DALLAS — How does a Dallas Baptist University student get the opportunity to preach the gospel on Easter Sunday on a radio station with a predominantly Hindu audience?
“I don’t know,” Sastry Meesala said. “It can only be the working of the Holy Spirit.”
Sastry Meesala, a Dallas Baptist University student, had a unique opportunity to preach the gospel on Easter Sunday on a radio station with a predominantly Hindu audience.
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Meesala, a native of India, was called on the morning of March 14 and asked if he would conduct the Lord’s Supper for the meeting of the Bible Believers Telegu Association. The group of about 70 Indian Christians of various denominations meets once a month in Richardson for prayer and fellowship.
Telegu is the language spoken in Meesala’s home region of Andhra Pradesh in South Central India. The pastor who was to conduct the Lord’s Supper could not attend because of car trouble. As Meesala conducted the rite, he also gave a short sermon.
After the service, a man from the Telegu Association of North Texas asked Meesala if he would like to preach on the local Indian station.
“He said they had other cultural programs but nothing about Christianity. He was a Hindu, and I don’t know why he wanted a Christian program. It could only be the Holy Spirit,” Meesala said.
Since Easter was not far away, they agreed that would be a great time for the broadcast.
Meesala quickly began enlisting the prayers of fellow DBU students and the congregation at First Baptist Church in Duncanville, where he is routinely the youngest person present for Wednesday night prayer meeting.
“The prayers of those people should get the credit,” Meesala said.
In addition to three New Testament scriptures, Meesala also mentioned a Hindu scripture in his Easter sermon.
“In the Hindu scriptures, there a place that says there can be no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood. But in the Hindu religion, there is no one who provides that blood. I told them that Jesus was that sacrifice,” he said.
At the of end the service, the radio station received many text messages and e-mails about the sermon, most asking questions about Christ as a sacrifice for sin.
While no plans have been made for another Christian sermon on the station, Meesala received a call on Monday after Easter telling him his time slot had one of the largest audiences the station has recorded.
Whether this station chooses to carry Christian programming for Indians or not is uncertain, but Meesala is certain the need is there.
“One hundred and fifty thousand Indians live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and no other station is doing this type of ministry, but if any church or ministry comes forward to support this sort of thing, many will be saved and know the resurrected Lord,” he said.
George Henson is the staff writer for Texas Baptist Standard.
