I, Immanuel Arul Paul, was born and raised in a Christian family in South India that had been serving the Lord Jesus Christ for generations. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal saviour when I was 16 years old. Starting out my new Christian life as a teenager, I found myself under tremendous pressure to adhere to and follow many Christian laws and regulations, which came especially with being a part of an evangelist’s family. When I failed to live up to those standards, instead of being helped in my journey to grow and overcome my weaknesses, I was accused of the same. The following days and months led to some bitter encounters with Christians, particularly servants of God. Hence, I developed guilt and a sense of failure that I was not living up to the expected Christian standards. Hurt and discouraged by the Christian environment, which I had put on a pedestal and looked to as a role-model, I lost heart and began to withdraw from God. I feared that I would become an unloving Christian myself. I started becoming rebellious and went into the world. I found more comfort, fellowship, and joy in worldly people and pleasures. On a few occasions, my friendship and habits even led me to come face to face with death, but I was miraculously saved. It was solely God’s hands that were protecting me.

Despite my prodigal life, I occasionally prayed and made efforts to connect with God. Though I had turned my back on Him, He was continuously speaking to me and constantly showing me His love through the many things He was teaching me. He was answering many questions and addressing several pertinent reservations I had about Christianity and ministry. When I was twenty years old, I received a clear calling from God to do ministry by building the Kingdom of God. Nevertheless, I ignored His voice and continued in my rebellious ways. However, God continued His work in me, and I often found myself being caught between a world of law and the love of God. The Lord convicted me that though the religious environment may have rejected and hurt me, He has never hurt me, but has been faithful and never forsaken me. He healed me from an unexplainable and untreatable severe back pain that had crippled me. He also delivered me from all my evil habits that had been tormenting me for a long time. Thus, God constantly kept proving His love for me through many circumstances and taught me how His love triumphs over the law. When I was 23 years old, God called me again to pastor and lead churches through an apostolic ministry. Due to the common culture in the church, where a pastor is revered and obeyed at all costs and bitter experiences over the authority that pastors tend to have over the congregation, I refused to become one. I chose to become an evangelist instead. Also, my father, Mr. Ebenezer Paul, has been an evangelist since 1984. He was my idol, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps. When I finished my master’s degree education in India, I received an offer to undertake a prestigious job with an envious salary, but I did not pursue this opportunity. Instead, I began to follow Jesus Christ, to do His ministry, as an evangelist. I started serving God when I was 24 years old. Though I rejected God’s calling to be an apostle, He still blessed my evangelical ministry, and I could see Him being glorified through it. I was able to minister to thousands of people and had great recognition from the Christian community in India and overseas. For 15 years the ministry was regarded as successful and was a blessing to many. I had made a name for myself in the Christian community.

Nevertheless, in 2012, my life and ministry took a dramatic and unexpected turn. I found myself facing immense challenges in both my personal life and in ministry. The Lord spoke to me in August 2012, strangely, through Psalm 68:5: “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling.” I did not understand what He was trying to communicate with me. The pivotal moment came when I encountered a young woman in October 2012, a daughter of a long-time family friend, who had suffered severe abuse at the hands of her own parents and was living under the shadow of constant threat to her life, as she stood up for the truth. Her entire family had turned their backs on her, and she had reached the brink of suicide. The above scripture pierced my heart at this juncture and presented me with a sobering question: Would I continue in the safety and comfort of my established ministry, or would I step out in faith to defend the cause of the broken, the abandoned, and the voiceless who are crushed by society? My family and I made the joint yet difficult decision to bring this young woman from her abusive family home and place her under my care away from her family. I provided her with shelter, protection, and support for her daily needs – something that was unconventional and controversial in the eyes of many. This decision sparked intense opposition, not only from outside the Christian community but, sadly, from within it as well, despite the girl flourishing mentally and spiritually through Bible studies and counseling. Though she was 27 years old, she was expected to live by her family’s and society’s traditions, and if not, she was an outcast and became a target for honour killing. My life was threatened along with the girl’s life as I had chosen to help her. Though the decision to rescue the girl was a joint one made by my family and me, over time, the mounting pressure and persecution led my parents and my wife to withdraw their support. Eventually, my family decided to abandon the girl, as her father was politically and church wise influential and used his resources to threaten us and our well-established ministry. However, I did not abandon the girl because of the promise we made to her to help her. Therefore, I was given an ultimatum by my family: abandon this girl and retain my position in ministry and family or continue helping her and be cast out. Though it was one of the hardest choices I have ever made, I knew what God was asking of me. I chose to stand by the vulnerable and rejected. I was convicted that once a promise was made in God’s name, I cannot withdraw it due to persecution and worldly threats. I chose to care for this young lady from 2012 to 2018, until she moved to Canada. As a result, I was expelled from both my ministry and my family circle. But in that sacrifice, I found a deeper calling – to be the hands and feet of Christ to those whom society casts aside.

