NDIA
During a life-threatening car accident, Titus Oommen’s view about ministry changed. Although he had always played a role in Church, his participation would shift from mere involvement to a full-time dedication. His main focus became finding new ways of spreading the name of Jesus to young people. Behind the scenes, God was already laying down the foundations to the creation of N.D.I.A.

Initially, Phil and Finney Varughese looked at their ability to rap as just a way to pass time. Friends and family knew of their interest, but it remained just that—an interest. At one point, a cousin, who had a small-time music studio, encouraged the boys to record a tape. They agreed to do it. Once people got a hold of the tape, there was an instant buzz, and the two developed enough confidence to make something real of their talent. Shortly after, seven other guys, including their cousin Robin Simon, joined the Varughese boys and formed the “Sons of God.” The group began battling in parking lots with other amateur Indian rap groups. Battles would get intense, and on one occasion a fight broke out. Almost immediately, a stigma was attached to the Sons of God; they earned a reputation similar to that of a street gang rather than a serious rap group.

About a month after Titus’ accident, he crossed paths with the Varugheses. For some time, Titus had chewed over the idea of an all-Malayalee Christian Rap group; after learning of Phil and Finney’s interest, he finally had a sit-down with them and shared his heart. In all honesty, the idea of Christian Rap sounded . . . corny to the boys. Both of them, however, were drawn to the ministry aspect of it. God had been working in their hearts for a while about using their talents to spread the Gospel, and it seemed that He was now providing a way.

When Phil and Finney shared the news with the other members of Sons of God, they seemed less than excited. After the parking lot battles, the group had begun performing at major party events where they had access to drinking, drugs, etc. If they did shift to Christian Rap, they knew that a lifestyle change would be in order. Both Phil and Finney were serious about trading in that lifestyle for good; other than Robin Simon, none of the other members really seemed too convicted about implementing this change. Phil, Finney and Robin stuck to their guns, and God began to do something. Slowly, the number of members began to drop, and eventually only the 3 of them were left!

In the meantime, Titus opened Inner Soul Records, and began making the necessary contacts. Christian Rap was still a fairly new genre, so there wasn’t a clear course of action to follow. He got in touch with Ricky B, a major Christian Rap artist, and shared his idea. Ricky B invited them to his next show, and Titus accepted. After watching Ricky B’s show, any hesitation the boys had disappeared. They were amazed and excited not only by the reach and relevancy of this type of ministry, but also that they finally had a mentor to learn from and follow.

In February 1998, N.D.I.A (New Deliverance in America) was officially formed. But not all the members had joined yet.

One night, Finney heard a young Yacobite guy, named Jorgy Mathew, rap, and he immediately recognized the talent. Finney asked Jorgy to rap with N.D.I.A. At first, Robin and Phil were not so eager. Their main concern was that Jorgy’s lifestyle didn’t really reflect Christ; they saw that Jorgy had a love for God, but had not yet experienced that life-changing revelation of Jesus Christ. They began inviting him to an evening Bible study that Titus had started. After a couple of months, Jorgy gave his life to Christ at one of the meetings. In August, he became the fourth MC of N.D.I.A.

The idea of a Malayalee Christian Rap Group didn’t really sit well with the Pentecostal churches. Church members were more concerned that Rap music was entering the church, and the stigma that the Sons of God had earned earlier seemed to attach itself to N.D.I.A. as well. At their church performances, it was difficult to get the audience to respond. Their music found fans from outside Pentecostal circles. Along with friends, N.D.I.A did get a great deal of support from the Marthoma Church as well as local youth groups in the NY area.

In 2000, the group released their first CD, entitled Aftermath; the guys were thrilled, but God had something even more special in store for them. One day, a girl came to them and shared her story. She told them how God had used their music to save her life. Earlier that year, the girl had decided to commit suicide, and as she was sitting in her car, the Aftermath CD began playing. God spoke to her through the lyrics, and she found strength to change her mind.

The experience changed their lives. Until then, the group’s focus had been split between the music and the ministry; after hearing the girl’s story (and many others like hers), they began to focus solely on adding souls to the kingdom of God and changing lives for Christ. It was at this point that N.D.I.A took off.

In 2003, the group released a compilation of songs under the title “Last Round.” Radio stations picked up their music, and performances began lining up. They traveled and performed throughout the U.S., and abroad (Corentyne Berbice, Guyana). God had begun moving powerfully during their performances, and the group witnessed miraculous healings and even deliverance from demon-possession among members of the audience. Since there weren’t any pastors present, they had to rely even more on God to help them minister to these individuals. Eventually, family and church members could see their sincerity and passion for God, and in came the support. Also at this time, Bidhu Thomas, a childhood friend and talented DJ, joined the group.

In May of 2005, N.D.I.A opened for the Bollywood Movie Awards in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Following that, they won the award for Best Rap Group at the 2005 GospelFest (hosted by McDonalds) where they performed at Madison Square Garden. UPN covered the event, and their performance was aired to thousands of viewers.

During his interview, Finney Varughese talked about how the biggest lesson that the group has learned is the importance of discipleship. He brought up Titus Oommen again; even though N.D.I.A works separately from Titus now, they always attribute the roots of their ministry back to what God did in their lives through Titus. “What [Titus] did for us,” Finney shares, “is what we’re doing for others—making disciples. He invested into our lives, and so every blessing, every life that God changes through us comes back for Titus too. In Revelation, the Word says that those who have a pastoral ministry will receive a crown. You don’t need the title [of a pastor]. God just looks at how you feed the sheep.” With this mission, Finney stressed the importance of older generations “speak[ing] words of life” into the youth.

N.D.I.A’s latest CD, “The Calling” was released earlier this year, featuring powerful songs like “Candy Pickin,” “GoodFight,” and “Father.” For more information, please visit their website at www.newdeliverance.com