A Gospel Tapestry
A Gospel Tapestry.
Paul* with Ecclesia Ministries (formerly Community Transformation Ministries) shares with us how God used several people to reach a man with the truth of the gospel.
Back in August of 2021, before the church in Zalingie was attacked, a primary school teacher had a concern about Muslims leaving Islam and embracing Christianity. She came to the church having a number of questions on her mind.
“I have heard that thousands of Muslims left Islam and are now following Christ. Why did you decide to leave Islam and follow this way?” she asked.
Paul answered her, "I am happy that you are asking questions that you don't know the answers to yet. All of us are looking for the truth and once we get the truth we are free, right?"
She said, "Yes, of course. It is only the truth that we need to know."
Paul told her, “The Bible tells us that Jesus is truth (John 14:6) and once you know him you are free. John 8:32 says ‘You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.’ We were like you with our questions and we didn't know the answers. But someone told us the truth and we investigated more ourselves. Convinced that this message was true, we left Islam and began living in truth. We have this book (the Bible) which talks about our lives and about our relationship with God. It answers our questions perfectly.”
Paul then opened the book Romans chapter 12. They talked about the conflict we often have in our homeland and the way people are leaving. The teachings in this chapter are quite contrary to Islamic teachings. Islam encourages people to hate non-Muslims, even to kill them. But the Bible gives us practical steps of having peace and loving our enemies. Especially when we read verses Romans 12:9 to the end of the chapter.
After hearing these verses explained, the school teacher exclaimed, “This is true! Islam will never bring peace to our community. It is because of the absence of this book that we are living in confusion.”
After some discussion, she decided to accept Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior. She asked for a Bible. Thankfully, we had one Bible left and we gave it to her. Yesterday she called us and told us that the message of Jesus Christ is wiping Islam away. She explained that her director dismissed her from her teaching job because she left Islam and she had begun talking about Christianity at school. Many teachers were interested in what she had to say. The director's daughter even accepted Jesus Christ and she challenged her father with some questions. So she was dismissed from her teaching position at the school. Having been cut off from her work, she started a business selling ice creams. Now she is earning more than what she received as income as a teacher.
“My relationship with my friends at school continues. I even visited the director several times,” she shared. “One day to my surprise, the director asked me to give him my Bible to read. I was doubting that he might want to tear it away. But I prayed and asked God to help me. I asked him to protect my Bible. My heart was telling me that I should give it to him. So I gave him the Bible.
The director took it and read it for the whole week. Then he called me and asked me if I was willing to come back and teach at school. ‘Students are complaining that you should come back,’ he pleaded. I told him that this new business selling ice creams gives me three times more money than what I was making at school. It's not easy to leave it now. The director said, ‘I am sorry I dismissed you from school for no reason.’ I thanked him for the offer, but I was not interested in coming back. I asked if he was finished with my Bible and if I could come pick it up. He replied, ‘There are a lot of things that I need to understand.’ I told him he could keep it another few days.”
God was working in this director’s life. Another disciple, a medical doctor, found the school director while he was reading the teacher’s Bible. Seeing the doctor, the director immediately started talking to him about the Bible. “Have you ever read this book?” he asked.
The doctor pulled his Bible out from his bag. “Yes. I believe in the teaching of this book,” he replied.
The director said, “I have read this book for almost ten days now. Most of it I believe. What do I do now?”
The doctor encouraged him, “You need to confess your sin and believe in Jesus Christ.” The director agreed and they prayed together right there.
Later the director called the school teacher and told her what had happened with the doctor and that he is following Christ now. The teacher shared with us how amazed she was with how God had worked and his saving power.
God has united these three individuals. The school teacher, the doctor, and the school director currently gather three times a week to talk and pray.
*Names altered to protect the identity of those working in areas of increased persecution.