An update from Abu Munahid, pastor of Salam Church in an undisclosed country in the Middle East.
Introducing Christ to a New Family
This month I visited a new family and introduced Jesus’s message to them. The father and his wife, the son and his wife, and the daughter and her husband also prayed with me. The woman said that she couldn’t believe in the trinity and the deity of Jesus – it didn’t make sense to her. But the Lord is good, He opened a door for me to talk about it.
The woman is more convinced now, but she still has many questions. She comes every Tuesday to the women’s ministry and she brings her neighbor too. Last Sunday she came to church with her husband, who hasn’t gone to church in 40 years. After the meeting, the man said that he hadn’t heard words like this in all his life.
Loving an Algerian Woman
Through one of the brothers in our church, I met a woman visiting from Algeria. The Lord opened a door to talk to her when she asked, “How can Jesus, the son of Mary, be God?” My first question to her was, “Do you believe in the Gospel?” She said yes, so I asked, “Do you want me to answer you from the Gospel or from my mind?” When she answered, “From the Gospel,” I replied, “My wife and I both agree to talk from the Gospel.”
The Lord opened the door for us to talk for two hours, answering her questions and correcting her wrong concepts. As we were leaving, she said, “I have never heard that before. All I heard from my family was, ‘Don’t eat or talk with the infidels.’ But during my visit to this country, I have witnessed how the Christian people treat me.” Now my family is praying for this woman.
A Refugee Named Debo
We knew of a poor refugee who was interested in Christianity. The Latin Orthodox Church was giving him money to help him with his rent and other expenses. He began visiting our church in the city and some brothers were following up with him. Later he was baptized in our church, Salam Church.
After he was baptized, the Latin Church stopped giving him money and said to him in a mocking tone, “Congratulations.” He replied, “My Lord is great. I will not take a step back on my faith. God will take care of me.” Through him I have been encouraged to live in greater faith – thank God for him. Pray for him, his name is Debo. He still needs money to pay the last 4 months of his house rent, electricity, and water bill.
Comforting Those Living in Fear
In our country today, Christians [including nominal Orthodox and Catholic Christians] are living in fear of “IS” (The Islamic State). People are preparing their weapons. They are threatened to be a Muslim or to pay “the tribute.”
These fears even grip the members of my own church. Some of them have stopped coming to church, so I have been visiting them to talk with them and comfort them. I have been seeking to give them the words of the Bible for situations like these. Please pray for our country and the difficulties and fears facing the Church.
Also pray for the other expatriates and refugees who are in our church: Khader, Fadi, and Mahar.