“If a sickness came to this town and was killing everyone, and you had the cure, would you give it to them or keep it to yourself?” That was the question Peter*, a Jesus follower, posed to Moussa*, a new believer from the Sahel.
Moussa declared: “Of course, I’m going to give them the cure.” He was shocked when Peter told him that he already had the cure and wasn’t sharing it: “Every day people are dying without knowing Christ, and you are not telling them.”
Challenged, Moussa started to share his faith with others and to live out Christ’s love in his daily life in the Sahel region of Africa.
AT THE CROSSROADS
When Youssef’s* first child was born, he was disappointed to learn the baby was a girl. A farmer from a Muslim background, Youssef spent years resenting his eldest daughter and his other daughters that later followed.
Youssef met Moussa at the garden. It was started as an income-generating project. The property has a well where people from the surrounding communities can draw water and it grows vegetables to sell. The plot has created a gathering place for men. One of the most common topics: religion.
Having studied the Bible and Qur’an, Moussa uses the Qur’an’s own words to direct people to Jesus and the love that He has for all people. Muslim extremist groups have also pushed people to rethink their beliefs.
God worked in Youssef’s heart to show him that He is a God of love, not violence. Youssef’s outlook on life shifted and he recognised that girls and boys are equally precious in God’s eyes.
The transformation of Youssef’s life was a testimony to those around him and opened the door for his wife to accept Christ as her Saviour. Eager to know more, Youssef started a Bible study in his house with his family so they could learn from the Scriptures together. He invited his brother and his family to join them. Then his sister and her family. And then his friends. Together, they read from the Bible or listened to an Arabic audio Bible and learnt more about the transforming love of Christ.
DIFFERENT BEHAVIOUR
Isa*, a man in his 70s, spent most of his life in the military. Now, he lives near the garden plot and was hired to build a fence around the property. Quickly, Isa found he knew some of the other workers and enjoyed the chance to catch up with them. As time went on, Isa saw how his friends’ behaviour was different—not only from how he remembered them, but different than any men he was friends with—and enquired what had happened. Their answer: Jesus.
“He really became interested to know more about Jesus and the gospel,” shared Moussa. Isa asked Moussa for an audio Bible which he immediately went home to listen to. “After a while he came back and said: ‘I have been denying all my life that Christianity is the religion of God, but I am wrong. Now I know that [the Bible] is right and Islam is wrong. So from today, I decide to follow Jesus.'”
*Names changed for security reasons.
(This article was shortened.)
Source: OM
