Adeem closed his Bible and smiled across the rug at his friend Liam, a Frontiers field worker from the other side of the world. The two had been studying the Injil together for months, but Adeem never tired of reading what Jesus said, especially in the Sermon on the Mount. “There is so much wisdom in His words.”
Liam nodded thoughtfully. “There is, so who will you share it with this week?”
Adeem swallowed nervously. Though Liam often asked this question, Adeem had always felt unprepared to share about his faith. This week, he sensed a nudge deep inside him. “I could tell some of my neighbors.”
Liam’s smile grew wide. “I think that’s a wonderful idea. Let me know how it goes.”
“Tell me about Him.”
The next afternoon, Adeem walked down the empty dirt road toward three homes with thatched roofs. He stopped at the first house but found no one there. Taking a deep breath, he tried the next. He’d met the family who lived there several times.
Just as he arrived, Juma stepped outside carrying laundry, her husband Bakar following close behind. “Hello, friends,” Adeem greeted them.
Bakar responded with a warm smile, and Adeem lifted up a silent plea that God would give them a good conversation.
“What brings you by today?” Bakar asked.
With a deep breath, Adeem said, “I’ve been reading the words of Jesus in the Injil lately. They are wise and powerful. Did you know He said that the pure in heart will see God?”
Bakar nodded and Juma stepped forward in interest, still balancing her laundry in her arms.
“And only Jesus can make us pure.” As soon as Adeem spoke those words, Bakar stiffened and ushered his wife back inside.
Adeem let out a long sigh. Liam had said the Lord wanted all tongues and tribes to know Him, but how could his people know of Jesus’ sacrifice and offer of salvation if they were unwilling to listen? Turning back toward his home, Adeem trudged along the road. Maybe he’d try another day.
“Wait!”
Adeem spun around at the unfamiliar voice to find an old man rushing toward him.
“Did you call me? Did you say my name?”
Adeem shook his head as he looked into the man’s wild eyes. “I didn’t say anything. I don’t know you.”
“Are you sure?” Pressing a hand to his chest, the man slowed to a stop. “I was at my house when I heard someone call my name from outside. ‘Sadiq. Sadiq.’ It had to be you who said it. No one else was near.”
Adeem gasped, surprised by what the man said. “It wasn’t me.”
But Sadiq shook his head. “I went to the window because someone called me. I heard you talking with my neighbors. It was as though someone wanted me to hear what you were saying—that Jesus can make me clean. Is that true?”
Adeem’s skin began to prickle with excitement. “Yes.”
Sadiq motioned for Adeem to follow him. “Come inside then, and tell me about Him.”
The two men spent several hours talking about Jesus’ offer to cleanse every heart, and before Adeem left, Sadiq asked him to come back and to bring more of the Word with him next time.
God had called Sadiq for a reason.
The next day, Adeem visited Liam and told him the whole story. “Have you ever heard of anything like that? Who could have called his name?”
Liam smiled. “Jesus called many people by name in the Injil. Perhaps He has called Sadiq by name, too.”
“He’s eager to learn more. Do you have any resources I can share with him?”
“Absolutely.” Liam looked in his desk then handed over a micro-SD card filled with Bible stories translated into the local language. “He can listen to these on his phone.”
Over the next few weeks, Adeem and Sadiq met almost every day to talk about the stories and words of Jesus. Each time, Sadiq could barely contain his excitement at a new truth he’d discovered as he listened to the Word. Soon, Sadiq repented of his sins, committed to following Christ, and declared, “I want to tell everyone I know about Jesus. I want my whole family to know Him.”
At his next visit, Adeem knocked on Sadiq’s door then let himself in as he usually did. A group of men, women, and children turned to stare at him before Sadiq broke through the crowd. “Come in, my friend. Meet my children and grandchildren. They want to hear about Jesus, too!”
As Adeem greeted the family, tears came to his eyes. God had called Sadiq for a reason, and now He was reaching a broader community. Before Adeem began following Him—even before Liam came to their village—God had a plan for his people to know the love of Christ, just as He had for all peoples.
Pray:
- Praise God for His plans to reach all peoples with the Gospel!
- Ask the Lord to use Muslim-background believers like Adeem and Sadiq to make disciples who make disciples in the least-reached places of the Muslim world.
- Pray that God will raise up and send more faithful workers like Liam to the places where the harvest is plentiful.
