When God stirs a heart, powerful things happen. For Rahil Patel, a Hindu priest, that meant walking away from everything he knew to follow Jesus.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Growing up in London,
my parents were Hindus.

That automatically
makes me a Hindu.

Hinduism is a canvas of
hundreds of religions

with different doctrines
and ideas and philosophies.

I was so desperate to search
for God that at the age of 19,

I flew to India and trained
to become a Hindu priest.

 

In my first month of
training, I was in the temple

upstairs praying, worshipping.

At that moment, I had this very
silent voice in my left ear

say, “Have you made
the right choice?”

My goodness, what have I done?

 

In this Hindu religion
that I was with,

we firmly believed
that the guru is God.

When he speaks, God is speaking.

So to be chosen to be one
of His favorite priests

is like the most incredible
dream coming true.

 

I was feeling more
and more restless

because the more I studied,
the more questions I had.

And when I asked tough questions
to the scholars in India

and they weren’t liking
it, one of the scholars

said, “Submit to what
we’re teaching you.

You’ve decided to
wear these clothes.

Now, this is forever.”

So I knew that seriously,
there’s a problem here.

I thought because I’m
so close to the guru,

I can easily share
what’s on my heart.

And so I said I feel that
I’m being brainwashed.

And there was a dead
silence in the room.

He looked at me and said,
“You think too much.

Just get on with it.

And as time goes on, your
questions will be answered.”

That didn’t gave
me a sense of peace

that this journey is
the right journey.

So I left the room.

Flags were raised in my
mind, and the battle really

started to begin.

 

As a Swami priest, I
went to Rome 19 times

because I just love the
atmosphere of churches.

I used to visit
the Sistine Chapel.

And I was in my orange
robes with a shaven head.

And I remember looking up at
the paintings of Jesus and John

the Baptist.

I felt something beyond the
physical that was there.

There was something really
resonating in my heart.

One day, I was buying books
in a bookshop near the temple,

and I saw a children’s Bible.

And I opened it, and
I started reading it.

I felt a connection
so quickly, so easily.

I then had to shut
the book quickly.

It just represented
something completely

opposite to what I represented.

It’s the fear kept me
distant from the Bible.

 

These secret moments with
Jesus were significant.

I started including these
experiences in my talks,

and people were liking that.

I could sense on people’s
faces that they’re

being fed with something that
they really do need by a God

that they didn’t know.

Thousands of people
were cheering me on,

clapping when I would speak.

I would climb off the
stage and go to my room

and literally say to a God
that I didn’t know, “Can you

please get me out of here?”

 

At the same time, if
I left, I’d be seen

as the guy who betrayed guru.

The whole world I knew,
every friend that I had made,

every thing that I’d worked
for, it would all be lost.

Fear crippled me.

Fear kept me where I was.

 

I had a meeting with the guru.

This meeting with him in
Mumbai was very different.

I just knew something was wrong.

And immediately,
he challenged me

about my doctrine, my theology.

 

Finally, it just
came out of my mouth.

I said, “I don’t want
to be a Swami anymore.”

 

And soon as I said that,
this silence just fell.

 

He said, “Fine.

Go.”

And that was it.

And so my mind froze.

 

But I got up that day.

I left the room.

I finally got off this train
that I was on for 20 years.

I was done with
my search for God.

And I parked the
whole idea of religion

because I had no answers.

Then feeling that I’ve
wasted my life with Hinduism,

I forgot about my secret
encounters with Christ.

I was done.

 

So I flew back to London.

Three weeks later, I was walking
to South Kensington Station.

I had a prompting, and my head
turned, and I saw this church

down this very quiet road.

And as I approached
the church, I

saw these beautiful red doors.

It was a Sunday morning.

And these two people were
welcoming people to come in.

And soon as I walked through
the doors, the presence of God

just fell on me.

I felt this incredible peace.

And this very silent
whisper again in my left ear

said, “You’re home.”

 

I went upstairs
and sat in the pew.

 

I heard the worship.

The sermon made sense to me.

 

I needed to repent of my sins.

I needed to ask for
His forgiveness.

And I gave my life to Jesus,
which released a huge burden

off my shoulders.

And there was a deep
sense of comfort.

 

I realize that God was
there throughout my life

knocking on the
door of my heart,

attracting me, guiding me.

He valued my soul so much,
even though I was seeking out

another religion.

Jesus met me where I was.

 

It’s not a religion.

God showed me this is
a relationship now.

I’ve never felt so
much rest in my soul.

I mean, a peace that
surpasses all understanding.

And for me, it’s mind blowing.