“In our culture, when you go to someone’s home, you bring a gift,” said Farhad, a Muslim-background believer I discipled. “When I enter heaven and meet Jesus, I want to bring Him a gift.”
Farhad couldn’t imagine entering heaven and seeing Jesus face-to-face without bringing something for his Lord. “I want to give my life as a gift to Him,” he said.
He didn’t mean it metaphorically. Farhad was ready to pay the ultimate price for the sake of the Gospel.
This young man discovered Jesus in a small group Bible study led by Alim, a dynamic man who had come to faith through our team’s ministry.
“When I meet Jesus, I want to bring Him a gift.”
Before meeting Alim, our team had spent years looking for Muslim men and women who were eager to know the truth. We’d met some who showed interest in the Word. But when it came time to put Jesus’ teachings to practice, they stopped studying the Bible with us.
Alim was different. He longed for the spiritual transformation that Jesus offered in the Word—and he was convinced that others needed it, too. He knew that following God wasn’t a call to an easy life. But he was willing to do everything possible to see the Gospel reach more people.
Through our encouragement, Alim started Bible studies with his friends, family, and neighbors. Several people from these groups became believers, including his friend Farhad. Like Alim, Farhad caught a vision to see the Gospel spread. We began coaching Farhad to start his own Bible studies.
Soon, there were almost a dozen groups of men and women meeting to study the Word.
One morning as Farhad was leaving his home, a group of men pulled up and demanded he get in the car. Later that day Farhad’s brutalized body was found with a note saying, “This is what happens to those who betray their religion.”
Fear descended upon the community of young believers as news of Farhad’s murder spread.
The persecution worsened.
“This is what happens to those who betray their religion.”
Four more Muslim-background believers were abducted and killed in the following days. Believers stopped meeting and talking together. They suspected that an insider was leaking information to the killers. Wondering who would be next, some believers started making plans to flee the country.
Then Farhad’s sister, a 17-year-old named Rahima, contacted Alim. “I want to speak to you and the believers,” she said.
Alim was apprehensive. Rahima had always been close to her brother Farhad. She had looked up to him, even after he became a follower of Christ. What good could come from meeting with a young Muslim woman grieving for her beloved brother who’d just been murdered for his new faith in Jesus? How could they trust Rahima when they didn’t even trust each other?
Despite safety concerns, Alim persuaded the believers to come together.
At the gathering, Rahima stood in a corner where she could look into the eyes of each believer.
“Don’t you dare let my brother die for nothing,” she demanded.
“His death has to mean something.”
“Farhad was willing to die for Jesus,” she said. “You must finish what he started. His death has to mean something. This message you call the Gospel needs to get out and reach as many people as possible.”
Rahima’s challenge dramatically lifted the shroud of fear covering the community of faith. After she finished speaking, the believers reaffirmed their vision and commitment to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ—no matter the cost.
The murders of the five believers remain unresolved. But after Rahima’s challenge, groups resumed meeting and believers began declaring and displaying the Good News again. In the midst of severe opposition, more and more Muslims are being drawn to the unquenchable hope of the Gospel, and the number of Bible study groups has doubled.
- Praise God for Farhad’s courage! Please pray that many will seek the truth of the Gospel because of his witness.
- Give thanks for Rahima’s boldness, and ask God to give her an open heart to receive the message of Christ herself.
- Pray that an increasing number of Muslims—in Farhad’s community and beyond—will discover the eternal joy found only in Jesus.
Ajmal should have died when he was shot in the head. But the Lord preserved his life.
Find out how God is building His church among Ajmal’s people and working through the miraculous and the mundane.
This account comes from a long-term worker. Names have been changed for security.