From Sushi to the Savior - Part Two

“Can you eat sushi in Hinduism?” I asked.

He tilted his head, surprised by the question “Oh the fish?”

“Yes, I wasn’t sure if there were certain food laws you had to follow,” I replied.

“Ya, we can have sushi. The only thing we are not supposed to have is beef because we believe that a cow is a god. What about for you?”

“Well Christians believe that Jesus came down to earth and lived a perfectly sinless life as fully God and fully man, He died on the cross and then rose from the dead. The shedding of His blood as a perfect sacrifice covers our sin, so we are able to have a relationship with Him and live with Him for eternity in Heaven if we put our faith in Him as our only Savior and God. Before He died for us, there were certain laws that dealt with what people could or could not eat, as well as other things, but we are sinful people and could not fulfill those laws, which is why He came to die for our sake.”

Aayed* stared at me. “Wow. I’ve never heard this before.”

I asked another question, “What does Hinduism teach about death and the afterlife?”

“Maybe reincarnation, maybe you will go to a god and be judged for what you have or have not done, but some Hindu scholars say the whole word will be gone within 100 years,” he replied.

“How does that make you feel?” I asked.

He laughed, “I want to live.”

“You can live. Eternal life is free to you because of what Jesus has done for all of us. God created you and loves you so deeply; He knows the number of hairs that are on your head and the color of your eyes. He knit you together in your mother’s womb. He wants you to know Him. He loves you. I can say with confidence if I were to die tonight I would be in Heaven with God, because there is nothing on this earth that I could ever do. It is only what He has done for me that I am able to know that and say this to you,” I said.

Aayed’s* eyes looked watery, “I’ve never felt this way before. What you have said, this is amazing.”

“If you would be interested in learning more about the Bible and Jesus, I have one here actually, would you like to see it?”

“Yes!”

As we flipped through the Word of God together over the next two hours, Aayed asked questions about faith, prayer, death and eternal life. We prayed together. At the end of our conversation I asked him one more question:

“Do you think you might believe any of the things we have talked about tonight?”

“Yes! I want to believe. I want to know more.”

We parted ways, the Word of God in his hand as he left.

Prayer Requests

Please be praying for Aayed* as he begins this journey. Pray for other Hindus to encounter believers who are willing to share their faith.

Pray for Christ followers to be observant of those around them and to be ready to give an answer for the Hope that is within them.

*Name has been changed