Today’s Leader of Faith
Bro EPAPHRAS GHOGLE, HEBRON
Home Call : 06 April 2021
Chosen Vessel, Soul-burdened personal evangelist, Prayer warrior, Servant of God.
Bro. Epaphras Ghogle (1950-2021) was well-known as a Hebron servant of God. His salvation and full-time service began simultaneously. From that time, with a huge burden, he ministered in various gospel ministries. He travelled door to door to preach the gospel, went on bicycle camps to remote areas, held open-air gospel meetings, and organized nighttime gospel meetings, utilizing every opportunity for the glory of God. Most notably, the special responsibility the Lord entrusted to him was his personal gospel mission. With great passion and dedication, he faithfully fulfilled this responsibility until the very end. He always kept tracts, handbills, and gospel books readily available, and every morning, as a routine, would go out to preach the gospel. Even when he was outside, regardless of the time or situation, he made use of every moment and opportunity, personally sharing the gospel with others. As a part of this ministry, he would visit and pray daily for patients from believers’ families in various hospitals across the city, offering spiritual encouragement and strengthening their faith. He only knew to walk completely relying on God. He was extremely patient. As the Lord taught in the Sermon on the Mount, “But whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also,” he exemplified this word in his life. The promise given to him by the Lord through Bro. Bakht Singh was Colossians 4:12-13. He first applied this promise to himself and, holding onto it, prayed earnestly for everyone, that they would stand firm with complete assurance of God’s will.
Bro. Ghogle was born on May 15, 1950, in Motala village, Buldhana district, Maharashtra, into an orthodox Hindu family to Sukhdeo Ghogle and Ganga Ghogle as the youngest of four children, after three elder sisters. He was a devoted religious person from his childhood. However, with a desire to seek the truth about God, he spent his time studying Hindu scriptures and dedicating himself either to Hindu temple rituals or his studies. He was an intelligent student with dreams of excelling in his studies. With his uncle’s support and a merit scholarship, he completed his 10th std with a merit scholarship, the first to achieve such an accomplishment in his village. With scholarship and his uncle’s support, he continued his education while serving as an NCC cadet. While pursuing his MSc in Physics in Nagpur, he sought refuge at the Ramakrishna Math. Despite his deep devotion, he lacked inner peace. Under God’s divine plan, he was troubled about the purpose of his life. Feeling restless and hopeless, he was driven to end his life and travelled around the country. At the Gateway of India in Bombay, he intended to jump into the sea. Yet, at that crucial moment, he was mysteriously warned by a voice instructing him to go to Bangalore. Obeying this strange voice, he boarded a train to Bangalore, which became a turning point in his life. At the railway station, he was drawn to the Bible verse John 14:6. Under the Lord’s guidance, he met Bro. Amruthraj, and through the Word shared by him, he was convicted. Due to the language barrier between them, he was sent to Hebron, Hyderabad, to meet Bro. Bakht Singh on March 21, 1974. There, experiencing the love of God’s servants and hearing the Word in fellowship, he received forgiveness for his sins and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. On June 8, 1974, he testified in the waters of Baptism. Bro. Bakht Singh, gave him the promise from Colossians 4:12, and changed his name from Narayana to Epaphras, after the servant of Christ from the Colossian church. The Lord used this very promise to confirm his full-time ministry. As a bondservant of Christ, he submitted himself to the Lord, dedicated his life, and joined the Hebron brethren in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ in open-air meetings.
At Hebron, the servants of God are assigned various responsibilities, which are rotated monthly. These tasks, along with the study of God’s Word and ministry, serve as practical training. From 1974 onward, he faithfully and diligently carried out all the duties of the house of God with utmost sincerity and order. During this time, he closely observed the lives of senior servants of God, learning to discern God’s will in everything, fear God, and live experientially. Through these experiences, he received the assurance that the Lord alone is the answer to all questions. He was entrusted with several key responsibilities, including office work, accounts office, and Hebron Messenger office. Most notably, he was involved in translating the English ‘Hebron Messenger’ into Hindi as ‘Hebron Sandesh’, along with proofreading it. He also handled proofreading for the Hindi song book ‘Sion Ke Geet’, translated Telugu small book songs into Hindi, and undertook other necessary Hindi translations. Additionally, he translated Bro. Bakht Singh’s messages to Hindi in Hindi-speaking regions. His father received salvation and was baptized at Hebron, with the laying on of hands by the Bro. Bakht Singh, Bro. Philip and Bro. Ghogle.
Bro. Epaphras Ghogle was married to Sis. Jhansi, a handmaiden of the Lord from Hebron, on January 23, 1988, with Bro. Bakht Singh solemnizing the wedding at Hebron. Their marriage was one of the three weddings conducted on that day. Sis. Jhansi hails from Tirugudumetta village near Kovvur, West Godavari district, and is the second daughter of Gundupu Gangaraju and Ruthamma, who had three daughters. The Lord blessed them with two children: a daughter, Grace Daniel, and a son, Timothy Ghogle and three grandchildren. Alongside their responsibilities, they have been actively involved in the Lord’s ministry.
Places where Bro. Epaphras served the Lord with his family:
1.Rehoboth Prayer House, Somajiguda, Hyderabad – January 1992 to June 2004
2.The Church at Horeb, Kolhapur, Maharashtra – June 2004 to June 2008
3.Bethany Prayer House, Gulbarga, Karnataka – June 2008 to August 2014
4.Mount Carmel, Panvel, Mumbai – August 2014 to September 2018
5.Bethphage Fellowship, Kharghar, Mumbai – September 2018 to April 2021
They faithfully and responsibly fulfilled all their duties with accountability to the Lord in every place they served. In the churches he served, he endured accusations as a servant of God amid church issues and bore the hardships inflicted by opposers while proclaiming the Gospel, all with patience for the Lord’s sake. There were instances where those who understood his love and patience came back seeking forgiveness and reconciliation. He never said that he wanted this or that was not good. That is, he neither made requests nor complaints. He remained at peace with everyone, relying solely on the Lord at all times. He continued steadfastly in this manner until the very end, as an example in all things.
My experience with the servant of God: I have had a good relationship with Bro. Ghogle since his marriage. He was my brother-in-law, and he always called me affectionately. He looked at everyone with the same selfless love and prayed fervently for all of us. He was gentle, soft-spoken, restrained, and never hurt anyone at any time. I can definitely say that he had the love of Christ and lived 100% on the basis of faith. Since the servant of God was called to Glory, his wife has been living in Kukatpally, Hyderabad, with his daughter, fulfilling the ministry responsibilities given to her by the Lord. Kindly pray for the sister’s ministry, health, children, and their families.
Bro. Ghogle preserved the joy of the salvation he had received and his faith, continuing steadfastly in the ministry until the very end. Due to the severe second wave of COVID-19, he fell ill and, after 47 years of serving the Lord faithfully, received the Lord’s final call at the age of 71.