OMS Outreach Sep - Dec 2015 | Page 10

By Jim Hogrefe Associate Director of Church Multiplication Every Community for Christ Rashid, a Muslim and grandson of a powerful mullah (a Muslim trained in religious law and doctrine) in India, was never wanted. His father tried to kill Rashid just before he was born. He survived, but his father never accepted him or said anything good about him. Despite this hardship, Rashid became more committed to serving Allah and prayed constantly for him to show Rashid the way to salvation. He tried to earn his salvation by converting Christians to Islam. He was, at times, successful, but he found no peace. One day, some Christians asked him to pray all night with them. He prayed in one room while the Christians prayed in another. He asked Allah to give him a sign that he still wanted him to continue converting Christians to Islam. He said aloud and wrote on a piece of paper, “I will give you all night, until 4 a.m., to show me this.” But Allah never appeared, spoke, or gave a sign. Then at 4:00, Rashid wrote on the paper and said, “Jesus, if you are the real God, then show me or speak to me.” As he prayed, a brilliant light, brighter than anything he had ever seen, filled the room. A voice said, “Rashid, do you know who I am?” Rashid responded that he did not. The voice said, “I am the Lord Jesus Christ. I created you in your mother’s womb. When you were in the womb and your father wanted to kill you, and he beat your mother, do you know who saved you?” Rashid said, “No.” Jesus said, “I put my hand around you and protected you; and now I am here to tell you that I have a plan for your life.” Jesus’ plan was for Rashid to tell Muslims about Jesus. When word of this reached the people of the village, a mob of men came with swords and knives in search of Rashid, intending to kill him. He hid in a shed and prayed. God said, “I will protect you; go out.” Rashid went out of the shed, and the angry men were standing still like statues. They held knives and other weapons but could not move. He fled, traveling that night to a safe place. It was the last time he ever spoke to his mother. Now, Rashid tells everyone he meets what Jesus has done for him and how he saved him. 10