(A year ago I had the opportunity to interview an American Pastor who we called Errin to keep his identity private)
Errin was born into a Muslim home in Cyprus, of Turkish decent, before his family immigrated to Africa. He was taught to hate the cross and all Christians. As a young teenager he mocked, degraded and disrupted any activities of Christian kids he met in his school. Even with all that, the Christian kids treated him with kindness.
But he met and started dating a beautiful young girl whose mother insisted she go to church. He agreed to attend with her but wanted to have nothing to do with faith or Jesus. He saw a miracle healing in church that completely puzzled him, but decided in his macho way he would meet with the pastor and challenge and blast his theology.
When he got to the pastor’s office and he opened in prayer, Errin’s mind went blank and he could hardly speak. Finally, at the end of the meeting the pastor led him in the sinners prayer. Errin felt like a new man. All his guilt, shame and bitterness left him. Yet, he did not understand it and mocked the experience. People said this phase would leave him.
Yet, he went back to church and two weeks later he tried to resist being water baptized, but the encouragement from others was so strong that he finally agreed and was submerged. He said it was like he was struck with lightning. He felt the power of the Holy Spirit like a new man filled with love and compassion.
Word spread throughout the community and his father told him at the dinner table to renounce Christianity or pack his clothes and “get out.” He took his belongings and walked ten miles to the church where they let him sleep. He never really ever talked to his father again.
Today, he is a pastor of a fast growing church is the USA. He says, “the Lord completely turned me around.” As a Muslim, the weight, guilt, shame and sin weighed on him. He says, “hate is the god of many Muslims,” yet he attests that thousands of them are having dreams of knowing Jesus, creating strong opportunities for missionaries. God is moving through his Holy Spirit to change hearts.
Shortly after his conversion, he saw another miracle at his church as the leg of a young child grew out before his eyes. Then a neighbor said his daughter had to go into the hospital for eight operations to fix her deformed leg at just five years old. Errin told them about his church and gave them the address. They carried the child to church and she was healed too. They took her back to the doctors and they were astounded and wanted to see the girl in the x-rays. The same neighbor saw Errin again, twenty years later and told him that same daughter might make their Olympic team in track.
According to two directors of a Islamic Missions for a major missionary group, “While Islam is evil, the problem is not Muslims. They are victims of a false religion. But Jesus still loves them and wants them set free. The biggest fear of Muslims is Judgment day. Freedom in Christ removes the fear. They are amazed at the Bible and they love the peace of mind they receive once they come to His saving Grace.”
The amazing and exciting news from all the missionaries I spoke to is that thousands of Muslims are receiving a dream of meeting Jesus Christ.
So what are you going to do about it? The first solution is prayer.
We need prayers to move nations.
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