Becoming True Brothers

Parviz felt out of place but found a seat in the small apartment full of unfamiliar faces.

For months, his younger brother Karim had been meeting with this group to study the Injil. Hosted by Aaron, a long-term Frontiers field worker sent by his church, the group connected Karim with local believers who helped him live out his new faith.

At first, Parviz had thought Karim’s interest in a new religion showed his fickleness. Karim often wasted time on fruitless pursuits then quickly lost interest.

But as he watched his younger brother spend time reading about Jesus, Parviz saw a new maturity in Karim. He no longer spent hours browsing online and stopped wasting money on his whims and revolving door of acquaintances. 

“I’ve seen him reading the Injil every day. It has changed his life and his attitude, and I want to hear it for myself.”

Because of the changes he saw in his brother, Parviz had finally accepted Karim’s invitation to study the Injil with his friends.

“You must be Parviz!” A tall man smiled and shook his hand. “So glad you could make it. I’m Aaron.”

The welcome put him at ease, and he returned Aaron’s smile. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m so thankful for the kindness you’ve shown my brother.”

“Of course.” Aaron grinned. “I’m glad you decided to come with him today.”

“I am too. Karim’s been telling me about what he learns here.” Parviz looked across the room at his little brother, who laughed with another man over a cup of tea. “Our family is not devoutly religious, but since Karim met you, I’ve seen him reading the Injil every day. It has changed his life and his attitude, and I want to hear it for myself.”

“Now that I know Him, I don’t feel so much pressure and fear.”

As Karim and Aaron read from the Injil that night, Parviz soaked in words of hope that filled him with peace. From then on, he joined Karim in studying the scriptures every day and was eager to get to Aaron’s house to discuss new insights each week.

Eventually, he decided to commit his life to Jesus and excitedly called Aaron. “I thought I was strong enough to handle challenges on my own,” he admitted. “I worked hard to accomplish anything I wanted. But the more I found success, the more stress and anxiety I felt.”

Parviz smiled. “But now I see that without Jesus, I was actually weak. Now that I know Him, I don’t feel so much pressure and fear.”

A few weeks later, Parviz and Karim were baptized. Together, they continue to study the Injil with Aaron and other believers and grow in their faith in Jesus.

Pray:

• Praise God for Karim’s boldness in sharing the good news of Jesus with his family.
• Pray that Karim and Parviz will mature in their faith and share the Good News with others in their community.
• Ask that Aaron and his team would see great fruit come from their ministry to Muslims in their community.