PAKISTAN - “God, Is There no Christian Who Can Teach Me the Bible?”
01/07/05 - A Pakistani evangelist’s quest to know the truth
A row of simple metal doors lay at the end of pot-holed roads and alleys accessible only on foot. Yacoob tapped on one. Moments later, a teenage girl opened the door a crack, spoke to Yacoob in whispers and invited him into the home. A group of Christians from the West entered with him.
Girls ranging from six to 12 years in age scurried about the livingroom, excited about their visitors. They were daughters and nieces of a man whose father, an imam, named him Muhammed. The visitors listened as his story unfolded.
As a young man, Muhammed became a lay scholar of Islam. His brother became a mullah, also called a maulvi or mosque leader. After a lifelong spiritual search, Muhammed, aged 35, came to personal faith in Christ six years ago. He changed his name to Christopher – ‘Christ-bearer’ – and has devoted his life to spreading the Gospel to Muslims and others who, like he did, hunger for truth.
Meanwhile, his extended family is searching for him. When he told his father of his decision to follow Christ, his father threw him out of the family. Three days later, his father died of a heart attack.
Christopher’s wife, Maria, demanded a divorce from him because of his faith. His mother-in-law brought a renowned Islamic apologist to his home to convince him to return to Islam. For six hours, Christopher used references from the Quran and the Bible to prove to the apologist the truths of Christ. When Christopher’s brothers visited and found Christopher steadfast in his newfound faith, they told him he should die.
He moved his wife and five children far away from his relatives.
Christopher is bold in his witness, which has extended to his coworkers and bosses at his government job. He was jailed for converting to Christianity, but three months later he was miraculously released and, again miraculously, he was allowed to keep his job.
He shares the Gospel everywhere he goes and gives away copies of a comparative study of the Bible and the Quran, a study that was key to his own conversion.
An early calling
Christopher believes God called him from an early age. As a 7-year old boy, he told his aunt that he was a Christian, even though he knew no Christians, had never heard the Gospel and didn't live near a church.
As a Year-nine pupil, Christopher answered an ad for a Bible correspondence class, which he completed. His brother, however, intercepted the course’s completion certificate, ripped it to pieces and beat him.
Over the next few years, Christopher had several interactions with Christians, including a street sweeper who shared the Gospel with him, that reinforced his desire to know more about Christianity.
One pastor, however, was so afraid to talk to a Muslim about Christ that when Christopher asked to learn from him about Christianity, the pastor simply handed him a Bible, said it would teach him and shut the door in Christopher’s face.
When he learned that a shopkeeper he had met was a Christian and asked the man if he could refer him to a pastor who could teach him the Bible, the shopkeeper put Christopher off for days. Finally he told him: “Sorry, but because you are a Muslim, I am afraid of providing you a pastor,” he said.
Desperate, Christopher prayed, “Oh, God: is there no Christian who can teach me the Bible?”
Nine months later, Christopher went to a homeopathy shop to get medicine for his wife’s backache. He told a man in the store about his wife. “He prayed and gave me some medicines and blessed me in a way that Christians do,” Christopher said. The man refused to take Christopher’s money for the medicine. When Christopher asked the man who he was, “He told me he was a Christian who loved his Lord Jesus Christ,” Christopher said.
The homeopath found an engineer named Pablo willing to teach Christopher the Bible. Their detailed discussion about the Son of God, however, didn’t fully satisfy Christopher, so Pablo took him to a church shortly after that.
The pastor’s sermon topic was ‘Jesus Christ is the Son of God’, which he proved from the Bible, history, the Quran and the Ahadees (sayings of the prophet Muhammed).
“This was the first time I listened to this topic presented so logically and with full explanation,” Christopher said. “This was the very first time I became convinced that Jesus Christ is really the Son of God.”
Soon afterward, God reinforced Christopher’s conviction with supernatural signs, including a bright light that filled his room as he studied the book of Jeremiah and the miraculous healing of his daughter from a high temperature that threatened her life. Maria, who was home with the toddler while Christopher was at church, told him at what time the child’s temperature returned to normal. It was the precise moment he had prayed for her healing.
Months later, Christopher was baptised. Over the course of the next three years, Christopher’s wife, 11 members of her family and several other acquaintances came to faith in Christ through his testimony.
“Christianity means persecution”
Christopher is now an ordained pastor and evangelist. “We want to do a great job for the glory of God amongst the Muslims as well as in nominal Christians, Christopher declared.
“Along with this, my in-laws’ family and also my family and I are feeling unsafe in these circumstances,” he added.
Many churches and Christian leaders are afraid to help the family because of the country’s strict Islamic society. An ‘accident‘ could end their lives and ministry. “So please lift your hand in prayer to the Lord for this valuable ministry and for these precious people of God,” Christopher requests.
When asked if the cause of Christ was worth the suffering and constant danger they endure, Maria said, “Christianity means persecution. We have no fear of death because Jesus loves us. We are preaching him because we believe in eternal life.”
She added, “I want to give the message to other Muslims to come to the Cross and understand the Holy Scripture and encourage Christians to reach out to Muslims.”
Open Doors serves and supports persecuted Christians in over 45 countries throughout the world. The ministry, marking its 50th anniversary this year, includes strengthening and encouraging the church throughout the Islamic world.
To find out more, phone Open Doors on 01993-885400, email info@opendoorsuk.org or go to the UK website at www.opendoorsuk.org.
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Open Doors strengthens persecuted Christians in over 45 countries across the world by
1. Training Church leaders and Christian workers
2. Supplying Bibles, hymnals, Sunday School materials and other Christian literature
3. Providing livelihood training and self-help opportunities
4. Visiting, comforting and encouraging those who are suffering
5. Raising awareness of the difficulties persecuted Christians face and mobilising prayer for them throughout the western world.
For other articles/press releases on the Persecuted Church, go to:
http://www.opendoorsuk.org.uk/press/articles/
http://www.opendoorsuk.org.uk/press/releases/
http://www.opendoorsuk.org/media_photos/world_watch_list_pics/html/index.htm