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Jammu:
Retired army captain A. M. Samuel (70), a senior pastor
and evangelist in Jammu, was arrested on April 7 2009
for conducting a Christian camp. He was later released
on bail. The aged pastor was first apprehended for
interrogation on March 17 while he was holding a
training camp for 220 gospel workers from various parts
of northern India and Nepal. Later, on April 7, he was
arrested and a case was registered against him for
"preaching and alluring people to embrace Christianity;
conducting a camp and teaching people to embrace
Christianity; Baptizing people to convert Hindus to
Christianity; and Indulging in acts which evoke communal
tension." The case is now posted for May 25 in the First
Class Magistrate's court. The police tried to implicate
him in a case concerning some missing young men and
women. One Vikas Sharma who once upon a time was
associated with the retired Captain had disappeared with
a team of young people. The police however has accepted
the Captain's statemnt that he has nothing to do with
this incident.
“The Lord is using us here in a mighty way ... I can not
write all the details. ... I started a Bible Class for
new [Christian] workers from March 3 to Apr 17th of
2009.
"Nearly 220 workers from different states of North India
and Nepal came here to study the word of God. Brothers
were staying in the Canvas shed and sisters were staying
in the houses of believers.
“Police personnel used to visit us almost every day. On
March 17th the highest police officials of Jammu City
took me into their custody and kept me in their police
lock up for nearly six hours. While I was in the lock
up, the highest Police Officials of Jammu City (SSP, SPs,
DySPs, Officials from CID, CBI and other internal
security agencies) interrogated me for several hours.
They behaved with me in a very rough way. They used all
kinds of abusive languages.
"God granted me the grace to face all of it joyfully.
They said that I am the trouble maker of Jammu city.
They charged me that I am converting Hindus, Sikhs and
Muslims to Christianity. They said that the situation of
Jammu has become worse than Khandamal of Orrissa. They
ordered me to close down the Bible Classes immediately,
dismantle the Canvas shed and go back to Kerala
immediately. They warned me that people of Jammu are
anxiously waiting to burn me alive.
"After the process of tough interrogation they released
me in the middle of the night. I waited on the Lord for
His guidance. ... Obeying the leading of the Holy
Spirit, I decided to continue the Bible Classes in the
same place. Police officials used to visit us every day
and tried to harass us. In spite of all these problems,
we continued the Bible Classes.
“On April 7th the Police Officials came and arrested me
and put hand cuff in my hand and produced me before the
First Class Magistrate who sent me to Central Jail of
Jammu.
"In the Jail also the police officials continued to use
abusive languages and harassed me a lot. They cut my
hair completely to make me a fun. They made me to sweep
the floor and carry water and do all other things. I am
now 70 years old. Due to severe persecutions I was
having pain in my chest, stomach and back and it was
difficult for me to carry a full bucket of water. When I
was carrying water little less than full bucket, they
used to abuse me. There was no toilet in the room where
they kept me with five other criminals. Due to stomach
trouble, I had to bear lot of pain because they do not
open the door even to go to toilet. I remembered Apostle
Paul whose hands and feet were in the stock.
"Next day evening God allowed me to come out on bail. I
have to appear before the court on 25th May. I was in
Pathanamthitta, Kerala central Jail for preaching the
gospel. There, they did not harass me but here they
tried their best to harass me. I thank God for them.
"After I came out on bail, again they took me into
custody on 18th April and kept me for four hours. Their
whole intention is that I should move out from this
place. We have decided not to move from here till the
Holy Spirit gives us directions to go from here. God
granted me grace to continue the Bible Class up to April
17th. Situation is tense here. Several people are
against us. Police personnel come whenever they desire.
We are being treated as criminals of this area. But the
love of God compels me to stay here in Jammu and
continue the ministry.”
Capt. Samuel's message to the Indian Church: "We are
living in the time of severe persecution. I was
persecuted severely for about 15 times. Several times I
was on death bed.
"In Jagadhiri of Haryana I was persecuted by a crowd of
about 300 people and when I fell down, they stripped
some of my cloths and dragged me pulling my one leg as a
dead man. I was dead for about three hours. All my
pulses were stopped but after three hours, while all
saints were praying around me God revived me.
“Twice I was in Jail in India. I was in the police lock
up for several times in several places. I was arrested
in China three times for the sake of gospel. They did
not put me in Jail. They brought me to the border and
sent me away.
"I was arrested three times in USA- Miami beach of
Florida for preaching to the people who were enjoying
their holidays in the beach. There also they charged me
for disturbing peace. ... The USA Police Officials said
that you have no freedom to preach in the beach. They
strictly told me to preach only in the Church.
Persecutions, Police lock up and Jails will only
increase our spiritual strength.
"I never approached minority commission or political
leaders. Preaching the gospel is a spiritual battle
against the powers of Satan so that people may be
delivered from spiritual darkness. People are blinded by
the 'god' of this world. We must pull down the strong
holds of satanic spirits and bring the people out of
darkness to glorious light of the gospel of Jesus
Christ. For this we must be willing to pay the price.
"We should love the people who persecute us and we must
pray for them. Police Officials of Haryana- top
officials- advised me to lodge the complaint against the
people who attacked me in Jagadhiri. I told the police
officials that they are all my friends and I have no
complaint against them. They did not know the truth and
ignorantly they attacked me. Never had I lodged
complaint against people who attacked me. We must show
the true love of God when people persecute us.
"Among the twelve people who attacked me while I was
preaching on a stage in Eraviperroor of Kumbanad,
Thriuvalla, Kerala, one person wrote me a letter few
months ago saying that he was the first one who attacked
me. The words of love I uttered at that time touched his
heart and he became a follower of Christ and now he is
studying in a Bible School in Kottayam.
"Through the letter he expressed his desire to ask
forgiveness from me before thousands of people. So the
reaction of persecution should be always according to
the teachings of Jesus Christ. Persecution is an
opportunity to express God’s love. Persecution will
increase our spiritual strength. God’s presence will be
always with us. The Angels of heaven is around us.
Without the knowledge of our Lord, not hair will fall
down. Therefore persecution is a great blessing. We
should rejoice in the Lord during the time of
persecutions.”
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