RICHMOND, Va. (BP)–Sharing Christ with Muslims is easier than most Christians think — if they trust God’s spirit to use the Scriptures, a former Muslim told International Mission Board staff members March 27.
| Hussain Andaryas |
Those loose pages led Hussain, a Muslim, to open his heart to Christ in 1990.
Hussain and his wife, Soghra, a Hazara refugee who once lived in Pakistan, shared their testimonies during a morning chapel service at the IMB’s Richmond, Va., headquarters.
The couple, who married in 1994 and have two children, spoke about the Hazara culture and how God helped them overcome their struggles with the Islamic religion.
For Soghra, the decision to become a Christian was obvious after reading Scripture and talking with missionaries.
“As I read, I became far from Islam,” she said. “Every page [in the Bible] was so beautiful and so interesting, lots of love in it. It was so amazing to me. I knew this is the right way.”
Hussain’s path to making the most important decision of his life was more difficult.
“For nine long years I fought against Christianity,” he said. “I thought Christianity is a corrupt religion. All I knew about Christianity was Hollywood. And trust me, most of the people in most Islamic countries believe that Christianity is nothing but Michael Jackson, Madonna, Hollywood, and that’s all they think.
“They need to know the truth about our God. They need to know about his powerful Word.”
Hussain said he struggled for years with hatred and bitterness before learning about the love of Christ.
“I was full of hate in my life,” he remembered. “I hated everyone, I hated God. I looked to the miseries of my [Hazara] people in Afghanistan, and I thought if there is a God, why did he make them so low just because of the color of their skin. I was blaming everyone, and there was even a time that I hated God.
“I was rejecting the love of God because I was so full of hate.”
The vast majority of Afghanistan’s 26.7 million people practice Islam. Only four of the 10 largest people groups in Afghanistan have Scripture portions available in their language.
It wasn’t until after years of studying the Bible that Hussain made a profession of faith. Now living with his wife and two children in the United States, he works with a Christian radio ministry and the largest Internet ministry among Afghans in Central Asia.
Christians must trust the power of God’s Word and not to be afraid to share the gospel with Muslims, Hussain said. He reminded his audience that he wouldn’t be where he is today if not for the pages a stranger tore from his Bible years ago.
“That kind of change you can bring if you depend on the Word of God.”
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— For information about ministry and witness to the Hazara people, visit Hazara Herald Ministries at http://www.hhminc.org or http://www.peopleteams.org/afghans.
— Read more about Hussain Andaryas: http://www.tconline.org/Stories/jan02/Andaryas.html.
