I remember standing outside a church in North Africa that was full of new believers who had left Islam to follow Jesus.
Just around the corner a suicide bomber had blown himself up a week or so before. I’ll never forget seeing the sheer scale of damage one man with a bomb and some ball bearings strapped to him could achieve. Little did I know; the next few hours would change my life forever.
At the conclusion of the two hour service, a Christian brother began to tell me his story. He used to be a wealthy Muslim businessman, until one day he prayed,
“God if you’re real you need to come and see me.”
That afternoon he came home from work and found a man standing in his house.
When he asked who he was, the man said “Jesus.” They spoke for an hour.
When his wife came home, he told her he was now a Christian. She was furious because it could cost them their home, money, family and possibly their lives.
The man said to his wife, “Well, you ask Jesus to come and He will come.”
The next day, the man found a letter nailed to the tree in their front yard. It was from his wife and it simply read: “Dear Jesus, my husband says you are real and you will come, so please come.”
A couple of days later the man came home from work and found his wife sobbing on the floor. When he asked her what was wrong she said, “Jesus came and visited me, we spoke for an hour. We are now Christian.”
The couple now lead a house church. Because of their decision to follow Jesus they have lost their status, esteem, safety and wealth.
We hear stories of Muslims discovering Jesus almost everyday. The question for us is: what happens next? How do these new believers develop the foundation in their faith to not fall away when persecution comes?
As the church grows, so does the need for discipleship.
Image: Muslim background believers participating in discipleship training.
I believe the ongoing discipleship of believers is going to be one of the most important areas of focus for our ministry. Your support will ensure people continue to boldly follow Jesus in some of the most conflicted countries on the planet.
Thank you for all your support!