POWER OF THE GOSPEL – Ravi & Latha
I was born a Hindu Brahmin. I am the second child, and the only daughter of a Brahmin couple. They taught me about all the Brahminical traditions.
Though I did not understand them fully, I was faithful to what I was taught, because I believed that it was the truth. We observed all the festivals, all the traditions, visited all the temples faithfully and thought we lived a pious life. My father is one of the founders of our local Brahmin Association, a devout believer of Shastha, a man who made numerous trips to Sabarimalai (Holy Hindu Shrine). Even after suffering a heart attack, he continued in his journeys to the shrine.
My mother is a Sanskrit scholar, who knew the Puranas and the Vedas, and can astound any huge scholastic gathering with her knowledge of the Hindu religion. On November 29, 1992, at the International Church of God, the Lord became my salvation. I confessed with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believed that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). He filled the void in my life, a great peace and joy that had evaded my life filled it now. I struggled with my past beliefs and traditions, I was afraid of my family, of the society I grew up in, of being rejected by my loved ones. But, through all this, my Lord held on to me. I was not going to give up this new found truth, joy and peace, a treasure I could not let go of. My husband and my daughter were angry, confused and completely bewildered. I prayed to the Lord to come into their lives too, so there would not be any dissension in our family. On December 13, 1992 both my husband and my 13 year old daughter accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Then we began studying the Word of God and the meaning of Christianity became clear to us. Following the commandment of the Lord. My husband, daughter and myself were baptized in water on March 6, 1993 at the International Church of God. “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38). True to this, all three of us were also baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Our family is a member of the International Church of God, a Bible believing, spirit filled, growing, progressive and loving Church, committed to the full gospel of Jesus Christ. A beacon of light for the lost in this community, a Church without walls, spiritually a home to many nationalities. “because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).