Would you put everything you have on the line for Jesus?
When God calls, He equips—and sometimes that equipping comes through unlikely doors. For Jamie Winship, that door opened when the U.S. State Department asked him to “infiltrate militant organizations and pacify them.” Though the assignment sounded more like a movie plot than a ministry job, he knew: “That was the Lord going, this is your calling. This is your identity’s calling.”
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On the Heaven Meets Earth podcast, Winship told his story of how he was sent to Indonesia for what would become a decade-long mission. During this time, he quickly realized that formal training wasn’t enough. “We got over there with our training and realized pretty quickly that our training in that world wasn’t effective,” he shared. “So then we had to go back to God. What do you want us to know?”
Winship found himself arrested and on trial for insulting the Quran—a charge that carried a 10-year prison sentence. “I just got lazy and didn’t watch what I said,” he admitted. “They didn’t trap me. I violated the Islamic code.”
With no internet, no local allies and a U.S. embassy unwilling to intervene, he was completely alone.
“Can God be powerful even in that scenario?” he asked. “Most of us think God’s really strong in certain places, but there are parts of the world we think He just can’t go.”
But God was already there. During the trial, a Muslim man stood up to defend him. The man, a former Ph.D. student from Arizona State University, testified in English about how two Christians had once helped him succeed academically and spiritually. “Are we going to put him in jail? I don’t think that’s right,” the man declared before walking out.
The court immediately dropped the charges.
Outside, the missionary learned the man was the new head of the Islamic Association of Indonesia—his first day in the position. “I know you’re here because Jesus wants you to be here and wants you to talk to Muslims about Jesus,” the man told Winship outside of the courtroom.
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This moment marked more than just a dramatic escape from prison—it was a turning point of transformation. It proved that even when all earthly support is stripped away, God remains fiercely present, orchestrating redemption in ways we could never predict.
In the most unlikely courtroom, on the most remote island, He showed that His mission continues—not through force, but through love, wisdom and by the power of His Holy Spirit.
Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.
