From witch doctor to pastor
Read Bahadur’s extraordinary story of persistent faith, supported by Asia-CMS partners
#JesusNeverGivesUp
Photo: “Knowing God is the greatest joy of my life,” says Bahadur, who started following Jesus after being a witch doctor in Nepal
“Jesus is my life,” says 60-year-old Bahadur, who is not giving up on his call, despite rejection and ridicule.
by Sarah Stone
Sixty-year-old Bahadur was a witch doctor before he met Jesus. He’s animated as he speaks. Clearly passionate and full of life. Asia-CMS partner Raj says he loves working with Bahadur for this very reason.
“Knowing God is the greatest joy of my life,” says Bahadur. “Knowing that he is the creator who created everything, who sustains us with the fruits and the vegetables that come out of the ground, and also that all parts of our bodies are created by him – that gives me joy.”
Bahadur is leading a small church in his village in remote, rural Nepal. He’s faced a lot of opposition from his community for choosing to follow Jesus, but Jesus is someone he’s unwilling to give up.
After faithfully following Jesus for 15 years, Bahadur is seeing some of those who ridiculed him come to know Jesus for themselves.
Faith out of desperation
It was in a time of desperation that Bahadur came to faith. His son was sick, and there was no treatment. “We went to doctors, [other] witch doctors, shamans, Buddhist priests – and we didn’t get any cure,” he says. “Then somebody from Beautiful Gate church told me about Jesus and the healing we could receive.”
Beautiful Gate is a church set up by and for people with disabilities. Pastor Adhikari was paralysed in 1984 when he fell from a tree while collecting fodder for his animals.
After the accident, he and his wife were ostracised from their community because of stigmas around disability in Nepal. Forty years on, they’re leading a thriving church, welcoming people of all disabilities and none to worship Jesus with them.
A new purpose
Bahadur found help for his son at Beautiful Gate church. But he also found his new purpose for living.
“Before coming to Christ, I had a lot of anxiety, I had a lot of pain, struggles in my heart and life,” he says. “But after coming to Christ, those things started to cease for me, and it was a kind of new way of life compared to my ancestors’.
“I was trained for 40 days at Beautiful Gate, and also for a month in India.” Through this training, Bahadur was equipped to minister to others.
“I come to realise that we just need to trust in the living Word of God, and when we trust in that, things happen.”
Over the years, some of those who have found Jesus at Beautiful Gate church have planted daughter churches back in their home communities. Bahadur leads one of these seven churches, supported by Asia-CMS partner Raj.
“Brother Raj comes to our church from time to time, and he encourages us,” says Bahadur. “He shares the Word with us, and his presence is very encouraging in my ministry.”
Vital encouragement
Having encouragement is so important for pastors like Bahadur, who are outnumbered and can face a lot of opposition. Less than 2 per cent of Nepal’s population are Christians, and in remote areas the percentage is even lower.
Life for these Christians is increasingly challenging, with anti-conversion laws making it more difficult and dangerous to share Jesus.
In remote villages, Pastor Raj says Christians and their God are often blamed when something bad happens. “Many people come against us and there are lots of challenges,” says Raj.
“Many times people do not allow us to do the fellowship. [When someone in the family is a believer,] if anything happens to the family, they blame God. That is one of the big challenges our leaders face…. It is a huge pressure we are feeling.”
Bahadur says he hasn’t experienced any extreme persecution, but the stories he tells us show that he has faced rejection and ridicule for his faith in Jesus.
He describes how people have challenged him: “They say, ‘Why are you bringing this? These people are unholy…. So don’t come to us.’ It’s rare for people of my faith background to come to Christ.
“People have talked behind my back. They have ridiculed me for my faith in Jesus. They misunderstand me, and they accuse me, saying that I have followed this path for the sake of money – they claim that I follow Jesus because I get dollars. But no, it’s not that and I’ll continue on this path despite the ridicule that I face.”
“God has a time for everything”
Fifteen years into his ministry, Bahadur has seen miracles – and a few of those who mocked him for his Christian faith have come to know Jesus.
“Those people who have ridiculed me and rejected my message, two of them have come to know the Lord. One of them was a witch doctor like me, and now he has also taken baptism. So it seems God has a time for everything.” Bahadur says it’s important to be a living, loving witness for Jesus and to trust God to work in people’s hearts.
“I feel blessed when these people come to know Christ, and I see the change. I come to realise that we just need to trust in the living Word of God, and when we trust in that, things happen.”
Following Jesus and trusting he will work in his time and his way is challenging for all of us. But in a context like Nepal, it’s even tougher. Does Bahadur ever feel like giving up? Maybe surprisingly, he doesn’t. Why? Because, in his words: “Jesus is my life.”
