Sermons and Testimonies to Help You Grow Your Faith

I am from a Banjara tribe, which is a very low-caste tribe in India. In this tribe, 99% are uneducated and grow their own food because they live far from town.

I was born in Sattenapalli, a small village in Guntur District. Two male newborn babies died before my birth due to their sacrifice to evil spirits. One day my mother went to the hospital, and God sent a woman to speak to her about Jesus Christ. She shared the gospel with my mother, and my mother then prayed to Jesus. Before I was born, my mother promised God that if she had another baby boy, she would give him to Him. We were a Hindu family, and my mother forgot everything she had prayed for because my father and our community didn’t accept other gods. We have many idols to worship. I was born alive, and there were no problems with evil spirits. I was a very weak boy with health problems and was not active like other boys.

From my childhood onward, I have always had a deep concern for others; when they faced difficulties, I would take the initiative to assist them. In those days, discrimination against the lower castes prevented me from receiving a satisfactory education. No one liked me, so education didn’t interest me much.

My father worked as a laborer, while my mother used to work as a laborer in agriculture. I have one brother and one sister. In those days, we didn’t have access to nutritious food; our diet consisted primarily of broken rice and buttermilk. This is considered one of the most affordable foods in India.

I recall that my mother wore only tops to cover herself from head to toe. My father was an alcohol drinker. He used to consume alcohol on a daily basis, which terrified my mother. She used to go to a neighbor’s house to hide herself. We, the three children, used to sleep in a dark corner of our hut. All night we cried, but no one came to us.

When I was 15 years old, my family had a lot of financial problems. My father used to spend all his money, leaving us without enough food to eat. He told us all to go and beg. “Don’t ask me for food; go to work and get money.”
My mother used to work all day long cleaning the houses of rich people. After finishing her work, they would give her some leftover food, which she would then consume. Occasionally, my father would steal the food, forcing us to fast for the entire day. We would go to a neighbor and ask for some food, sharing what little we had.
To help the family, I got a laboring job. I had no prior experience in cementing work, but my hunger taught me numerous skills and techniques. The cement left my hands damaged. I had holes in my hands, and whenever I consumed red chili powder, I would cry uncontrollably.
My mother worked all day to get some food, but there was daily fighting in the home with my father—not much happiness. We had to sit in a corner of the hut because rainwater came in from the roof and kept us from sleeping. It was a very painful life. Sometimes I wondered why God made us like this. What sin did we do? But there was no answer from God.
I didn’t know who the true God was or where He was. My life was in darkness. Once upon a time, I didn’t know anything about the true creator, God. My life was filled with hardship and darkness. I didn’t know where I was going and wasted my valuable time. I was moving here and there without any peace. Many times I wanted to kill myself, but I missed chances to die.
One of my friends told me about Christ and His love, but I didn’t want to believe Christ’s word. I
wondered, Who is the great God? Who is Jesus? Then I would feel there was no help for my problems. Why do I have to believe in Jesus? I threw the Bible in his face when he was speaking to me. When he went away, I cried loudly and said, “If you are the true God, please talk to me; change my life.” However, he returned numerous times to spread the message of Jesus. I told him, “Jesus is the God of white people.” I don’t want him. I have many Hindu gods to help me.”
One day, I planned to travel to Chennai for work, as my family was dealing with numerous issues. One of my friends said, “I am going to Chennai. If you want to come with me, I will show you some work you could do in Chennai.” I said, “Yes, I want to come, but I don’t have any money.” He said, “I will pay for your ticket.” The train leaves my town to go to Chennai at 8 pm every night. When I reached the railway platform, I couldn’t find my friend. The train came, and I moved to the Chennai line. Then I heard the voice of my friend calling, “Naik, get in this train, my friend.” I ran to get on the train, but it was moving very fast. When I tried to get in, I fell down on the platform. Then, I attempted to board the train once more, only to fall down again. On my third attempt to board the train, a group of people halted me. The train had gone. That night I was so disappointed. I tried to kill myself, but when I was sleeping, God reminded me of my friend’s words. “Jesus loves you. He wants to change your life.” Then I heard a voice saying, “Check your body.” Did you sustain any wounds after falling from the train?
I woke up and checked my hands and legs—no wounds. All fine. I came to know that Jesus had saved me; otherwise, I should have lost my two legs in that accident. One day my friend came to me and said that there was a Christian Evangelistic Camp meeting going on near my town. He also said, “If you come, you can eat nutritious food for three days, and they will teach you about how to change your life.” I asked if I needed to pay any money. He said, “No, it is free.” I didn’t have any money for bus fares, but he paid my traveling expenses. My mother said, “Don’t go. It is not our god’s program.” However, when I mentioned that there was food for three days, she responded, “O.K.” Go and eat.”
When I arrived at the gospel camp, everyone was overjoyed to see me, but I was there for three days only to eat. Despite relishing the food, my mind remained occupied. While everyone was praying and singing songs, I was patiently waiting for the bell to ring so I could eat. I was thinking about my family. On the last day, at 3 pm, they were studying the Bible, Acts 17:16-31. “So if we are God’s children, we shouldn’t think that the divine being is like gold, silver, or stone, or is an image carved by human imagination and skill. Though God has overlooked those times of ignorance, he now commands everyone everywhere to repent. He has set a day when he will judge the world with justice through a man he has appointed, and he has proved this to everyone by raising him from the dead.
Those words touched my heart, and I started to cry. I cried for 30 minutes. Everyone was praying for me at that time. I confessed all my sins, and I saw a big light come into my heart. I was so happy, and my face was full of joy and peace. Everyone said, “God has touched your heart, brother.” When I explained why I had come to the meeting, everyone prayed for me and gave me money to buy food for my family. This was in May 1999.
I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour. My belief in the Lord Jesus Christ led to my baptism. My family members ridiculed me harshly, leading to my expulsion from the family. People treated me in different ways. They didn’t like me because I had become a Christian. I was insulted by them. My mother troubled me many times and said, “Get out of my home. Go to the streets and live on the road. I don’t like your face. You are not my son. We don’t need your Jesus. My father thrashed me numerous times to force me to abandon Jesus, yet I never strayed from my Savior. I remember that in those days I went to spiritual meetings. One day I went to a gospel meeting, which was 30 km from my village. I anticipated receiving food at the meeting but found none. It was night time, and when I arrived at the village, it was pouring down rain, leaving me extremely hungry. I had gone by bicycle. When I reached back home, it was almost 11 p.m. I was really cold, and my hands were shaking. I knocked on the door, but my mother didn’t want to open it. I was calling her from the outside, and she said, ‘Go, your God will give you food.” I asked her, “Please give me something to eat,” but there was no answer. Again and again, I called. Then she tossed a packet of rice out the window. I was unable to catch the rice, and it fell into the drainage water. However, I retrieved it from the water to satisfy my hunger. I remained stranded outside all night. I was sick the next day, but I would never leave my Jesus, even with these problems. Ever since I have come to know the Lord, I have been really excited about receiving salvation from Jesus.

