About Bible Mission
St. M. Devadas who hailed from Andhra Pradesh lived upto the age of 120 years as per popular belief . Even though he lead a simple life his devotion and his teachings continue to inspire many people in leading them towards our Saviour Jesus Christ. Before a detailed study on the precepts of St. M. Devadas it is more appropriate to know briefly about the life of this great man of God.
St. M. Devadas never tried to proclaim about himself. He attributed all the praise and honor to his Master the Lord Jesus Christ. He never wrote any biographical works concerning his spiritual achievements and never allowed anyone to write about them. All the information written about him in this paper is the material gathered from his followers who narrated their experiences with this great servant of God. He completely relied on Lord Jesus and did not accumulate any amount of wealth nor sought any honor for himself. This brief life history of this selfless great man is written for the glory and honor of Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Life of St. M. Devadas:
The name ‘Devadas’ itself gives us a great insight into the life of St. M. Devadas. The letter ‘M’ is his surname which stands for Mungamuri. It is a practise for the people of Andhra Pradesh to have surnames before their names. With regard to St. M. Devadas his ancestors could have come form Mungamuru which is a hamlet near the city of Rajahmundry. Further, his name Devadas is a combination of two telugu words 'Deva' and 'Das'. 'Deva' means God and 'Das' means servant. Hence, his name means servant of God.
His Birth and Childhood:
St. M. Devadas was born to devout couple. In his writings he stated that his father Jonah as was a Preacher and his mother Satyavathamma was a devout and prayerful lady. From his childhood he had the zeal to join his father and mother in their daily prayers. He received the gift of revelation i.e. the gift of talking and learning from God in his childhood itself. When he was six years old he attended a Preacher’s conference in that conference one English missionary asked him to pray by making him stand on a table to enable everyone to see him . Then he prayed "Lord let me be like you when you are in my age." Later at the age of twelve he wrote a hymn which was included later in the Andhra Christian Hymnal and later became a humming song in every Christian family. St. M. Devadas studied upto 8th standard under the patronage of the Lutheran missionaries.
His Early Life:
After his upper primary education St. M. Devadas joined the profession of teaching. He was very proficient in English language and is also said to have written a book on English grammar. He was also a good translator. Hence, he was appointed as a Warden in the school cum boarding run by missionary aid. He used to administer the hostel very efficiently. He was thrift and frugal in his spending returned the balance amount of his salary to his authorities. It astonished the missionary authorities who appreciated his life of faith. Whenever there was a scarcity of food materials in the hostel he used to assemble all his wards for prayer. Even before they finished praying food used to be supplied to them miraculously by some means or the other. Thus he was an able warden who not only disciplined the students but also taught them the concept of faith so as to contribute to their spiritual growth.
Later, St. M. Devadas was entrusted with the responsibility of caring for the T.B. patients There he used to pray for the diseased and preached the gospel to them. Because of his prayers and preaching many patients witnessed miraculous healing. He used to serve the patients upto 10 P.M.. and later went to a nearby hill to pray and have fellowship with the Lord and returned at 4 A.M.. to resume his responsibilities in the Sanitorium.
St. M. Devadas along with his responsibilities at the Sanitorium also preached the word of Lord on Sundays worship Services. In addition to preaching in Sunday Sermons he also used to attend the melas (religious festivals) organized by Hindus in several places to spread the gospel to them. Once there was strong opposition from a Hindu community. Then to silence their opposition he went to them and preached a few words about Lord Jesus Christ. To manifest the power of his gospel he showed them an egg and enquired whether their faith could transform that egg into a chick instantly. On hearing his words they looked at him scornfully and failed in their attempts. Then when St. M. Devadas prayed in the name of Lord Jesus Christ and said Amen immediately a chick came out of the egg. On witnessing this miracle they acknowledged the power of the Lord. Thus, by the powerful demonstration of the gospel through he could reach even to he non-Christians, and served as a preacher in the Lutheran mission by actively involving himself in the church ministry. He also served as a faculty member in the Theological Seminary.
