Over the past couple of weeks I have been having some conversations with my friend. He first told me that the Koran and the Bible are the same, and he seems very fascinated that I would not agree with him on that statement. I tell him that the Bible says things that I know he doesn’t agree with (like Jesus being God’s son) and I ask him, “Does the Koran say that?” About a week ago we stayed up until almost 2 in the morning talking about this subject. He would ask a question and I would explain to him what I believe and why I believe that. Personally, it’s very hard for me to believe that I can say that much in Pulaar and have someone understand me. There was a couple of times that I had to repeat myself but all in all I’m sharing my faith and I love it. So anyways I was talking to this friend the other day and he told me something very truthful that I knew took some thought on his part. He told me that when I start my job I will go out and talk to and meet all the people in the villages and if I find someone that wants to follow Jesus, it will mean problems. He reminded me that if the family continues to follow the way of Islam, the new believer might even get kicked out of the village. “What do you plan to do about that?” he asked me.
I stood there a while and then told him that I don’t know. I told him I would ask around and get back to him and then I tried to explain to him that things on this earth are not as important as eternal things. He didn’t think I understood his question so he then told me again…and I then repeated my answer back to him. We were both clear on the question, and then the Holy Spirit reminded me of a story of some believers of a “sister people group” in the country of Nigeria. I told him that there are some believers that are having their houses burned down by their families and all their livestock is being slaughtered because they are following Jesus. I then asked him, “What’s more important, your house on earth or God’s house in heaven. He quickly responded, “God’s house!” and the conversation changed because someone else walked up.
Persecution is something that is real and something that happens everyday for the local believers here in West Africa. Persecution has claimed many houses, cattle, jobs, and yes, even lives. Please pray for the work that is being done here in West Africa. Pray for the local believers that they can stand strong in their faith. Pray for the ones that have felt the persecution - that they can be assured of their salvation and that they can find the courage to still proclaim. Pray that the walls of persecution will not hinder the spread of the gospel but will open even more paths that lead to God’s Son. Also pray for the seekers, for the ones looking for the truth, the one that may even believe it, but can also see the consequences of this decision. Pray that they know what they’re getting themselves into, but also that they also know the reward that’s waiting for them at the end.
“I have come to set the world on fire…..” Luke 12:49 NLT
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2 comments:
wow.... he must have really been thinking deeply about the rewards and consequences of Christianity... the same for the people that Jesus met, right? He said that many of them would have to leave their families and follow him. Following Christ has never been a "peaceful" decision historically. We have been so blessed to have a Christ-loving family that it's hard to imagine how such a choice could cause such a stir. I am praying for your wisdom in response to these questions your getting, for your language acquisition, and for those who need to hear His call. Love YOU
Press on, brother. I'm challenged and encouraged by how much you're trusting God to provide the words. --Meg
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