God's Word Compels Belief in Jesus
"So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." —Is 55:11
Do we trust that God's Word is enough to draw people to Jesus? God designed the entire tapestry of the Bible to lead people to Himself and surrender to Jesus. Learn more about why leading lost friends from Creation-to-Christ matters here.
This is part 3 of the continuing story of how Rob is using Discovery Bible Study (DBS) to help his Muslim friend Amar discover Jesus.
My Friend's Journey to Encountering Jesus
I've been doing Discovery Bible Studies with my Muslim friend Amar since late 2019. It has been exhilarating seeing Amar's eyes open as we read passages from the Creation to Christ Scripture list.
Amar discovered that God made us in His image from Genesis 1. He learned that we rebelled against God in Genesis 3. And in that same chapter, he found out that God promised to defeat the Serpent one day.
In Leviticus 4, Amar read that sin must be punished, and the only way to be forgiven is a flawless sacrifice. Then, in Isaiah 53, he was overjoyed to learn that God promised a perfect Savior would come one day. He was so excited that he called his brother in the Middle East to share the story.
Now last week, I met Amar in person for the last time before he returns to his home in the Middle East. As we shared a meal together sitting on a blanket in a park, we opened Scripture.
Our 13th DBS on Luke 1-2 revealed Jesus the Savior's birth. Like we always do, I asked, "What does this teach us about God?"
"I learned that God does miracles—Mary had a child without being married! God can do anything!" Amar continued, "I also learned that God is giving Jesus a Kingdom."
"Yeah!" I agreed, "and right here it says He'll be the King who will rule forever!" Then I asked the next question, "What does this story teach us about people?"
Amar paused for a moment, then spoke. "I see that Mary was faithful and believed everything God said. And I learn that Jesus is the Savior and...what was that word again?"
"Messiah?"
"Yes—the Messiah!" Amar exclaimed.
"What do you think that means?" I asked.
Amar pondered, then said, "It means Jesus saves us."
"Saves us from what?"
"From bad things...from everything!"
"That's right!" Then I asked Amar, "If this is true, how should we act differently this week?"
"This week," Amar replied, "I will believe God as Mary did—I believe Jesus was born of Mary by God's power, and that He is the Savior!"
I could barely contain the joy in my heart. My friend Amar, a devout Muslim, had just confessed that Jesus is the Savior. Amar doesn’t fully grasp everything about the Savior yet. But he has a foundation. We'll discover more as we continue doing DBS over Zoom video calls across the ocean!
Then I asked Amar the last question, "With whom will you share what you read this week?"
"I think I will share this with my brother again!" Amar explained that his brother has greatly enjoyed hearing the stories every week. He verbally translates the entire stories to his brother from English to Arabic word-for-word.
This was my last get-together with Amar before he flew home to Saudi Arabia. He left me with these parting words: “Rob, I will never forget you. You have been an amazing friend.”
"And I'll never forget you, Amar!" We shared a bittersweet embrace as we parted ways. I can't wait to see what God will do next in Amar's life!
Lessons Learned from Amar’s Story
God’s path to the hearts of unbelievers and believers can take many forms. For Amar, God simply used His Word to reach Amar. Though God also used Rod to help facilitate Discovery Bible Studies, it was His Word that resonated with Amar’s heart.
In addition, Rod’s story shows the willingness of new disciples to share Bible stories. Though Amar’s not a baptized believer, he expresses excitement to share the stories with his brother. Furthermore, his brother is intrigued to learn more!