Rev. Y.S. John Babu
&
Mrs. Anna John Babu
Founder
of Sion Fellowship
Late Rev. Y.S John Babu was born and raised
as a Hindu, worshipping the idol gods. He was a dynamic and
brave Police Officer was married and having eight children.
The pressures of his job drove him to become a chronic addict
of alcohol, consequently damaged his liver and heart. The
report of the doctors showed that he would live only for four
months (in the year 1972). Receiving the hard reality of his
poverty stricken life, his overall health also gradually deteriorated.
This dark phase of experience of his family left them with
no ray of hope and they found themselves at the lowest end
of life. In these desperate and frustrated moments, he was
running from pillar to post trying in vain to find some sort
of hope for his life. On one such evening of 27th Dec’ 1972
while he was worshipping idols in a Hindu Temple, the Lord
Jesus Christ spoke to him in an audible voice. “I am the true
living God and if you believe me I will heal, save and use
you in my ministry”. This encounter with Jesus brought healing
and salvation to the entire family. Glory to God!
Leading to Ministry
God turned haunted place to a place of
worship……………………
In the year
1974, the Lord directed John Babu to serve in the place called
“Armoor”. Individually, his initial response was different,
he said “Lord it’s a tough and hard place to establish a church
as people call it a “graveyard for Pastors”. He opted for
another place called “Banswada” which was comfortable and
the people with whom he was well acquainted. But the Lord
commissioned him to go Armoor to transform that place. The
next excuse was “Lord I have eight children and how can I
feed them in an unknown place?” The Lord promised “His provision”
for the entire family. As a sign to go, he asked the Lord
to provide a rented house during his first visit. He went
to Armoor in search of a house and there he met his old friends
at the Police Station during which a gentleman overheard their
conversation and offered his house without discussing the
rent as it was a haunted house and nobody could stay there
for more than three days. John Babu made it very clear to
the demons “We can’t live together and since we have come
to live here you better leave” the haunted house turned out
to be their dwelling place and also a place of worship for
the next few years. The Lord started using John Babu in demonstrating
the mighty power of God by signs, wonder and miracles. Many
were helped and delivered from the almanac of bondages. This
resulted in opposition from the city elders but the Lord was
ever faithful. Those early days were a significant and testing
period of his life for his family was so poverty stricken
that they were not even sure of their next meal.
The days of Elijah are not over………………………
One day the
whole family of John Babu was not having meal and his children
were little to handle this situation. John Babu’s wife wailed
to the Lord and told her children “Ask Jesus and you will
receive food”. While John Babu and the children were in the
courtyard, Jacob Raju (second child) saw a raven on the top
of a tree holding a five rupee note in its beak. He asked
John Babu “shall I hit with a stone”. His father said not
to do so, if the Lord had sent, it will drop the money on
the ground. After five minutes it dropped the five-rupee note.
John Babu shouted with joy saying “the days of Elijah are
not over and the Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever”.
Building the church…………………..
John Babu
was a great evangelist and established a church of hundred
people initially, yet he struggled as a pastor and did not
know how to properly build a powerful church and was asking
the Lord in this concern. One day he saw a vision of an English
tall white man with his wife in a blue sari and God told him
to submit his life to that man of God who would lead him in
God’s ways both in life and ministry. After three months,
he went to attend a conference in Bombay and saw the tall
English man (Rev. Alan Vincent) and his wife, whom God had
shown in his vision. God had supernaturally united them to
work in the kingdom.
Rev. Alan Vincent started fathering John Babu in the initial
stage visiting Armoor regularly to give input in his life
and ministry. His commitment and untiring efforts started
yielding wonderful results. Once a whole region was facing
drought and every believer was oppressed. During this time
Bro. Alan challenged the believers to exercise faith and also
to challenge the devil not to take hold of the situation.
He declared boldly that this time it was going to rain abundantly.
The believers took a stand and declared openly that God is
going to send abundant of rain and God confirmed the word
of his servant as it rained heavily.
The villagers came to the church and requested to pray saying
“Ask your God to stop the rains as it is in excess.” The fear
of God came upon the whole region. The church started living
in the authority of God and experienced the supernatural power
of God in their lives and ministry.
Later John Babu moved to Hyderabad as per God’s direction
and steadily the Kingdom of God impacted many areas of Andhra
Pradesh & churches being planted.
During this powerful ministry, the woman of God Anna John
Babu slept in the Lord in the year 1991 and Pastor Y.S. John
Babu left for his heavenly abode in the year 1996…………..A
man of great vision and a dynamic leader, tremendous man of
God.
