(Prakash Yesudian, the soft-spoken and gifted evangelist and Christian writer, who was part of RZIM in India for several years passed away on July 22. His brother Y Thanga Bose, founder of ABC Prayer Fellowship, remembers him as a faithful foot soldier of Christ. Editor)
PRAKASH Yesudian, my beloved younger brother, preacher and teacher of the Word of God is no more with us. He went to be with the Lord on July 22.
According to Psalm 23:6, he dwells in the house of the Lord forever. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints (Psalm.116:15).
The Lord helped him see his 70th birthday recently. Praise the Lord!
I am two years older to him. We were born and brought up in the tea estates of Munnar and Valparai. In those days, transport and schooling were tough. We had to trudge long distances to reach the school at Valparai drenched in heavy rains through intercepting hills, valleys, rivers and rocks.
We were regular to the church in the estate where my father conducted the Sunday service. Our parents had seven children and it was natural that they showered their affection on the younger ones – particularly on me and my brother – a little more than on the others.
We were natives of Kumarapuram Thopur in Kanyakumari district. Once or twice a year, we went there. And whenever we were there, we had the opportunity to listen to the powerful sermons of evangelist Packianathan Suviseshakar. He was our grandpa (mother’s dad). Grandpa influenced us to put our trust on Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. After Sunday service, grandpa used to take us to his home, lay his hands on us and pray for us. He also found time to feed, hug and kiss us. Our salvation was a recurring point in his prayer for us. Several years later, God answered the prayer of this man of God and my brother and I accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and equipped us to take the Gospel to the needy. I came to the Lord when I was 18. Prakash accepted Jesus Christ later.
God protected us from many dangers right from our childhood days. Once when my dad was working in Aluwaye in Kerala, the place where we lived was infested with snakes. They were sacred to the people, who fed, protected and worshiped them. Prakash must have been three then. One day, our elder brother saw Prakash playing with a venomous snake. He gathered courage, ran towards Prakash, snatched him in his hands and ran to safety. When my dad returned home, he saw a crowd in front of our home. He heard his son had been saved from a great danger. He wept and thanked God even as he showed the clothes and talcum that he had bought for his youngest son. God saved him from death and preserved him to proclaim the Gospel.
After completing his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Prakash committed his life to full time ministry. God shaped him when he was at Youth for Christ and later at Ambassador for Christ. Prakash never went to a Bible college in his life, but he learned everything about God and His ways from the Word of God. He had a simple approach to the Gospel. He used every opportunity given to him to share the love of Jesus Christ with people.
Although he was a powerful preacher used by God in crusades and conventions, he also practiced personal evangelism. I have seen him witnessing for Christ to people at hotel lobbies, hospitals, college campuses and trains. When he was done with sharing the Gospel, I used to hand over his booklet, ‘Yesterday, today and tomorrow’ to the seekers.
What I learned about personal evangelism, I learned from him and to this day, I don’t get out of a cab or an auto-rickshaw without sharing the Gospel with the cabbie or the driver. Witnessing almost always ends in prayers for the drivers.
In 1990, Prakash helped a group of believers in Anna Nagar, Chennai, plan and distribute copies of the Gospel according to John in English that were lying unclaimed in the Madras Port. Thus was launched ‘Project John’ by the Anna Nagar Outreach Team. Volunteers were drawn from churches around and the concept and method of distributing the Gospel were explained to them. Several thousands of people were reached. As a result, we received more than 3,000 response cards. Later, this became a unique ministry of friendship evangelism and the Arise and Build Christian Prayer Fellowship was born. Over 30 pin code areas of Chennai city were covered and more than 3,000 seekers were baptized across churches. Prakash was instrumental for friendship evangelism in cities. He motivated me and others to concentrate on cities.
Prakash Yesudian was a man of the Word. He taught us the Word of God in a simple manner with illustrations. He was not known for adulterating the Word of God with the world’s mythical and mystical teachings. Twenty-five years ago, there was a Bible study cell in our home in the Anna Nagar Blue Star area. Prakash used to be a regular leader at the study. Later, we prepared weekly schedules, involving potential leaders of Anna Nagar. This cell later multiplied into six cells in Anna Nagar and Mogappair areas. My brother taught us how to study the Bible and lead a Bible study.
Recently, before he fell ill, I invited him to come to our weekly Bible study cell and teach us. He readily and gladly agreed and wanted us to have the study in the ground floor. We made all arrangements, but my brother is no more to teach us.
Prakash was a man of prayer. He did not compromise with false teachings and doctrines. He confronted false teachings politely with an open Bible and always ended the debate with a word of prayer.
Prakash’s wife Ranie Patience is a role model for a wife and mother. She faced life with fortitude and patience during her husband’s last days on earth. Truly, she lived up to her name. May God Almighty grant her grace and strength to bear the loss.
He was very dear to me and I’ll now miss him. The vacuum he has left behind cannot be easily filled. May God Almighty raise more young men and women like him with passion for souls to stand in the gap and witness for Jesus Christ boldly. When Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as He is pure (1 John 3: 2-3).
Related reading: Our Dad, Prakash Yesudian
