind of God he served. The Pastor replied ‘I serve a true and living God and His name is Jesus. My husband asked Pastor what he had to do in order to have Jesus in his life, because he thought it would be nice to have his gods and then have Jesus in case his Gods failed to answer. Pastor replied first of all you have to confess that you are a sinner. My husband was shocked to hear that, because he was brought up with a belief, that by doing enough good works, giving money in the temple, his sins were forgiven, and here is this man saying that he is a sinner. Finally he accepted the fact that he was a sinner by birth and by choice and that he needed a savior..(Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God) He accepted Jesus as the Lord of his life on May, 29th 1996. He immediately received peace in his heart. The joy of being born again was unexplainable. As he developed a relationship with God, God gave him the strength to walk on path of holiness and righteousness. As my husband tried to develop a relationship with God and walk in His light, God started talking to him and answering his prayers.
In December 1996, with mixed feelings of fear, anxiety, concern and possibly no hope, I joined my husband. I was greatly disturbed when my husband treated me with love and kindness. It scared me to the point that, I thought he probably wanted to get rid of me. This was not the man I had known in those 7 years of our married life. After watching him for couple of days, I finally asked him the reason of his goodness towards me. He then walked me through the journey that, the Lord had taken him in the last year and how God picked him up in the midst of his sinful life, broke the chains of sin, washed him with His blood and set his feet on the solid rock. I was amazed at the way Jesus had completely transformed my husband’s life. God had touched my life and brought His light in my life. This is where my struggle began in life.
I was very pleased that a single touch of this so called Jesus changed my husband’s messed up life. But I did not want that JESUS to be our family’s God. I became very determined to bring him back into Hinduism. However the more I tried to stay away from Jesus the more I found wanting to know Jesus. Deep down in my heart I wanted the touch of one that had touched my husband. I wanted the joy and security that my husband had bubbling in his life. But the fear of being called a Christian and facing the social stigma would grip my heart. The thoughts of rejection of my loved ones and relatives tore my heart. I knew I could possibly face persecution by my very own people. The more I tried to stay away from Jesus, the more I found myself longing for His presence. The battle between the powers of darkness and the Lord of light continued to rage. Finally on January 22nd 1997, I surrendered my life to Jesus..(Philippians 2:10-11 that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the father.) The thoughts of my family’s reaction and possible persecution seemed so insignificant to me as compared to His love for me. Since that day, the light of Jesus has filled our lives. His joy continues to strengthen us at every step of our lives. It is a privilege to serve the Creator. Till this day He continues to mold us, make us and use us for the extension of His kingdom. May He make His face shine upon you and your loved ones All we say this day is ‘as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’
Raj Nagi: When I lost my job at the store, I was very afraid, but God sent a man to me that day to offer me an even better job! I asked pastor, “What God do you serve?” and he said “Jesus Christ!” I thought that I could add another God to my list. So I started worshiping Jesus while continuing to sacrifice to my idols. After listening to pastor’s teaching, I realized that I had no peace in my life. Pastor told me I had to choose between the two. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior in 1996. That same day I experienced the love and peace of God. I quit drinking alcohol and devoted my life to living for Him. I began attending church and prayer meetings and learning all I could about Jesus. I had a vision where Jesus came to me and said, “Raj, look down.” When I looked down I saw many people going down a hill into a fire. They didn’t want to go and were trying to push others ahead of them and back up away from the fire. I asked God, “Where are they going?” and He said, “They are going into the lake of fire. They are going to hell.” I asked Him, “What can I do?” and He replied, “Bring them to My heart.” I promptly forgot about this. One day a man who was helping me to move a refrigerator. God told me to pray for him. So, I asked him if I could pray for him and he said yes. As I prayed for him, God revealed things about his life that shocked him. He asked me, “How do you know these things? Have you been spying on me?” And I told him, “No, God told me.” He was so happy he said, “Can you come pray for my family?” I said, “Yes. My wife and I will be there on Friday.” When we got to his house that Friday night, there were about 40 people wanting us to pray for them! Many people were healed and heard the word of God.
It was that night that God reminded me of the vision I had and called me to preach the Gospel to the world. I began my theological schooling and starting ministering all over the world. I was getting calls from Canada, England, Singapore, France and India! God used me many times to preach His word and spread the Good News about Jesus Christ. I was given a burden for the people of the world.
I have now graduated from school and am pastoring Asian/Indian Community Church of Lilburn, Georgia. If you are in the Atlanta area, please feel free to visit. I would love to have the opportunity to meet you and pray for you. If you are from ANYWHERE else in the world, call me, email me or write me a letter. God loves you and I have a burden for you. Here’s the link to our web site
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