He was originally named Kilari Anand Paul. He was born in Chittivalasa village located in the State of Andhra Pradesh, India, into a Hindu family. His parents were Barnabas and Santhosamma. He married and they raised three children.
His parents converted to Christianity in 1966. Paul became a Christian in March 1971, at age eight. Paul stated that he traveled with his evangelist father to hundreds of villages in India sharing the gospel. Paul stated that at age 19 he entered full-time ministry.