In Christ alone hope is found. That’s why I’m currently in Ghana, to share this truth with others. To tell them about a Savior who loves them so much He died for them.
Five days a week my squad goes out into the neighborhoods of Sunyani, Ghana sharing Jesus’ love. Sometimes we just introduce ourselves to people and invite them to church. Other times, the door opens for deep conversations. My favorite interactions have been the conversations my team has had with Muslims.
On our first morning evangelizing we ran into two men at a tiny neighborhood store. Since our ministry this month is to talk to people about Jesus, we struck up a conversation with them. First we explained that we are missionaries from the Untied States. We told these gentlemen that we are Christians and mentioned who we believe Jesus is. Then we asked what their personal beliefs were.
The first man told us he agreed with everything we had just said. He was a Christian who happened to know one of the pastors whom we are working with this month. Awesome! Then he introduced us to the second man, his friend and brother, a very nice man who happened to be of the Muslim faith.
My team was a little surprised, and our faces must have shown it. You hear all these stories of Muslims and Christians basically hating each other, yet here were two men, one of each faith, who not only got along well but called each other “brother”. The men were quick to explain that here in Ghana Christians and Muslims get along great. They don’t let their different beliefs get in the way of being friends and neighbors. Well that was refreshing to hear, but it did leave us wondering. Is it socially acceptable for us to start a conversation with this man about how our beliefs differ and how the Bible tells us JESUS is the only way to heaven?
Well, sharing the Gospel was the reason why we were at that little store that morning. So, with quick silent prayers that God would give us words to say, we dived right in. We asked this man, “Shack,” if we could talk with him more about faith and our beliefs. He said “sure” and set about pulling out stools for us to sit on while we talked. Ok, great! Starting the conversation went better than we thought it might!
We sat down and talked with Shack about Jesus for about 30 minutes. In order to receive forgiveness from sins and be made right with God, he believed as a Muslim, you must pray 5 times a day at a designated hour. He believed also that forgetting to pray was not an option. We explained that our relationship with God is not reliant on a routine, but rather are made right with God because of Jesus’ sacrificial death and His resurrection, which defeated sin once and for all. We talked about what the Bible says verses what the Koran says. Eventually we had to leave, but we promised to return the next week. Shack said he would be glad to see us again and he was willing to talk to us more. He also told us that maybe we would convince him Jesus is the way to go, or maybe he would convince us to become Islamic. We smiled and said we knew Jesus to be the truth, but we would be glad to talk to him more about our respective beliefs. He told us he was looking forward to seeing us again.
I left that little store very thankful for the opportunity God had given us that morning. The following week we returned to the store for a short visit. Shack told us he wants a Bible for himself so that he can compare it to the Koran. As he doesn’t speak or read English very well, we are working with a pastor here to get him a Bible in his native language. Meanwhile, I’m praying for Shack. I’m praying that God will touch his heart so that he can know the freedom and hope found in Jesus Christ.
My teammates and I with Shack and some neighborhood kids
Since that first day, I’ve had the chance to converse with many more belonging to the Muslim faith. They have all let us pray for them and one family has even promised to come to Church this weekend!
Before coming on the race, I had never really had a chance to visit with any Muslims. But, this month God has really given me a heart for them. I am so glad that here in Ghana, Christians and Muslims live together in peace. If any of these people choose to follow Jesus, they won’t be harmed or shunned by their families in doing so. This isn’t always the case in other countries.
My heart breaks for these people, and the way they have been deceived by their religion. Quite a bit of what they believe is close to the truth of the Bible, yet it is so far away. They are deceived about who Jesus is. To them he is just a prophet, not Lord and Savior. Will you join me in praying that they will see the error of the Islamic teachings and turn to Jesus?
