Something happened that Roman, now a former Muslim, never expected: tears, prayers to Jesus, repentance, and joy. Sitting in a service in a Baptist church, the man who had devoted his life to persecuting Christians became a follower of Jesus.
A Former Muslim and His Encounter With Jesus
“Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jer. 29: 12-13)
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matt. 7:7-8)
The words of God in the Old and New Testaments remind us that our God wants to see all of His creation come to a saving knowledge and trust in Him through Jesus. And that when we seek Him and His Kingdom, we will find Him. While the holy month of Ramadan is often a month of increased pressure for Christians whose faith stands out more than usual during this time, God continues to work in peoples’ hearts and bring them to Him. During Ramadan, many Muslims will earnestly seek God through prayer and fasting and the practice of giving charitable gifts.
In Central Asia believers, especially former Muslims, live under increasing persecution from a variety of sources, from dictatorships to a surrounding culture generally dominated by Islam. In many of these contexts, being a Jesus-follower is extremely difficult. But we know that God is not slowed by dictators or cultures—Jesus has the power to break into any context and change hearts and lives.
From Persecutor to Christ-Follower
A few years ago, Christians, especially those from a Muslim background, were the No. 1 target for Roman*, a devout Muslim in Kazakhstan. He considered them “betrayers of the real faith.”
