When his persecutors heard the news, they rushed to the house to see it for themselves. Hindu villagers, the same ones who had urged the Naxalites to silence this man, were shocked…
(India) — [GodReports.com] When Hindu nationalists learned Pastor Tilak’s ministry had led 40 families to Christ, they urged the Naxalites, a communist insurgency group in India, to silence him. But no one, including the Naxalites and Hindu extremists, anticipated what God would do the night Tilak was attacked… (Image: via God Reports)
A Brutal Climb
“Will you leave your Christian faith or not?” shouted a Naxalite, one of India’s communist insurgents.
“I cannot leave my faith … No.”
Tilak’s reply was slow but strong. As soon as he had completed his sentence, his attackers hurriedly tied his hands behind his back and bound his legs together. Grabbing a thick stick, they began to beat him, ordering him to climb the mountain.
Amidst the blows, Tilak continued the slow ascent on his hands and knees, dragging himself through thorns and jagged rocks.
His body was bloody and mangled, the pain surreal. A vivid picture of his Lord on the way to Calvary kept him sane as he crawled on through the night, blow by blow, inch by inch. With each passing moment, he felt himself growing weaker, the struggle to move becoming more intense.
He could feel the hatred of these men, and to think–it was all because his ministry had seen 40 families turn to Christ. As a Believer, opposition towards Christ had become opposition towards him. His time had come.
A Merciless Death
When he could bear it no longer, Tilak collapsed, motionless. The Naxalites checked his pulse. Nothing. They called a village doctor just to be sure. Reassured that they had done their job, the men threw Tilak’s body into a ditch without mercy, returning to the village with their heads held high.
They went straight to the homes of local Christians, laughing and shouting, “See, as your Jesus was beaten and killed, so have we killed your pastor now. His body is in a ditch in the forest. Find him and bury him!”
Multiple Christian families rushed out into the night, scouring the forest for any sign of their beloved pastor. When they finally found his lifeless body in a ditch, just as his persecutors had said, they began the trek back home in tears. They carried him–his weight in their arms.
A True Miracle
As local Christians made their way towards Tilak’s hut, they struggled to believe that he was dead. When they arrived and saw his body and the mourning crowd gathered around it, the reality of their pastor’s murder began to set in.
But as they mourned, something unfathomable happened…
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