Pray for Paul and the opportunities he has to speak of the gospel.
For a few months now, I’ve had the immense privilege of working in Chad, using stories from the Bible as a means of teaching English. In a context where it might otherwise take years of building trust and relationships before cautiously approaching such conversations, the classes have facilitated the most amazing discussions with these young Muslim men within weeks.
Starting with the relatively common ground of the Old Testament, Abraham and Moses, we soon arrive at the Messianic prophecies, an exciting foresight of the amazing ‘lamb’ Saviour to come. For those who pass their Old Testament exams, we then reach the New Testament. Before he’s even born, we’re struck by the similarities between Jesus and this ‘Promised One’ the prophets spoke about. Walking through the life of Jesus with these Muslim men is a huge challenge, but it’s also, without a doubt, the most exciting thing I’ve ever done…
Who is Jesus?
H’s eyes open wide as he covers his mouth and gasps at the claims of Jesus. “I and the Father are one…” So he does claim to be God after all! While the class descends into chaos at this outrageous statement, H jumps to Jesus’ defense, arguing that we can no longer deny this – we’ve seen it ourselves in these stories. After just six months of studying God’s Word, from creation, through all the brokenness of the Old Testament, to Christ’s wonderful life, death and resurrection, H has decided that Jesus must be the one the prophets spoke of – the one who finally opens the way for us to have a right relationship with God. And yet how can he possibly follow this Saviour? His family will kill him, he says.
As we continue to pray for H, I’m so very grateful for the opportunities that these classes provide. I’m grateful for the relative freedom I have to do such work here in Chad, even when working exclusively with unreached people groups. While there will always be some who simply want to learn English and leave, there are so many who desperately want to know more about the Lord. How exciting! So we pray for all our other students who, like H, continue to wrestle with the claims of Jesus and struggle to come to terms with the truth that has, for so long, been hidden from them by evil lies.
Name hidden for security reasons.