Can you imagine being tortured as a child just because you were a Christian living in an Islamic-ruled nation?
I never needed to imagine this: I lived it.
As a kid growing up throughout the Middle East and North Africa, I didn’t understand why people called me kafir, or why I was being persecuted. When I finally understood why, anger and hatred grew in my heart towards Muslims. It took decades before the Lord healed my childhood trauma and filled me with love for Him and for the Muslim people, a people He also created in His image.
Where I grew up, cities predate Christ on earth. After the Resurrection, Christianity spread quickly, and by 600 A.D., the region was mostly Christian. Now it’s less than 1%. It’s sobering to consider that a Christian region can so quickly become mostly Muslim.
Now the same trends are happening here. Christianity is declining fast in Western nations. Our neighborhoods are growing increasingly diverse, and most Christians are not equipped with the courage, confidence and know-how to share their faith across religious boundaries. Sharing the gospel with Muslims is not a skill typically taught in the church, and most Christians don’t even realize the need.
Yet everyday Christians are coming together to change the way faith-filled men and women think about sharing the good news of Jesus with people of other faiths and cultures. And Muslims are responding to the Good News.
Discover how the Lord can use you to impact trends and change lives for eternity on this episode of iHOPE Empowers on the Charisma Podcast Network. Read this article about what happens when one everyday Christian gets the courage, confidence and know-how to share their faith with people of other religions and cultures. {eoa}
Renod Bejjani is the founder and president of iHOPE Ministries, a non-profit ministry that emboldens “everyday Christians” to share their faith with Muslims. Since 2011, iHOPE has empowered tens of thousands of Christians with the courage, confidence and know-how to cross religious boundaries and extend God’s transformative love to Muslims. Renod is also the author of Muslims: 5 Biblical Essentials, a primer for Christians who are curious or concerned about Muslims, and The Way to Paradise, a groundbreaking Bible study tailored for Muslim seekers. When he’s not empowering others to share their faith, Renod spends his time hiking through forests and enjoying good Lebanese (Jesus-food) with family and friends.
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