Bishop Jonathan Ansar (page 2)
Guest Speaker at the 12th Annual Camp 2007

... continued from previous page

While in the hospital he sought to read some books to pass the time. The nurse from the hospital promised to bring him a book if he promised not to destroy it. She brought him a Gideons Bible. He read the chapters Matthew to Acts and became totally confused. However when he read the Book of Romans chapters 1-10 a new light and understanding dawned.

While reading the book of Romans, Jonathan remembered an experience he had had when he was a child learning the Koran. When he was a child he had to wash his whole body before prayer. His religious leader told him that he had to start washing all over again as water had not reached between his fingers and that his body had to be perfectly clean before prayer. He asked his teacher, "If water cleanses the body what can cleanse my conscience"? His teacher avoided the question and said he would answer another time. Repeatedly Jonathan asked the question and the teacher continued to avoid answering it. While reading the book of Romans he understood suddenly that it is the Word of God and the Holy Spirit that cleanses the conscience.

After spending 10 days at the mental Hospital he returned home and told his father that he had accepted Lord Jesus as his saviour and master. He instructed his father not to wake him the next morning at 4.30 am as usual for their ritual Islamic prayer called sallath or nammaz. The next morning his father knocked his door, only to see him reading the Bible.

His father gave him an ultimatum, that is to choose between being completely disinherited or his Christianity. At 4.45 am on a cold November morning in 1974, Jonathan was driven out from his home with nothing but his Bible and the crutches on which he walked. In frustration, Jonathan threw the Bible down. It fell open at Jeremiah 33:3 which had been highlighted by the previous owner. It read, "Call to me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, which you have never seen." He challenged God by giving him 100 days to prove himself through miracles everyday to show that he was true to what he said. Those 100 days turned out to be 100 days of miracles.

The first church he went to on Sunday was a Roman Catholic church. Before entering, he asked a woman to teach him how to pray; she told him to copy what others were doing. Whatever the people did he copied, until the priest refused to give him the holy communion. The following Sunday, determined to take the communion he was refused the previous week, he passed a Baptist church on the way. He entered it just as they were serving the holy communion. He took two portions of bread and wine, to make up for what he missed the week before! The elder was upset by this and challenged him at the end of the service. On hearing Jonathans testimony, the elder introduced him to believer's baptism.

Supernatural experiences

Jonathan faced much persecution, hard times and crisis that brought him up to stand firm as a pillar for the name of Jesus Christ. He witnessed the power of God through miracles and healings from the first day he accepted Christ. His personal experiences include surviving several attempts on his life. Two attempts were made to poison him, but to no effect. A number of attempts were made to beat him to death. Once another man was mistaken for Jonathan and brutally beaten. Once a gang of men drove him to a secluded place and attempted to beat him with sticks. Miraculously none of the sticks touched Jonathan's body as he lay on the floor, but instead the sticks hit each other inches away from his body. While some of the men started to argue among them selves whether to kill him or just beat him up, Jonathan escaped.

During a crusade two men tried to pull Jonathan off the stage. They grabbed each arm and began to pull hard. Although Jonathan was a skilled martial artist and had learnt to kill with his bare hands, he knew there was a greater power. With a great crowd watching him, he immediately shouted out, "In Jesus name!", and the men fell to the ground. This became a great testimony of the power of God.

Various healings took place in his life including receiving new kidneys supernaturally, healing from a skin disorder and diabetes. Miraculously, he walks without a bone socket in his leg! Each time sickness came on his body he confessed that his body was the temple of the Holy Spirit and that the sickness was at the wrong address!

When his kidneys failed, he was told by the doctor that that the cost of the operation would run to several thousands of rupees. Jonathan decided to phone his uncle to borrow the money. However, his uncle scoffed at him and told him that he should go to Jesus if he could heal as Jonathan had previously told him. Jonathan realised that his uncle was unknowingly 'preaching' to him. That day he believed God for a miracle. He had a vision of hands reaching his kidney area and after that returned to the hospital asking for a second x-ray. The doctor refused saying that the first x-rays showed the problem and that there was no need for another one. However, Jonathan insisted and upon seeing the second x-ray the doctors were shocked! His kidneys were perfectly all right!

An RSS leader in Punjab once told him that he was number 4 of the 47 most wanted preachers in India by Anti-Christian Hindu fundamentals. This leader had previously attacked and burnt the stage at one of Jonathan's crusades. Today, that man confesses to be a Christian. Also, Bishop Ansar currently holds positions within the Indian government and receives great honour. This is a miracle in itself.

For a short period of time Jonathan helped smuggle Bibles into China and other nations. He was caught and spent time in prison in China where he secretly baptised over 30 inmates. During this time he learnt to speak the Chinese language. Today Jonathan speaks 18 different languages and in India he uses English, Hindi, Urdu and Mizo to preach and teach.

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