If your family disowned you for your faith would you still believe? What about prison? If you were brutally beaten by the police would you still proclaim the name of Jesus?
I met a man in a country I was recently in where it is illegal to talk to people about Jesus. I cannot use the man’s name because the government has been on his tail for years because of his radical faith, but I want to tell you his story. For the sake of the story I will call this man David.
David grew up in the Islamic faith and actually became a Muslim priest. Converting to Christianity was illegal in his country and evangelist were sent to prison or worse kidnapped and murdered.
One day a man came up to David and handed him a pamphlet about Jesus. David got so mad he condemned the man and went straight to the mosque to sue the man and throw him in jail.
On the way to the mosque he read the pamphlet. He became curious about the verses he was reading so he thought he would put off suing the man and do some research so he could know that much more to defend the Muslim faith.
He started researching and couldn’t find all the answers so he bought a bible. The Bible lead to him reading the entire New Testament in a month and giving his life to Jesus!
He was overwhelmed that he had a perfect Father who loved him no matter what works he did. He couldn’t believe that Jesus loved him so much that he would give up his place in heaven to come down to earth and give his life so that he, David, could have eternal life with him forever.
As he started to follow Jesus people quickly became suspicious about what was going on. He was acting differently. He was filled with love, joy and peace. He was always happy and he was quietly telling people what he was learning.
When his family found out they disowned him. They made him leave the house and they even started to threaten his life.
When people in the community found out he got tons of death threats. A man even attacked him with a hammer and pounded him in the head. David told me he immediately blacked out and woke up in the hospital. The doctors said they had no idea how he was alive.
The attacks on his life became so bad that he had to flee his home country and go to a new country; However, the only country he could enter was also a Muslim country.
David’s heart is on fire for the Lord and his heart breaks for people who don’t experience the love of God.
He has been in this new country (where I met him) for 5 years now. Since then the police have arrested him twice for openly sharing the gospel and the government has manipulated him and made him pay thousands of dollars for his visa and various things.
David taught me what true radical love looks like.
I am reading a book called Insanity of God by Nik Ripken. I suggest you all read it! The book is a compilation of different testimonies from persecuted Christians. One man who had suffered for many years for being a Christian pastor in China told the author —
“don’t ever give up in freedom what we would never have given up in persecution! That is our witness to the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ!”
I had to ask myself what have I given up in freedom that those under persecution have kept? How many times have I been silent when people make fun of Christians? How many times have I listened to people judge and make fun of someone when I know my bible tells me something different?
I challenge you to ask God what radical faith looks like for you. Step out in obedience and share the gospel with the homeless person around the block. Take your jacket off and give it to the man shivering outside of Wallmart. Pray for someone who is limping. Share the gospel with someone who doesn’t believe in Jesus. I promise you God will be faithful in your pursuit of a radical faith…
He has for me.
