From Near-Death Fire to Pastoral Trainer
- Jun 15
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 4
"Many pastors have been killed or have lost their loved ones. Extremists threatened my life at gunpoint for spreading the gospel."
As Abraham Gandham's family prepared for dinner in rural India, a gas cylinder exploded, engulfing their home in flames.
Choking on smoke, Abraham held his young son, Ruthvik, and called out to Jesus—the very name he had mocked only weeks before.
"We have thousands of gods," he said. "You're just believing in one God. Who is stronger, thousands of gods or one?"
But as the fire raged around him, he made a promise: if Jesus would save his family, he would build a church on top of his home.
The Lord answered that prayer.
Abraham has now pastored a church for 23 years in the same place where his house was reduced to ashes.
RUTHVIK'S CALL
Yet following Christ brought intense persecution.
"They treat Christians as untouchables," Ruthvik said. "It was completely devastating."
Although Ruthvik watched his parents endure persecution, danger, and isolation for following Christ, he chose to follow Jesus as well.
Like his parents, Ruthvik felt called to full-time ministry. While seeking God's direction, he heard two mysterious words: "Hannok" and "Chhattisgarh." Five years later, their meaning became clear when a man named Hannok from Chhattisgarh, India, called and pleaded with him to come and train persecuted believers.
"Even though believers want to go, they're all afraid because their lives won't be guaranteed," Ruthvik said.
Ruthvik has encountered this danger firsthand.
As Ruthvik and Abraham traveled to a village, Hindu extremists stopped them and pointed guns at their heads.
"They warned us, 'Since it's the first time we've seen you, we're taking your Bibles. If we see you again, we'll take your lives,'" Ruthvik said.
Many pastors in the area have been killed or lost loved ones.
How can the gospel spread when violence looms, and villages prohibit Christians from carrying Bibles? Even if they had Bibles, nearly half of the pastors and their congregations couldn't read them.
"For those questions, only OneWay Ministries' Heart Bible for the Nations is giving the answer," Ruthvik said.
Heart Bible trains believers to become "Walking Bibles," helping them share Bible stories from memory—even where carrying a Bible is dangerous.
This has transformed churches, pastors, leaders, and disciples in 21 countries, many of them facing severe persecution, including India.
This year, Ruthvik hosted a Heart Bible conference for believers in India, including 60 pastors. These pastors returned to 60 villages, planting churches and reaching people through Bible stories.
"We believe God will raise thousands of Walking Bibles across these unreached villages of India. Because of your faithful support, God's Word is reaching places and people that many of us could never reach on our own." — Ruthvik
Help Ruthvik Spread the Gospel
Please be a part of Ruthvik's work in India through prayer! If you would like to receive his periodic updates, let us know at mail@owm.org.
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