Pastor in Bangladesh holds to the faith

July 31, 2012.

The date forever engrained in Pastor Sarkar’s heart. It was the day he chose to leave Islam to follow Jesus. And it was the first day he realized that his new decision would mean a lifetime of suffering and persecution because where he lives in the northwest region of Bangladesh, leaving Islam for another faith is considered betrayal and brings dishonor on your family.

That day, Sarkar couldn’t control his joy and happiness at receiving salvation and he immediately began to share his faith with family members, friends and community.

“I could not control myself when I was baptized, and I felt I must tell my salvation to others,” he remembers.

He assumed others would want the same joy he was feeling. Instead, they rejected his offer and attacked him.

“When I shared my conversion news with my family, they became very angry, and at the beginning, they tried to influence me,” he shares. “But when it did not work, they became harder and started torturing me mentally and gradually stopped me from eating food.

“At a point, they tortured me physically and beat me up, even threatening to kill me if I did not renounce my faith. But, I was strong in my faith and I did not renounce my faith

Finally, his family kicked him out of his home at age 21—a young man without a job or a place to live.

“I lost my home and daily food. For many years, I did not go to my village where I was born and grew up. I always pray for my parents and siblings but cannot visit them.” He recalls his father’s hurtful words: ‘I will not give you anything (inheritance),” he told Sarkar. “You will get nothing so you never come back to my home.’”

Through continued adversity, Sarkar held to his faith. A couple of years later, God brought him the the opportunity to serve Him and the local believers as a pastor. He knows the joy of serving God’s people and the truth of God’s Word:

“You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matt. 10:22).

Because of Pastor Sarkar’s ministry activities, life is more difficult. Some people hate him, others insult him. He told Open Doors of an instance when he was beaten up at a local market because he was talking about Jesus to local Muslims. Publicly, he was physically punished, beaten and driven away by the locals.

Still, he continues to persevere, sharing the gospel and serving everyone: including local believers, Muslim, Hindu and tribal people. His family—his wife and their 4-year-old son—also are faithfully continuing to serve God’s people.

“I love sharing the gospel and telling people the good news of salvation,” he says. “I believe this is very important for every person.

“But it is not easy, especially among the Muslims. They are very aggressive and torture me publicly and insult my faith, and my family.”

Recently, Pastor Sarkar contacted Open Doors local partners and requested prayer for his family—for safety and protection. They are praying and also preparing a love gift to support the family. But he needs more prayers, our partners share, for resources to serve the local believers. Please continue to pray with Pastor Sarkar and his family.