The following is a brief introduction to Pastor Obed Rauf, who hails from Lahore, Pakistan. Born on May 24, 1975, he was raised in a Christian household along with his two brothers and one sister. Pastor Obed’s father received a ministry calling from God very early in his life and has been serving as a full-time minister since 1968. Growing up, his mother taught them bible stories and principles, and as a family, they regularly attended church and participated in church activities and services.
Moreover, according to his father, when Pastor Obed was born, God revealed to him that he would become a servant of God and preach the Gospel. Thus, his father named him OBED, which means “a servant of God”.
When I was younger, I struggled to comprehend the power and authority of God, despite His various attempts to communicate with me. In the 12th grade, I developed an interest in reading and started devouring a book called “Successful Christian Life” by Dr. David Yonggi-Cho from Korea. Although I had grown up in a spiritual and Christian family, I had never personally experienced the power and authority of God in my life. However, after reading this book, I was captivated by the experiences shared by the author and began to experience the same life described in the book. I made a deal with myself that if the author was truthful and accurate, and if God truly existed, then He would respond to me, and I would believe in Him.
During a period of my life, I was extremely passionate about making music and singing. However, I faced a challenge at the beginning of my music career because I did not own a musical instrument to practice with, specifically a keyboard. I found it difficult to improve my keyboard skills since I didn’t have one, so I decided to ask for one in prayer. Dr. David Yongii-Cho suggested that if you have any desire, you can present it to God through prayer, and eventually, it will come to fruition. Therefore, I started praying daily for a keyboard, hoping that it would appear at the right time.
After eight months of praying, my father surprised me with a beautiful keyboard as a birthday gift. I felt that it was an answer from God because I had not shared my desire for a keyboard with anyone in my family. This was the first miracle in my life, and it made me believe that God is real and that He listens to our prayers.
Gradually, my life took a U-turn. I was very ill in my early age, and I didn’t understand why my life was burdened this way. I was the sickest person in my family. Once, I suffered from piles, and after almost a year of suffering, I started praying to God because I knew that God was my only healer. I requested to God, and he showed me a way. I went to a doctor, and he gave me medicine for only one week. It was truly a miracle because I was healed after just one week. This was amazing for me because I had visited so many doctors for that issue. But God told me to go to this specific doctor, and I praise God that he healed me!
This was the start of my trust in my God. God built my trust … with His experiences.
The day of the Darkness:
In July 1996, I fell ill and my family assumed it was just a routine bad throat. I visited a doctor as an outpatient who prescribed simple medicine, but it didn’t work. My cough persisted, and I sought help from many doctors and Hakeems (ayurwadiks), but nothing seemed to work. One night, I experienced a terrible difficulty in breathing and sleeping. I went to see the doctor again, who diagnosed me with severe asthma and told me that I might not live for more than ten years. This news left me feeling depressed, and I started taking continuous medication, including steroids. However, none of the medications seemed to work, and my condition persisted. This experience was the beginning of my trust in God, who helped me through the tough times.
After struggling with harsh medication and depression for two years, I finally remembered God’s promises and the experiences and testimonies I had in my past life. On December 31, 1999, I made a New Year’s resolution to try Jesus for my asthma, since none of the medications had worked. That was a crucial moment for me. I resolved to start my prayer life and include my health condition in my prayers.
Since I worked as a teacher in a school and provided home tuition for extra income, I didn’t have time to pray during the day. So, I decided to pray at night instead. I was so determined that I even told God I was willing to disturb my sleep to get His attention. I asked the Holy Spirit to wake me up in the middle of the night so I could pray.
Every night, I developed a relationship with God. He spoke with me on different issues in my life and also told me, “Obed, you have to serve me.” However, I denied serving God many times because I never wanted to become a priest.
After a long time of prayer, in May 2000, God miraculously healed me through one of His spirit-filled men. It was the first time I saw such great power of God. The power came into me, and I felt a great demonic power come out of me. That was the day of my deliverance! I threw away all of my medicine into the toilet and broke all of my inhalers with a hammer. It was the first time I slept with peace and rest after a very long time.
The Day When The Fight Started:
In the following passage, the author shares an intimate account of their personal journey of struggling with fear and depression after experiencing healing, despite not having a strong foundation in faith and scripture. They describe the experience as a spiritual battle initiated by the devil, which left them grappling with overwhelming fear and difficulty sleeping at night. The writer refers to these nights as “terrible,” and even though they prayed daily, they found it challenging to trust in God’s promise to always be with them.
The author vividly compares their experience to being stranded in a vast ocean, with no sight of land and having to navigate their way to safety alone. Despite this feeling of isolation, the writer acknowledges that God was present even in their darkest moments, even when they questioned His presence. They express profound gratitude for the opportunity to work alongside their brother Javed on the JCTV (Jesus Christ Television) Pakistan project. As a technical consultant and worker, the writer played a significant role in the project, serving as the studio Incharge and director of marketing, which gave them a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
In October 2008, God revealed to me that He would use me to preach the Gospel. I started preaching the Gospel of my Lord Jesus on television in October 2010. Although I had previously preached in seminars and Christian conventions, being on television was my first experience. My TV program, RAH-E-AMAL (a way we must follow), has blessed thousands of people. Now God is leading me to create a Bible training school for people who want to learn biblical concepts, as I already have two ministry diplomas.
In 2009, I started a college called City College Mission and Ministries. I successfully ran courses for the first group of 25 students and saw them make a professional approach towards ministries after completing the course. Some have started their own ministries, and some have been praying for the ministry. Another batch of almost 25 students started courses in October 2011, and I believe God is helping me in this great work.
I know that I have been fighting with the devil, but God has given me the key to success – His Word. He has trained me to fight with the devil and acquire victory and has also taught me to place my trust in Him. I believe that He will move me greatly into ministry for His grace.
My spiritual journey began in August 1987 when I got a water baptism. The following year, God anointed me with His power, and I received baptism in the Holy Spirit. Now I pray for sick people, and they are healed. People come to my meetings and experience blessings, faith, salvation, healing, and the glory of God. Praise God that He has been using me in the hard land of Pakistan.
I love my Savior, Jesus Christ.
