Gujarat's Miracles of the Needle's Eye

Praise God for His great grace, greater than all our sin, able to save even His most ardent enemies like He saved Saul of Tarsus.

In Matthew 19, a confident and complacent young man of high social standing approaches Jesus and asks him, “What good thing shall I do that I may attain eternal life?”

Jesus responds, “Keep the commandments.” He enumerates various ones. With astounding confidence, the young man says, “I have kept them all! What do I still lack?”

Jesus, who discerns the young man’s true character, responds, “If you seek perfection, go and sell all your possessions, give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.”

The young man looks at Jesus in shock and walks away grieving, unable to do this thing Jesus asks of him because (we are told) he owned and valued much property, apparently more than he valued eternal life.

After the young man leaves, Jesus turns to His disciples and says, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven...it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Astonished, Jesus’ disciples said, “Then who can be saved?”
Jesus answers, “With people this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.”

Not long after this, Jesus proved his point when He overwhelmed a socially privileged and over-zealous Saul of Tarsus with His glory on the Damascus Road and forever changed the direction of his life.

That impossible miracle is happening again, this time in Gujarat, of all places. Gujarat has one of the most anti-Christian reputations in India, and the world. The “needle’s eye” miracle has taken place with at least two young men through IGO’s own Gujarat Bible Training Center.

One of these young men is Anil Rana who originally comes from Madhya Pradesh. Like the name “Rockefeller” or “Kennedy” in the US, the name “Rana” is a traditional name in India denoting a family with a long history of wealth and even royal standing, going back many generations.

Anil Rana’s father held the prestigious position of “Mukhiya,” or head of the village council, a role that underscored his family’s responsibility, prominence and influence not only in the village but in other political and social networks as well.

Wealth marked Anil’s family, and Anil could gain an education in any field he chose. He studied for and completed a bachelor degree in mechanical engineering and moved from Madhya Pradesh to Gujarat in 2009 to pursue a job with the Essar Company, a corporation engaged in oil and gas exploration.

While at Essar Company, he encountered a fellow employee from Kerala with whom he found many things in common. They struck up a friendship. Soon, he discovered this man was a believer in Jesus Christ. After this man came in contact with Anil and revealed his Christian identity, he lost no opportunity to share a little something of the gospel with him every time they met. He was not pushy about his witness, but he clearly was not ashamed of the gospel.

At first, Anil silently (but politely) dismissed his Christian friend’s testimony as merely the words of a man of lower caste standing. In his mind, Christian faith was a religion meant only for Dalits (untouchables) and other people of castes inferior to his own. To his way of thinking, Christian faith was for the less worthy people with bad karma. His new friend might be an amiable fellow, but he was certainly no Rana Hindu like himself!

However, over time, Anil’s complacency was shaken. He gradually noticed character traits in this man, his work habits and his understanding of life that seemed more thoughtful than his own. This new friend was not an illiterate Dalit but one who knew many things. He had answers from a Christian perspective to questions which he had never before considered, and he slowly realized these things were vital to living a meaningful and productive life.

After about five years, Anil came to a crossroads in his life. He realized he needed to decide once and for all what to do with Jesus Christ. That’s when he turned his life over to Jesus and was filled with the Holy Spirit. In this encounter with Jesus, he was overwhelmed by His love such as he had never known even with his own family or any other person.

Immediately after this encounter with Jesus, Anil had a drive to tell everybody about Him. He joined a church in Gujarat, befriended many believers and became an insatiable Bible student.

Rumors of Anil’s conversion eventually reached his hometown — and his father’s ears. His father was furious. The village council insisted Anil’s father do something to stop this unpardonable transgression to the village and his family name. His father sent spies to Gujarat to see if the rumors were true. When the spies confirmed the rumors, his father raged and sent a swift and stern message to Anil: “Reject Jesus, return home, or be disowned forever!”

But Anil had tasted of Jesus’ love, and he would not let go of the overwhelming Love that would not let him go. Like Paul, what he counted as gain before became loss so he could gain Christ.

During this time, Anil married, and his decision to follow Jesus first, last and always persuaded his wife, Rita, to follow Jesus, too. His son also became a follower of Jesus.

Drawn by a deep longing to know more about Jesus’ love, Anil learned about Gujarat Bible Training Center, completing his course of study in 2023. Today, Anil engages in regular part-time ministry alongside his regular job. He shares the love of Jesus with everyone he meets while continuing to pray for his unsaved parents and relatives.

Anil still loves his family back home in Madhya Pradesh, but all his parents and relatives remain staunch Hindus and have no desire to see him unless he returns to Hinduism. He yearns for them, but he cannot enter his village as long as he remains a Christian. Anil prays and awaits for the “needle’s eye” miracle to take place with his family
and village.

Like Anil Rana, Atul Chaudhary also grew up in a family of high influence and strong tribal Hindu traditions. His father was a revered village priest, believed to possess extraordinary powers. People from many villages sought out his father seeking solutions to their problems. As the elder son, Atul assisted his father in temple rituals. Secretly, he knew that the miracles his father performed were, in fact, orchestrated by evil spirits with whom his father made a pact.

In 2016, an unexpected event shattered their comfortable world. The spirit that Atul’s father thought he controlled turned on him, leaving him possessed by a demon, turning him into a maniac. Nothing he did could save him from the attacks of this spirit being. Every black magician and every doctor the family consulted found themselves helpless and powerless before something stronger than their spells and incantations. Atul’s father grew worse and worse.

In desperation, someone suggested calling a Christian to pray over Atul’s father, but the family wouldn’t have it. They refused to even talk to Christians much less ask them for help, regarding them as followers of a foreign religion. But as the situation worsened, it became clear that the evil spirit was killing their husband and father. At last, they bowed to reality and called for a Christian.

A little Christian lady came to the family home to pray over Atul’s father. Hardly what they expected, but she knew exactly what to do. She took authority over the spirit, and in just three or four minutes, Atul’s father experienced complete deliverance from the evil attack. Immediately, Atul recognized the superior authority of Jesus and accepted Jesus into his life.

It took a little longer for Atul’s father to accept what had happened, but even he soon accepted the truth and embraced Jesus into his life. Today, Atul’s entire family serves Jesus except for a younger brother who has so far refused to change.

Six years after this miracle, Atul Chaudhary heard of Gujarat Bible Training Center. Eager to learn more about Jesus and to understand the Bible, he enrolled in 2022 and graduated with a certificate in theology the next year. Immediately, he began to spread the gospel in his area.

Atul is an articulate and persuasive speaker, fully dedicated to his calling. He now pastors a church of 50 baptized believers which continues to grow. He has discovered a passion for music, something he did not possess before he turned his life over to Jesus. Although his secular education was limited because of his early responsibilities in his father’s temple, he is making up for that early loss by disciplined study.

He is described by his friends as meek and humble, ready to do anything for the glory of God. Today, his parents support him. His wife, Kapila, and two children are also believers, and they participate in his ministry. The “impossible needle’s eye miracle” has happened again!

Anil Rana and Atul Chaudhary are proving that with God, all things are indeed possible. Both men come from families generally regarded as impossible to change with the Good News. But God makes a way where there is no way. The “needle’s eye” miracle does indeed take place today, even in Gujarat’s upper castes.

Pray for Evangelists Anil Rana and Atul Chaudhary and their families as they minister in the difficult state of Gujarat.

Pray for Gujarat Bible Training Center as the school prepares men and women in this state willing to serve Him.

Pray that God will continue to raise up articulate and influential men and women from the upper castes who experience the “needle’s eye miracle” and proclaim the Good News.

Pray for an awakening in Gujarat and other resistant Indian states.