My Family Background

I have one younger brother and a younger sister. My parents were extremely poor and were unable to provide for us in a proper way. Despite engaging in manual labour, both of them encountered numerous financial challenges. The family did not have sufficient funds. By working diligently, I have was able to pursue further studies. I have worked as a laborer.
and also cleaned a hotel. I was a rickshaw puller and did a lot of manual work. Through this work, God taught me many things about how to live in this world. God’s promises always strengthen my faith.

Isa. 43:1-2 “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed thee; I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, nor shall the flame kindle upon you.”

Despite my problems, I trust God to solve them all. In the year 2005, I got a job with World Vision India as an admin/assistant. By God’s grace, I secured another high position in 2006 and received a transfer to the Warangal District to work on the TB project. When I was traveling on duty, I visited many villages in Warangal. I prayed to God to save my countrymen,—all the villages were filled with idol worship.
God called me to full-time ministry in 2007, at which point I resigned from my job. I am doing my heavenly Father’s work as an independent missionary in India. God is my strength.
I married Neela, and my wife works with me. God blessed us with two children, Akashay Kumar Naik Christian, and Avinash Kumar Naik Christian. We started our ministry with one Hindu woman in a small village; now five people have accepted Christ and attend church to worship the true God. We are an independent group, living by faith. We have to look daily to God for our food and needs. Our missionary work adheres to a faith-based policy. By faith, we are living through God’s word. God is faithful in my mission work. I travel to many places to preach the gospel to hungry souls. I do hospital visitation to distribute Bible tracts and pray for the sick. A children’s ministry is always present among the street children.

Field Information

In my previous workplace, I encountered numerous individuals who disagreed with the message. I have faced many challenges in my ministry. After some time, people have understood me, and I am able to tell them about the true Creator, God. It is very difficult coming from the Banjara tribe. I used to go to nearly 40 villages to preach the gospel. The people in the villages are very poor. We want to serve God until our last breath. My burden is to spread the gospel to every person and to establish a church among the people. Many people in India are unaware of God’s truth, and I have dedicated my life to bringing this final message to them, proclaiming His second coming, ministering to numerous souls, and establishing health centres and schools in India.
We keep praying and want to build a church in my home town of Sattenapalli. I want to show them the power of Jesus and also give my testimony. In November 2014, my mother was baptized and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Saviour.

God has chosen me to utilize my services for the perishing people. All my day I worship in His temple. We are always thankful to our heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ. I am truly thankful and grateful to God for granting us fellowship through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. I invite you to join with us to show Christ to the world.

Please pray for us.

God bless you.