Million Baptised: Raj Tells His Story (Part 1)Rebecca Swarbrick - 4 Jul 2013

J Varada Raj is a remarkable man to meet, glowing with warmth and life. Born into a Hindu Brahmin family - a priestly caste with much privilege, Raj’s love affair with Jesus has led him on an incredible journey. From being rejected by his blood family, many nights of homelessness, sleeping on a park bench and onto becoming head of Alpha India (seeing around 800,000 people baptised last year alone) and a real man of prayer. Here, Raj shares some of the lessons of prayer from his journey.

What was your first experience of Jesus?

One morning in Feb 1968, I was fast asleep and at 3am I was awakened. There was a golden glow in my room and I was very scared and slowly I saw the face of Jesus. I saw this person, this being and I couldn’t turn my face away. I started crying, I didn’t know why. I think I cried the most in my life that day. Then I became very weak -  physically and emotionally and, I don’t know how to explain this, I slumped first, then I prostrated and I lay there for a long time.

My mind went blank, I could not think. But then after a period I said a sharp prayer. I didn’t know how to pray, we are not trained to pray the Christian way, but I simply said “Jesus you are my God, I belong to you.”

 A load was off me; I became so free. I looked at his face full of compassion. His eyes define what is true love, really. But then it was 6am, the light came, my mum came with coffee she asked me “Who is here? There is something different.” I told her “Mum, Jesus has been here. He is my God, I gave my life to him.” She gave me hot, strong coffee and she caressed my head and said “Son, I hope you know what you are saying.”

What would you say is really important for a good prayer life?

The time we spend with God is directly proportional to the knowledge we have of God, heart knowledge. Scriptures are given to obey the word, not to theologically discuss and go away as if nothing happened.

Read the word until the word can read you. Let the word read you; that is when transformation takes place. Otherwise you think you know the bible but your life has no wealth in it.

So this process continues. Personal devotion is so important. Scriptures are God’s love letter to us. Read the word of God to know God the word.

Obedience is the language of intimacy.  The language of obedience in the language of intimacy. You obey the word that God speaks to you and see what happens in your life, this is the way to grow prayer.

How important do you think the role of prayer is in mission?

We can never isolate mission from the rest of life. Life is integrated and because of this we need to always see together. Mission is part of the life of church and our model is the book of Acts. They prayed, they heard from God, they sent missionaries, the missionaries went out, the prayed again. They came and reported, they prayed again. Prayer and mission are very linked to each other as  much as fellowship and scripture are. Prayer is at the heart of missions and missions is the heart of prayer.

Do you go to a particular place to pray?

There’s an understanding in the family that if I sit on this chair at this time it’s my prayer time don’t disturb me. Jesus did say ‘go to the closet’ and the principle there is ‘don’t be distracted and don’t distract others. This is an intimate time, a private time and I want to share some things only with you, that I can’t say when people are there; like a husband and wife’. So the bride and bridegroom brings us a call to intimacy; if we can’t be intimate with God then how can we be intimate with a person?

There’s a nice verse in the book of Job, ‘There is a place on the mountains on the hills that the lion has not seen, the eagle has not set her sight.’ To me in one sense that is the kind of place, a place of prayer.

When you set aside a place of prayer, whatever place it is, not a bed (!), sit comfortably with both feet on the ground and commune with God. In such a place you can speak anything to him.

Thank you very much Raj. Pt 2 of this interview will be available next week. For more from Raj, check out his interview from Nicky Gumble linked below or hear his teaching on the Emmaus Rd Church website.