Testimony of God’s Saving Grace

Since early 2017, Pastor Saji has been invited to serve Bethel Baptist as its co-pasor with a purpose to enhance the shepherding ministry alongside Pastor Nelson.

Saji was born on August 25, 1963 as the eldest of four siblings to Thomas and Sosamma. He was raised in an Eastern Orthodox church tradition, and from childhood was nurtured to join the priestly ministry of the church.

Growing up, he uncritically believed everything the church taught, its creeds and customs. The exposure to Bible truths was limited to stories his mom, and grandfather (mom’s side) recounted, and in teenage years, by attending vbs and Sunday School in a Marthoma church (a breakaway group from the Orthodox).

Being religiously brought up, he knew sin displeased God, thus constantly struggled with guilt of sin. No self-resolves helped him not to sin again, and no confession to the priest relieved him of his guilt. In God’s amazing providence, he ended up in a Baptist Bible college (Berean, Bangalore) where he was confronted with a familiar question: “Where will you go if you died today?” Only, this time there was no running away from the Big question.

The afternoon of July 10, 1981, through a one-to-one preaching of John 3:1-18 by a friend, Saji was helped to exercise his faith in personally receiving Lord Jesus Christ as his saviour. For the first time, he experienced the burden of guilt removed, and to this day, by God’s grace, continues to grow in the full assurance of his salvation in Christ’s completed work on the cross.

Post his conversion, he pursued his studies in the same Bible college, then another and another! In the meantime, the class on the doctrine of the church transformed how he viewed the local church, joined a tiny slum church in Gowthamapuram (Bangalore) and since then has been active in the churches he has been a member of. He is also involved in teaching in the seminary.

Saji is married to Jessy (1992) and they have three adult children, Jerusha, Shaphan and Navith.