The Night of Power, an especially holy night near the end of Ramadan (the Muslim month of fasting), had arrived for Rahmad.

His neighborhood mosque received many guest speakers on this auspicious night. As he waited for the next speaker, Rahmad wondered how his acts and prayers became exponentially more powerful on this one night.  

Strangely, his mind wandered to a foreign man he’d recently met. Weren’t all foreigners — especially Westerners — considered infidels? 

His mosque had instructed that infidels should never be allowed to enter the homes of the faithful. From his imam’s cautionary admonitions, Rahmad also understood that no teachings other than those from the Qur’an (or other Islamic sources) were valid. Yet, when speaking with this foreigner and his Indonesian friend, Rahmad observed a distinct difference between what he had been taught and what he had seen. 

Rahmad remembered how the foreign man dared to broach an unthinkable topic: “Have you ever considered that God has revealed truths of His kingdom that He desires mankind to discover? I am praying that God will lead my friend and me to people who want to study the Taurat, Zabur, and Injil [roughly equivalent to the Torah (Pentateuch), the Psalms, and the New Testament] so they can know and understand God’s heart and His kingdom ways. Are you one of those people? Is your household searching for God’s path?” 

Rahmad’s soul tingled with the memory. He and his family had been meeting with the men for the last few weeks. They had discovered powerful truths while studying prophets from the Old and New Testaments. Perhaps on this holy night, God would guide him with divine wisdom to the truth.

*pseudonym

Grace* had recently returned to Southeast Asia when she was flagged down by a familiar face: Her house helper’s husband ran across a busy street to greet her. He insisted that Grace sit at his sugarcane booth to wait for his wife to arrive. Soon Grace and Bi Indah* were seated on a bench, talking about life, family, and gifts from God.

As they talked, many curious people came over to engage Grace in conversation. One man asked about her religion. When she answered that she followed Isa, Bi Indah spoke up and told him how that was different from their usual understanding of “being a Christian.” She explained what it means to follow Jesus, how Grace stayed pure, and how Grace’s faith looks different from that of other Christians Bi Indah had met.

“At that moment,” Grace says, “I realized that most of the things she said weren’t things I had told her, but rather things she had observed. I don’t get to choose how God uses me, but I delight in the fact that God can and will use our daily obedience to draw people to Himself.”

Grace obeys God’s word both in what she says and the way she lives. It shows her love for Him. As a witness, Bi Indah is already sharing what she has learned from Grace about following Jesus, even though she herself is not yet a disciple.

*pseudonym

While looking for people of peace, a local team met Mrs. Nuri.* After chatting for a bit, she told the team that she used to work as a dukun (shaman).

In Indonesian culture, especially in rural villages, people commonly go to a spiritual healer if someone is sick or suffering from a prolonged or difficult illness. These dukuns exercise spiritual power and often have demonic manifestations.  
It soon became clear that Mrs. Nuri had allowed demonic influences into her life. But when our team entered her house, she acknowledged that the Spirit of the Lord was on them.  

They shared some stories with Mrs. Nuri and talked about the power and hope they have in Jesus. As the team left, Mrs. Nuri invited them to come back the following week.  

When they returned, they shared stories from the Bible illustrating the power in Jesus’ name and the freedom His followers have. Mrs. Nuri admitted that she had seen Isa (Jesus) in a dream when she was younger. “Yes,” she agreed, “it seems like Isa sent you here.” 

Would you please pray for Mrs. Nuri? She is afraid of persecution from her community if she were to become a follower of Jesus. Pray that Mrs.Nuri would accept the Truth and experience freedom in Him, and that her whole community would come to know Isa through this influential woman.

*pseudonym

Four ulamas (Islamic theologians) visited a community with a growing number of culturally Muslim Jesus followers. Having heard concerning reports, the ulamas decided to investigate. 

Dowad*, the community’s leader and a new disciple of Jesus, brought them into the mosque where the local followers frequently study the Bible. There, one of the ulamas spotted a copy of the Injil (New Testament) in their language.

The ulama picked it up. “What is this?”

“This is what we study and follow!” Dowad answered. 

“Don’t you study the Qur’an?”  

“We can’t read the Qur’an,” Dowad responded, “but we can read and understand the Injil.” 

The ulama read some verses. “This is different and very concerning!” 

“What is so concerning?” Dowad asked. “Have you seen our community? Have you seen how many people worship, pray, and fast? Do you realize that in our community when one person is sick or dies the family doesn’t worry because everyone helps them? And do you realize that other communities come to us with their conflicts because our community helps make peace? Here. You can each take a copy of the Injil and read it. Then come back and talk to us.”

Praise God! Dowad has a firm foundation in Jesus, and he speaks with the authority Jesus gives his followers. 

*pseudonym

Amisha led five women in reading prophet stories from the Bible: a good way to introduce the Word of God to Muslims. Participants then share the stories with their family and friends, and obey lessons God impresses on them during their time together.

Three of the women have had visions of Isa al Masih (Jesus the Messiah). In the dreams, He had instructed one to forgive her husband and encouraged another by confirming that she was studying His Truth. The third had a simple yet profound vision of being embraced by Jesus!

Before long, all five women became followers of Isa. Amisha baptized them in the irrigation canal of a nearby rice paddy.
Amisha is a layperson who has been trained in Disciple Making Movements and longs to hear and obey Jesus. All six women are in the process of learning to become reproducing disciple-makers. 

These women were the first in their families to come to Christ. Pray as they engage their husbands with the Word of God and encourage their spiritual leadership. This process can sometimes be messy, but it is so important in bringing the whole household to faith. 

*pseudonyms