The Ethnic Field

“For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.” Ephesians 3:14-15, NASB.

Josh* is a 17-year-old Javanese student. He participated in an English conversation club in his city.  His teachers and several of the students in the class were followers of Jesus. Josh listened to their testimonies and saw how they lived, but he had a hard time leaving his family’s Islamic faith.

One night Josh had a dream. He saw a field full of people from different ethnic groups. Many of the people told him that he could be part of this new family, and he should do it right away. Josh woke up and wondered what the dream meant.

He asked one of his teachers about his dream the next day. The teacher explained about God’s promise that followers of Jesus would come from every ethnic group (Revelation 7:9). When the teacher asked Josh if he was ready to join this new family, Josh replied that he wasn’t ready.

Josh continued to come to class and think about the dream. After three weeks of struggling with the weight of following Jesus, Josh decided that he wanted to be part of the new family that he saw in his dream. He spoke with another teacher and together they prayed and Josh accepted Jesus’ offer of salvation and committed himself to following Christ.

After making his decision Josh struggled with knowing how to relate to his parents and with the many religious expectations that his family has of him. He wants to honor Jesus, but at the same time doesn’t want to dishonor his parents. This struggle is not uncommon for young believers in Josh’s culture.

*Name changed for security reasons.

Pray that:

Josh, and other young believers like him, will have wisdom in relating to parents and the religious expectations of his culture.

Josh will have the courage to honor Jesus first and then also to honor his parents.

Dreams will be given to many Javanese in connection with believers sharing the Gospel with them.

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