by an Alliance international worker serving in the Middle East
“What am I going to do without Alpha*?” Max** asked me. He was sad that our year of spiritual dialogue had ended.
Max came from a religious family, and his father was an exorcist from the majority religion. Several years ago, Max became disillusioned with this belief system because of the ugliness he saw and wondered if there was another way. His searching led him to study many religions, particularly Christianity.
Max is one of the primary reasons we began to offer Alpha. He had deep interest beyond what we could offer in our interfaith dialogue group and faithfully attended every session—even risking a promotion so he could come to the Wednesday night class, which was scheduled during his work hours. We were encouraged by his spiritual hunger.
Desperate for Answers
Ashraf was another faithful attender of our Alpha course whose family practices the majority religion. He decided long ago that he couldn’t believe its teachings and became a functional atheist. Even then, he started experiencing persecution from his community.
One night, he had a dream about Jesus, who asked Ashraf, “Why are you so late in coming to Me? I’m waiting for you.” Then Jesus left the room, and Ashraf didn’t know how to find Him again.
When he awoke, Ashraf started searching online, trying to find out more about Christianity. He learned a lot but didn’t understand everything, so he visited a Facebook group where people in his country asked questions about a variety of topics. He boldly wrote, “Does anyone on here know a Christian?” The silence was deafening. No one could tell him how to find a Christian. No one answered his inquiry.
Despite the silence, Ashraf kept looking. Eventually he found a website run by friends of mine where people can ask about Christianity freely and be connected with Christians near them. His contact info was passed on to me, and we set up a time to sit together and chat. Ashraf was surprised to discover I was a foreigner, but he was glad to finally meet someone who could answer his many questions.
Ashraf has not verbally professed Christ as his Savior. But he attended our Alpha classes, we started studying the Bible together, and he has joined a weekly fellowship of believers, showing a commitment to a life with Jesus.
Signs of Hope
It is for people like Ashraf and Max that my wife and I are in this country. In our 15 years here, we have seen things slowly change and open up. I recently returned to our host country after a trip and could not believe how green it was when it usually is a desert.
It seemed like the Lord was reminding me of these metaphors in Scripture: “Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isa. 35:6) and “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain” (James. 5:7, NKJV).
Have the latter rains arrived here? We’re not sure yet, but the signs are so positive. Statistics tell us that people in our country would have to knock on 500 doors to find someone who could tell them about Christianity. Yet we continue to encounter people like Max and Ashraf who are spiritually hungry. They are so close but taking a final step to accept Christ is perhaps the biggest one they will ever be asked to take.
Will you pray the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:2 with us—that today will be the day of God’s favor and the day of salvation for Max, Ashraf, and so many others who are seeking?
Give
The Great Commission Fund supports our workers as they reach out to those who have little or no access to the gospel. If you would like to impact the lives of people like Max and Ashraf, please consider giving.
*Alpha is a program that facilitates dialogue about important life questions and Christianity between people of different faiths. This particular group focused on Alpha and another program tailored to those who practice the Middle East’s majority religion.
**Names changed