One man risks death to share the Gospel

Pakistan (MNN) — Sometimes just sharing the Gospel isn’t enough to introduce people to God, sometimes it includes a persevering faith.

For one Pakistani man, it was this form of Evangelism which brought members of his family to faith in Christ. Last summer while in Pakistan, FMI‘s Bruce Allen had met a couple who had just gotten baptized.

“They were so inquisitive and just ate up the Gospel as they were reading about Jesus Christ. They placed their faith in Him, leaving their Islamic background and the traditions of their families,” Allen explains.

These two new Christians were on fire for the Lord and wanted to grow in wisdom, encouragement, and to share their faith with their family as well as others. In fact, this was their main prayer request.

Sharing the Gospel

“Habib did indeed have an opportunity to share his faith with his family—and they promptly tried to kill him, throwing him off the top of the building,” Allen shares. “Providentially he had landed in a pile of sand that was being used for construction, mixing cement.”

Habib suffered a broken arm and bruised ribs, but his legs were fine. Though injured, Habib was able to flee with his wife and kids. Allen recounts just prior to the incident, that Habib and his family had been working on a household project, playfully bantering back and forth. Then, once he shared his faith, they turned on him.

Emotionally, this was no doubt crushing. Imagine that, having the very people who are closest to you, know you most intimately, violently turning on you for sharing the Gospel. It’d be easy to understand if Habib had grown bitter and vowed to never return. But that’s not his story.

Perseverance in Christ

Just last month, Allen was back in the country, meeting with new believers and even was able to see some new believers get baptized.

“At the end of that day, having conversations with some of the people who were baptized, we discovered that it was Habib’s family who had gotten baptized. His mother, father, several of his sibling, in-law, things like that. It was such an encouraging, well say, turn of events,” Allen says.

The very same people who had persecuted Habib months early, attempting to toss him to his death, had come to Christ. Habib and his wife’s steadfast testimony was impactful and influential, and God used it along with his Word to bring this family to him.

“It was just a tremendous blessing to be a part of that celebration with that family, that, how God works, even in the midst of difficult circumstances, can continue to draw people to himself,” Allen shares.

Counting Costs

When a Muslim places his or her faith in Jesus Christ, it is a big deal. Allen explains that for Muslim background believers, or MBBs, these believers are hit are with a variety of persecution and discrimination. Many MBBs face losing relationships with their families, being cut off from society, and even finding themselves jobless because of their faith.

Even just the act of getting baptized is punishable by death according to Pakistani law. Needless to say, when a Muslim comes to faith in Christ, it’s usually not because of an emotional spiritual high, it’s because they sincerely and truly believe in Christ and his sacrifice on the cross.

So please, as you go about your day today, pray for Habib, his wife and kids, and their families. Pray for their wisdom and growth in Christ, God’s provision, and their protection. Also, pray for their time of transition as the young family settles into a new community and as Habib continues to heal.

Furthermore, Habib has decided to dedicate two days a week for evangelism in the Muslim community. So please, pray for his ministry and for Gospel’s work in these Muslims’ hearts.

Finally, please pray for all Christians living in Pakistan. Pakistan is ranked at #4 on the Open Door’s World Watch List (WWL). The WWL is a ranking of the top 50 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution for their faith.

Learn more about FMI’s work in Pakistan here!

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