Christ in the City of Refuge

As a new believer from a Muslim background in the Middle East, Ali shared the Gospel with as many individuals as he could. But few were interested in hearing about Jesus.

Then he met John, a Frontiers worker, who suggested Ali consider a different approach.

“What would it take to reach your entire people with the Good News?” John asked Ali. “What if you shift your focus from sharing with individuals to reaching your whole nation for Christ?” They discussed how to multiply the Gospel through whole communities and started implementing strategies for sharing God’s Word.

The results of this new focus have been remarkable, and John and Ali have seen the number of new Muslim-background believers multiply dramatically.

The enemy was closing in fast, and there was no way they could escape.

Layla and her family are among these new believers. They live in a makeshift refugee camp on the edge of town, along with thousands of other displaced families.

Layla’s family had to flee on foot when ISIS stormed into their town. She remembers looking back as they walked away from their home. Dread gripped her heart when she saw a quickly approaching dust cloud in the distance. The enemy was closing in, and there was no way to escape from being caught.

Then, out of nowhere, a pickup truck appeared from the opposite direction. It halted to a stop in front of them.

“Get in the back!” the driver shouted. “I’ll take you to safety!” Her husband Omar helped Layla and their children scramble into the truck. They sped off, ending up in a camp in a nearby city.

Alongside thousands of other families, Layla’s family settled into a blue tarp tent. They had nothing but the shoes on their feet and the clothes on their backs. But if it weren’t for the pickup truck that rescued them, Layla knew they wouldn’t even be alive.

One night during their first week in the camp, Layla dreamed that a man came and told her about Jesus.

The following day, Ali was helping John and his team distribute relief supplies to the displaced families. Ali came to Layla’s tent with food and soap for the entire family. She recognized him from her dream. And after describing it to him, Ali replied, “Yes, I can tell you about Jesus.” He invited Layla and Omar to read the Gospel of John with him. And over the next few weeks, their hearts softened as they studied the stories of Jesus. By the time they got to Christ’s death and resurrection, Layla and Omar were ready to accept the Gospel.

“Get in the back!” the driver shouted. “I’ll take you to safety!”

The couple had already been telling other families in the community about their discoveries in God’s Word. With Ali’s coaching, they began gathering these families together into Bible study groups.

Since then, hundreds of people have found new life in Jesus Christ and been baptized! Layla and Omar now lead a network of 20 fellowships of Muslim-background believers, and that number continues growing.

Before ISIS, John and his teammates knew of only a dozen or so Muslim-background groups studying the Bible in the region. Today, more than 140 fellowships of believers from Muslim families are studying the Word and declaring Jesus as Savior.

In spite of ongoing conflict, Layla and Omar plan to return to their town to plant churches among Muslims.

“Jesus sent a pickup truck to rescue us from ISIS,” Layla says. “God has now given us His pickup truck to rescue those who are lost and to show them the way to eternal life.”

Dozens of other refugees like Layla and Omar have embraced Jesus and are eager to make Him known. They too plan to return to towns devastated by war to share the hope of Christ among those who’ve never heard the Gospel.