Living dangerously for Jesus

Deeply impacted by a Bible

As part of his search, Yousef read the Bible. How did he get a copy? Many Muslim families prohibit them. However, stories are often told of chance meetings in marketplaces, of tourists feeling urged to give their young tour guides a copy of the Scriptures, of Christian friends sharing a Bible when a Muslim friend voices an interest in Jesus. Yousef recalls being deeply impacted by the Gospel of John. “I was especially intrigued that God and His Son had a special relationship,” he remembers. “Jesus turned over all my standards and values. I was like a butterfly that fell into a spider web and was trying to get out. But I got more and more involved in what the Bible teaches … that God loves the Son, the Son loves his Father, He loves me and He loves the world.”

Leaving everything behind

Yousef gave his life to Jesus. As a result of his conversion and becoming a Muslim-background believer, he was ostracized by his friends. “I did not know anyone before that had been converted,” he states. “It was a very hard experience. But I kept talking to my friends. And after 10 years they came to the Lord, too.” His family “kicked me out” of their home, he recalls. However, several members of his family have become Christians now. “And I am working on the others,” he said. Egypt's Coptic Christians enjoyed a relative degree of freedom before the election of President Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in June 2012. However, in nearby Sudan, in parts of Nigeria, and in scores of other nations, Christians are coming under increasing attack.

Beaten for her faith

In panic, Shakeela realized that she would not make it inside of the church before the mob reached her, and froze. To her left Shakeela saw looks of pure hatred on the faces of the approaching men, their weapons raised in malice. The faces of the Christians behind her were painted with shock and fear. A blow to her shoulder stunned Shakeela. She fell to the ground as a second bamboo club slammed into her back. Rolling over, she tried to put up her hands to shield her face, but the next blow hit her arm so hard that the bones shattered. Over and over they beat her head and face. With each blow the world became darker. Each time the bamboo hit her, the pain became greater. The taste of blood filled her mouth, stars exploded before her eyes and screams echoed in her ears. The mob dispersed. Shakeela’s husband knelt on the ground next to her body. With gentle hands, he wrapped her lifeless form in a clean cloth and quietly carried her away.

Faith revolution

Today, Yousef certainly is walking in the shoes of Jesus. He works with a network of other Christians. Their ministry is to influence communities where they live with the Gospel. He says his group is doing ministry on social networking sites and with members of political parties. “We are part of the society, but we carry the name of Jesus,” he said. “Just as there is a social revolution taking place, so too there is a faith revolution.” The future for Christians in the Muslim world is uncertain at best, he says. “It is getting much worse,” he said. “We are entering an Islamic era in which there is no joking. Some are saying ‘those who are changing their religion (from Islam to Christian), kill them.’ So we could be the first convert believers to be killed in a new regime.”

Bold kids

“The worship music was loud, the lights were attractive and the entire setting of this large youth conference was quite impressive,” states a conference leader. “However, what was really more impressive and touching, from my point of view, were those tears coming down the cheeks of boys and girls, and those genuine shouts of the name of the Lord that echoed across the silence of the desert proclaiming that our Father God is the Lord and Master in the hearts of a generation of Christian youth in Egypt. Imagine the empowering, heavenly force that those crowds of young people have taken back with them as they flooded back into their cities, towns and villages all across Egypt, assured that God the Holy Spirit is Himself living within them, determined to make them a blessing for the nation. God is at work!”

In the hands of his people

It would be safer for Christians such as Shakeela, Samuel and Yousef to stay home and keep their faith to themselves. Yousef has been imprisoned twice on several charges, including blasphemy against Islam and desecration of religion. He says he cannot remain silent. “Jesus is the only God who puts the responsibility of the entire world in the hands of His people,” he says. “Salt that is in warehouses isn’t effective. We have to go out. We can’t stay in our churches. If the devil is winning in the world, then we as Christians haven’t done our job.” How you can help? You can pray. Pray for their safety. Pray for their boldness. You can help Open Doors. By giving Where Needed Most, you can provide persecuted Christians with practical help they need — whatever the situation may be. Your gift could be used for important programs like trauma counseling or for an emergency need!