Listed Religion

"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” John 16:13-14, NAS.

We were a long way off the beaten path, and we really had no idea exactly what we were looking for. Our hope was to discover where God was at work in the area. So, as we drove along a dirt road, the Lord prompted us to stop and talk with a man who was resting on a slab of concrete. It is no surprise that the conversation that followed had God’s fingerprints all over it. The man’s name was Matt*. He was very open and talkative – which is not all that unusual in the rural areas of this Muslim country.

“What religion are you?” I asked. Again, religion is a much more open topic for discussion in Asia than it is in America.

“Our village is listed as Muslim,” he replied. “But we have never actually followed the teachings of that religion. We still eat pork and follow the traditions of our ancestors.” It is not unusual for census workers to list villages as Muslim and then send teachers to convert them.

“Where is the mosque for your village?” I continued. He pointed to a run-down building behind him. We then noted that the concrete slab he had been resting on was a cistern for water for ceremonial washing before prayer times. It was currently being used as a refuse container. “Did anyone come to teach you about Islam?”

“Yes,” said Matt. He then pointed to another run-down building. “He lived over in that house, but he left because he couldn’t stand living among people who eat pork.”

“Where are you from, Matt?” I asked. He replied, and it turns out that his home village has several believers living in it. When I commented on knowing people from his home village, Matt became even more open and friendly. We left the village with an open invitation to return.

Isn’t that just like God to take us into a backwoods area and lead us straight to a man who is from a village where we know people? He is still orchestrating events so that people may come to know Him. Though we may not know exactly where we are going, our guide is reliable and sure!

*Name changed for security reasons.

Pray that:

God will draw Matt and his family to hear and respond to the gospel.

Matt will be a person of good will and make introductions into the villages in the surrounding area.

Believers in Pacific Rim will be sensitive to the opportunities that God gives them to make new relationships for the Kingdom.

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.