One of my first friendships was with a few gentlemen from Middle East. Though our time together was short – one summer of classes at WFI – I thank the Lord that the friendship has continued, though it is not easy.
As they have become more independent, they have also become harder to keep up with too. Actually, I am thankful that they now have well paying, over-the-road trucking jobs and are still working on their English. However, one of the key leaders in this group (we will call Peter) is very devoted to his Islamic faith. From leaving our dinner table to go pray in our basement to leaving me in the park to go and pray on his sajjadat salat (a prayer rug), he has shown great external devotion.
Peter will even send me videos of “christians” converting to Islam. He wants my family and I to become Muslim. This is clear and something my wife noticed from the very beginning. My response, “Well, let’s pray more and be wise!”
The man in the image above is a Muslim Televangelist but he is also a wanted criminal too. Some of his videos have been sent to me and shows some of the distorted information Peter is learning from. Additionally, though they may be able to read the Qur’an, that does not mean that they can understand it on their own but are limited to learning the meaning from local Imams, previous generations, YouTube and other external sources.
But I have made it equally clear, I want him and his friends to become followers of Jesus. So I send videos of Muslims converting to Christianity or things about the Bible and the Qur’an.
So I ask you to pray for Peter and his friend Andrew, that God would give them a desire to read God’s Word, to watch the videos I send, to ask questions and stay connected and that God would bring other believers into their lives as they drive across the USA.
I sincerely believe that if Peter is this devoted to Islam, how much more amazing would it be to see God transfer that devotion to the true God and follow Jesus with such zeal? Ephesians 6:12 (ESV) — 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
May God be please to powerfully work.
*Image taken from here.
Turners at WFI 