Pastor’s ministry to police officer leads to 5,000 baptisms and 35 congregations

After completing a Discipleship Training course at the New Theological College (NTC), India, Pastor K.P. Philipose went to Itanagar, the capital of the easternmost state of India (Arunachal Pradesh), to serve as pastor of a small congregation. During this time, the pastor began to feel a burden from the Lord for the natives of Arunachal Pradesh as the tribal groups were largely unreached by the Gospel. NTC says the natives lived in “utter ignorance and superstitions, controlled by the fear of demons and spirits. Witch doctors exploited them, and their lives were not much better than animals.” With a broken heart for these people, the pastor began to pray and fast for an opening.

It came a few years later when a cabinet minister of Arunachal Pradesh suffering from cancer went to Pastor Philipose for prayer. As the pastor prayed, one of the cabinet minister’s senior police officers burst into tears and said he was so gripped with the fear of death that he could not help himself but cry. The officer’s father was a very influential tribal priest with several wives and more than 30 children, one daughter of which was blind. The pastor and others ministered to the officer and gave him a copy of the Gospel of Mark. The officer had never heard the Gospel before, and he read the entire Gospel of Mark that night. Fascinated by the life of Jesus, he read about Jesus healing the blind and began to think that maybe Jesus could heal his blind sister. After praying, he felt Jesus directing him to go see his sister and pray for her. When he did, Jesus opened her eyes! The miracle led the officer to become a believer, as well as most of his siblings and eventually his father.

Since then, God has used this officer to open many doors for Pastor Philipose in a mighty way. Today, the pastor has baptized nearly 5,000 people in Arunachal Pradesh, and 35 congregations worship the Lord in that area. New doors are opening constantly, and many leaders and influential people have come to faith in Jesus. The college says, “This is truly a marvelous work, and it is indeed the doing of the Lord!”