FIRST-PERSON: 9-year-old Hindu boy comes to Christ

Every Friday, a group of students from The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary gather to evangelize people door-to-door at a massive apartment complex near the seminary and to watch God’s hand move. On the last Friday of May, a group of us returned to the apartment and witnessed yet again the saving work of His hand.

We arrived at the complex and prayed for God to lead us to people whom He had already stirred up and prepared for eternal life. We asked for Him to speak through us and help us make disciples who would, in turn, make other disciples.

The first family with whom we spoke came from Bhutan with a background of Hinduism. As we stood by the door, showing the ladies of the house a Gospel presentation in their heart language, we could see posters of their Hindu gods on their wall. With kids kicking a soccer ball back and forth in the corridor, the Spirit prompted us to ask for permission to come into their apartment.

Once we were inside, the spiritual warfare continued. We sat in the living room surrounded by posters of their Hindu gods while we could hear an older son in the background talking loudly on his phone, uttering profanities every other word. As one member of our team showed the Gospel video, the other two members silently prayed for the Holy Spirit to do His work.

The video ended without a favorable response to the Gospel presentation from the ladies, but that’s when a 9-year-old boy walked out of his room. Paul* wore a bright yellow shirt and an even brighter smile as he entered the living room with his winsome personality. He spoke English well, and we engaged him in a spiritual conversation.

We asked Paul if he had heard of the Gospel and who Jesus is to him. Paul told us that he “kinda believes in Jesus.” He explained that he was not sure what to believe because “different people have told [him] different things.”

One of the team members asked Paul if he would like to know what God says about Himself from His Word. The evangelist asked him to read Isaiah 44:6 aloud, which says, “This is what the Lord, the King of Israel and its Redeemer, the Lord of Armies, says: I am the first and I am the last. There is no God but me.”

The evangelist asked Paul what that Scripture says to him. Paul replied that the Scripture says to him “that there is only one God.”

“That is correct!” the evangelist said. Next, the team member asked Paul to read John 14:6 aloud, which proclaims Jesus as “the way, the truth, and the life” and that “no one comes to the Father except through” Him. Paul understood from that verse that “Jesus is the only path.”

Paul could not resist but pointed to the posters and asked, “So all these other gods are fake?”

“That is correct,” said the evangelist. Paul replied, “But, I do believe.”

The evangelist asked what he meant by that. “I pray to Him every night, asking Him to help me not have nightmares,” Paul said.

The evangelist had Paul read 2 Corinthians 5:15 aloud to help him understand that believing in Jesus means living for Jesus. Then, using 1 John 5:11-12 to highlight to Paul his need for a personal relationship with Jesus in order to have eternal life, the evangelist asked if Paul knew he has eternal life. After Paul replied with uncertainty, the evangelist extended an invitation.

The evangelist asked Paul if he was willing to worship Jesus as his only God instead of these “fake gods” and turn to Jesus to start living for Him immediately. Paul replied in the affirmative and said, “I believe Him now.”

Paul explained that all those other gods in the posters have nothing written about them, but the God of the Bible has a book by which we can read about Him. The evangelist explained that believing in Jesus means admitting to Jesus that we are sinners, believing and receiving His atoning work on the cross and in the resurrection, and committing to live for Him for the rest of our days. Paul understood and was ready to do so.

The evangelist led Paul in a prayer to receive forgiveness and salvation and as a commitment to worship Jesus alone as God. With Paul understanding what happened, the team of seminarians left Paul with a Bible and instructed him to read it daily and pray often.

The next day, the team members returned to follow up and study the Bible with Paul and other youths in the apartment. During the Bible study, some of the youths had spiritual questions. Paul heard these questions and told them boldly of the need to “believe in Jesus, receive Him into your heart, so that your sins would be forgiven.”

That weekend, the Lord not only set apart a 9-year old boy to Himself from false gods, but also made for Himself a bold witness who is not ashamed to tell others about Jesus. God is on the move to save lost people and rescue sinners from various idols. If we would only be obedient to pray for the salvation of lost souls and share the Good News with them, we would witness the mighty hand of God move in our lives.

*Name changed to protect anonymity.