The years of 2013 and 2014 were ones of testing, trials, and uncertainty. I found myself alone and betrayed by everyone I had put my trust in. I was called in for questioning by many churches, evangelists, organizations, etc. over me offering protection to the young girl without my family’s cooperation, but God strengthened me to hold my resolve. I could not explain myself to anyone or justify the unconventional decisions that God was strongly urging me to take, but only obey Him and do His bidding. My faith was being questioned by many who were a part of my ministry. I found myself and my ministry becoming a target for many criticisms. My faith in family, fellowship, and friends was tested and completely destroyed. God’s calling during this time cost me my good name and standing in the Christian community. As a result, I was judged as morally wrong and a false prophet by most preachers and churches. Amidst this hurt and despair, and being let down by fellow Christians, I went into depression and rebellion. I became unwanted by many, quit ministry, and withdrew from everyone, as I could not handle the accusations that came my way. Though I was content and happy to do His will, I was unable to accept the persecution that followed. During these months of struggle and rejection, God redefined my attitude towards ministry and my life. He gave His truth, taught me, and re-established my faith through the following words:

2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things, you will never stumble.

Matthew11:28-30 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

God taught me that His calling and choosing are unchanging. Even when I withdrew, rebelled, and failed, He never changed His mind about me. His call over my life has remained sure as an anchor in every storm. He reminded me that it is ungodly to judge others, to blame the devil for every failure, or to fail in giving thanks amidst suffering. Through His Spirit, I learned the necessity of picking up my cross daily, crucifying my flesh, and submitting to His transformation without murmuring. This suffering, though painful, became the very path through which my soul began to be saved.

During this season of loss and isolation, God redefined my understanding of family. He spoke to me through Matthew 12:50: “For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” Through this powerful truth, I came to see that true family is not solely defined by blood, but by shared obedience and love for God’s will. In this revelation, He transformed my mourning into joy.

He showed me that to gain Christ, I must be willing to lose everything and not count the cost. In that loss, I discovered how to truly cast my cares on Him and find rest for my soul. Slowly, He began healing the bitterness I had harboured over past experiences. He taught me forgiveness and gave me grace to reconnect with people and ministries I had once rejected. He removed idolatry from my heart, especially the misplaced adoration of men, and brought me back to the foundational simplicity of Christian living that I had long forgotten.

Most importantly, through this refining process, the Lord reminded me of His original call on my life: to pastor and lead churches, which I had previously set aside in favour of evangelistic ministry, following my own wisdom. He removed me from the structures I had built and started me afresh, entrusting me with a single soul to teach. Through this, He taught me that true ministry is not about size, stage, or status, but about serving and sacrificing for even one person and investing in their soul. He made me understand the value of ministering to a soul, wholesomely, for its betterment, through which His body, the church, is being built brick by brick.

In His mercy, from that humble beginning, small and intimate fellowships and churches began to form. God made my calling clearer than ever – to walk as an apostle, establishing churches and fellowships where there is genuine need, to shepherd believers by encouraging and strengthening them regularly to love the truth and to stand for the widows, abandoned, and orphans. My own journey became a testimony to others, guiding them to salvation through the cross, and helping them experience the love of Christ amidst real-life struggles. I am deeply humbled by the work God has entrusted to me – serving lost souls at the grassroots level, engaging with them on a personal and daily basis, and encouraging them to love the truth. This led to the vision and birth of hearmatthew11.28 ministries where the main focus is to reach the downtrodden and train disciples one on one and create future church leaders. By God’s grace, I have had the privilege to support some of society’s most overlooked individuals and families, by providing them Scripture teaching, spiritual counseling, education, career development, financial aid, counseling, shelter, and agricultural support. Through this, small yet effective fellowships are being formed, rooted in genuine love and truth of God.

I give thanks for the responsibility God has entrusted to me: to build, edify, support, and strengthen the body of Christ – the very heart of Christian ministry. I am humbled to be His slave, broken and mended by His hands, transformed from glory to glory into His image.

This journey brought me to a new chapter in Canada. Due to immense personal and ministry challenges in India, I reached a point of complete brokenness – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. During a personal visit to Canada in 2019, I encountered a news article about theological studies. The Holy Spirit stirred something deep within me, prompting me to pursue theological study in Canada. Though I resisted at first, that prompting only grew stronger with time. With obedience and trust in God, I left behind my home country, family, and all that was familiar to follow His leading. In May 2023, I began the Master of Divinity program in Canada. Though I had to start over in a new land, alone, God was faithful. He mercifully provided for me and sustained me throughout my education with no family support.

Through God’s unfailing grace, I was ordained as a pastor with the Evangelical Association of Canada on May 30, 2025, and graduated from my Master of Divinity degree on May 31, 2025. These milestones are not just achievements, but they are testimonies of God’s restoration, guidance, and unwavering call upon my life. It is a testament to His persistent grace that is restoring the gift I had rejected when I was 20 years old. It is proof that He is faithful and never fails me even when I fail myself. What began in deep loss and brokenness has now become a season of purpose, fulfillment, and divine equipment.

I am no longer concerned with my ministry’s success or reputation. My heart is now set on obedience, humility, and the transformation that comes through the cross. I am deeply grateful for God’s steadfast faithfulness, for the fire that refines, and for the privilege of walking closely with Him, especially in my weakness. I am humbled and honoured to be a slave of Christ, called to build His Church and serve His Body.

To Him alone be all the glory.