Straddling the fence
“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:7 (NASB)
One morning after my devotion, I felt the Lord directing me to enter an apartment building in France where hundreds of West African Muslims lived. Armed with a video of the JESUS film in an African language, I went from floor to floor asking strangers if they wanted to see a film in their tribal language. Time after time, each man turned me down. I thought to myself after the fourth floor, Lord, I thought You called me here today.
Finally, four men from the largest nomadic group in Africa warmly greeted me. They refused to believe that I had a video with people speaking their African language. However, when the tape started, they laughed aloud like schoolboys. They called out to their friends who were passing by their doorway. They said to their friends, "Come hear Jesus speaking our language. We can understand His message."
Since then, Djibril (gee-BRILL), one of the men most deeply touched by the gospel message, has testified often, "When I heard the words of Christ, something in my heart moved. I could not stop watching the video. I knew that I was hearing the truth."
These four men are hesitant to embrace Christianity. They and other Muslims want the assurance of salvation and the sense of belonging they discover in Christ; however, they hesitate if it means losing their sense of belonging in their old community.
Do you hesitate in giving Jesus your whole life? He wants it all andcalls us to follow Him.
Father, may I not hold back anything from You. My desire is that You are the Lord of my life. Help people groups who have immigrated to Europe to follow Jesus when they hear the gospel message. Amen.
Text exerpt from Voices of the Faithful. Order your own copy from the
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