– ISAIAH 61:11, NIV
Imagine gathering in the corner room of an apartment with other Christians and singing in hushed tones. You fear that if the neighbors hear, they will report you to the government.
It’s a reality I experienced with church leaders in North Africa recently.
They traveled far to meet in an upper-floor apartment, climbing an unlit stairway at staggered times to gather in secret. But the faces of these church leaders were radiant with joy as they greeted one another in the name of the Lord Jesus. Behind closed doors, they struggled to restrain their exuberance as they sang of the glories of their Savior.
All of them are first-generation Muslim-background believers.
Following Jesus in this North African country is costly. Ostracism and persecution are the norm. But they’ve found a priceless treasure in Jesus, and they long for their nation to be glad in the joy of his salvation.
They are also hungry for the truth, and they celebrate the transformation they’re experiencing as they learn how to dig into the Scriptures and discover Christ in all its pages.
“I feel like I love the Bible more! I feel like the Word of God is changing me and my people,” says one.
“I feel like I love the Bible more! I feel like the Word of God is changing me and my people,” says one.
What a privilege to walk beside these brothers, sharing with them the tools to discover the riches of God’s Word.
And how thrilling to see them pass on what they’ve discovered to the people of their home country. Our partners have plans to multiply the training they’re receiving to new networks of house churches in the near future.
As a new generation of Muslim-background pastors spreads God’s Word and the good news of great joy to all their people, righteousness and praise to the Lord Jesus Christ will spring up in the desert, and thirsty people will find an oasis of living water in a parched land.
