By Elsy Robin
November 15, 2007 | 00:53:37

HE had everything going in his favour. He came from a reasonably good economic background, had good education and held a responsible post in a private firm. P Vijayaraghavan had every reason to believe life was 'beautiful'. Born into a Hindu family, the young man had a very pious upbringing and believed in karma. By his own admission, he hadn't stepped inside a church or heard the Gospel until he was 24. But a pithy statement made by a Christian colleague about rapture caught his fancy. The idea that a set of holy people will be caught up with Christ on his second coming and unbelievers left behind captivated him. When he looked within and realised he may not be one of those who'd meet the Lord in rapture if he continued in his sinful ways, he sincerely desired for a change. The desire triggered salvation. Years later, he quit a well-paying job to heed God's calling for his life. Vijayaraghavan (known as Pastor Viji) is now general secretary of The Apostolic Church. The Christian Messenger unravelled the story of his salvation in an interview.

Tell us a little about your background. What were you before you became a pastor?

I was born and brought up in a caste Iyengar family. When I was a child, my mother used to tell me religious stories from the Hindu mythology. I was brought up in a pious and orthodox manner. I used to do the poojas at home. And, having been brought up in such an atmosphere and being part of the Iyengar caste - supposedly a priestly order - I looked down upon all other castes and people. I had never heard the gospel. I didn't know what Christianity stood for. Well, when I was in college, I used to pass by a church in my neighbourhood. I had an aversion towards them. Maybe, because of their traditions. They used to be always seen in white clothes. I used to criticise them. I considered them a nuisance. I told my friends that these people should be driven out of mainstream society - to the burial grounds, if possible. All because of my upbringing though my parents never taught me to hate anybody.

Well, to an extent that's understandable. But why did you have this particular aversion towards only Christians?

Maybe, because of that particular church. They used to make a lot of noise - singing aloud and clapping and all that. Not that I didn't have any aversion towards Muslims. I did.

Who led you to the Lord?

I joined a private firm in 1972 after graduation. I had a Christian colleague at work. We used to get into arguments over Christianity. Everytime we argued over something, the friend - a Pentecostal - kept telling me 'Viji, you'll never know the joy of being filled with the Spirit unless you experience it yourself.' I would break into a big laughter and tell him, 'Hey, that'l never happen.' I am glad it's happened. So, that's how it was.

What aspect of Christianity fascinated you?

As I did very well in my first year at work, I was promoted and sent to Pondicherry. After office hours, while going back home it was a daily practice for a few of us to drop in at a restaurant, 'Ganpat Ram', and spend some time there. One such day, I was discussing the way the world was heading to with two of my friends - Nataraj and the Christian colleague. While Nataraj and I blamed it on 'kaliyug', my Christian friend talked excitedly about how Lord Jesus Christ would return to the earth again. He said all His holy people would be taken up with Him while the unholy people would be left behind. Later, when I ruminated about it, I told myself, 'Well, I stand no chance in that holy bunch of people.' To the outside world, I came across as a 'good guy'. But I alone knew what I was. What my friend told me kept echoing in my mind. The thought that I had no place among the group of holy people who'd be taken up alive when Christ returned to earth went through my heart like a hot rod of steel. At that time, though I didn't believe in Jesus Christ or His second coming.

So, when did you start knowing the Lord intimately?

Well, slowly I became conscious of my sins. I saw myself as unholy. Looking back now, I am able to define that as the process of conversion. But then it was only this feeling: 'Why shouldn't I be part of that group of holy people who're headed to heaven?' I had the desire to change. I wanted to be one of those who'd be caught up with the Lord. The next day a miracle happened. I used to smoke a lot. From being a casual smoker I had graduated to smoking 40 cigarettes a day. I thought I was a strong-willed man and could kick the habit anytime I wanted. I was getting into drinking also. After work, I used to return home, buy a bottle of beer, a few packets of cigarettes and go to bed with a novel in my hand. I used to smoke and drink into the night. This was becoming a habit. And I found that it was difficult for me to kick the habit on my own. But after I wanted to be one of the holy people, the craving for cigarettes and liquor left me. I didn't want to smoke or drink.

You didn't have any backsliding there?

Well, I did. Once my eldest brother, who was on a visit to Pondy, invited me over to the hotel where he was staying and introduced me to a few of his colleagues. At the party, he offered me a beer. I declined it saying I had just then had lunch. Later, he offered me a cigarette. I took it out of compulsion and took a drag. Well, I suddenly felt as if I had murdered somebody. I am not exaggerating. This is what I felt then. Soon, I excused myself from the group and stamped the half-smoked cigarette. The feeling of being unclean again was overwhelming. Later, I realised that it was the Lord who had cleansed me. It was a great deliverance that came to me - the desire to be clean, pure and holy like the Lord. Of course, later I heard the full Gospel, accepted Jesus Christ as my personal saviour, took baptism by water and ever since have started walking with Him.

There was nothing dramatic in your conversion...

No. See, I had never been to a church before. I had never heard the Gospel. I had never heard anybody preach about Jesus Christ. I had not known the Bible. I had not even read a tract till then. It was later when I cast my lot with the Lord did I hear the Gospel. I was 24 when I came to the Lord. I glady accepted water baptism on March 30, 1975.

All right. But when you quit smoking, didn't you for a moment think that you had overcome the urge through your own self-will?

No. Rather I was shattered to know that my self-will amounted to nothing. I used to think I was a strong man. When I discovered that I was actually not a strong man after all, I was shattered.

Did your wife who was your colleague play any role in your conversion?

Yes. Later on I came to know that she used to pray for me. But she had never spoken to me directly about the Lord because I was always very critical about the Bible and Christians.

After conversion, what was the difference that you noticed between the gods that you served by birth and Christ?

It's very simple. Right from my childhood, I had a very pious upbringing. But with all that, I didn't have inner cleansing. I was bound by several habits. Though I was known in my circles as a 'good guy', I alone knew what kind of a man I was. I used to lie, cheat others, steal from my own house and no one knew about it. When I had deliverance from the habits that bound me, I knew the difference between falsehood and reality. I knew what real peace meant after I knew the Lord. All those years of a pious upbringing failed to give me the peace that Jesus Christ gave me and that's what mattered to me.

What was your family's reaction when they knew that you'd become a Christian?

Most of my friends and relatives were in Madras. Not long after my conversion, I got married and moved to Madras. Nothing dramatic happened when my family and friends came to know about my conversion. Maybe, because they must have realised that I was out of bounds. Years later I knew my mother was engaged in poojas to break my marriage. When I tried witnessing Christ to my father, he was very indifferent. He kept telling me how all gods were one and the same. In a way, he couldn't care less about what god I was following. My brothers were not interested in it, either. In fact, persecution broke out at my workplace.

When did you reconcile to the fact that you are a new being and overcome your feeling of superiority?

Simple. If you understand the Word of God clearly, salvation is through the grace of God. We are saved through the grace of God. At this realisation all your feelings of highness are broken down. Salvation is not because of ourselves but despite ourselves.

(Pastor P Vijayaraghavan lives at 4, Ritherdon Road, Vepery, Chennai 7. His phone number is 91-044-25322175.  Email: pv50@md4.vsnl.net.in)

(This article appeared in the November 2004 isssue of  The Christian Messenger newspaper.)

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