As persecution rises in India, one Spirit-filled pastor says he sees signs of revival rising.
Pastor Sam—whose name is left ambiguous to protect his identity—leads the India Center for Revival in South India. When Sam was a boy, his father dedicated him and his four brothers to the five known continents. For years, Sam has aided the poor, encouraged revival in his country and planted churches. But those jobs are becoming more difficult.
Indian persecution of Christians has escalated in the last couple years. India ranked 15th on Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch List, which ranks how difficult or dangerous it is to be a Christian in each country. Some government leaders have started adopting a more hostile tone regarding Christianity, emboldening the public to radical action. Earlier this year, a Christian evangelist named K.A. Swamy was beaten in Hyderabad for distributing Bibles. He suffered a brain hemorrhage and slipped into a coma.
“Right now, we have a government that’s very radical Hindu, and the persecution is increasing,” Sam said. “Pastors are being beaten up. Churches are being burned.”
But this persecution hasn’t stopped Sam from proclaiming that revival is coming—to India, the United States and the whole world.
In 1997, an Australian pastor told Sam, “Big waves are coming your way.” Sam believes this was a promise about to be fulfilled.
“I waited for many years, but I feel it is time,” Sam said. “I feel giant waves are about to rise, and the rest is going to be recorded in the history of the church.”
Sam defines revival as a “visitation of God’s Spirit upon His church which results in mass conversions.” He believes a continuous harvest of souls is a key component of revival. In India, just 2.3 percent of the country’s 1.2 billion citizens are Christians—potentially setting the stage for a massive move of God.
In 1981, Sam’s father, Jacob, says the Lord told him, “There would be fire flames of revival in the last days, and you will have a part in that global revival.”
Now Sam says he’s seeing that prophecy coming to fulfillment, through incredible signs and wonders wherever he goes. He saw a fire cross appear on the roof during a pastor’s conference in Hatton, Sri Lanka, in 2015. A white dove appeared during worship in India. When Sam spoke at a New York church, the crowd felt rain falling—but the sanctuary was completely dry.
“In the last 8 years, God has been preparing us for revival,” Sam said. “That old prophecy came to the surface level, and we’ve been working with many churches and pastors—more than 15,000 churches—different times in the last two years to come together corporately to pray for revival. We feel that was before, preparation and prep, but we feel this is the time. This is the time.” {eoa}
See an error in this article?
To contact us or to submit an article
