How can the Somali Church grow when society treats believers so poorly? Jacob is a partner with The Voice of the Martyrs Canada. He says Christians outside Somalia are eager to help the Church grow. But they need to let Somali Christians do it within their own culture. “Don’t force them to behave in what you think is the traditional way. Jesus did not come to change the culture.”

Instead, Jesus proclaims His message within cultures. Jacob says, “It doesn’t matter if I’m eating with the left or right hand. Am I eating? That is the thing.”

Somali networks

Some Christian ministries or denominations expect the Somali Church to look like Western churches. Instead, Jacob encourages listeners to pray for the Somali church as it is.

Jacob says Somali Christians have built their own networks. “We have a lot of believers who are connecting with others in the networks in various regions. So let’s pray for the networking to be even stronger. Let’s also pray for the resources to educate the children of these families. They cannot just go to any school. It’s good for them to go to a school where they are protected.”

Christians in Somalia and outside the country need each other, Jacob says. Ask God to strengthen them. “We come to one table. All of us are building one building. And that building is the body of Christ, bringing the hearts and minds of believers together as we pray for one another, strengthen one another, and share our resources.”

The header photo shows Somali shoppers in the city of Mogadishu. (Photo courtesy of AMISOM Public Information, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Jacob, a partner with The Voice of the Martyrs Canada, says he heard about Jesus when a civil servant shared the news with his mother.

Aside from the danger, he talks about the loneliness of Somali Christians. “You don’t have friends and you don’t have relatives. You become an island when you lose your community. But also there is not another community that can embrace you. You left your biological parents and kinships, and you don’t have someone else to stand with you.”

Open to the Gospel

But Jacob says many in Somalia are open to hearing about Jesus. They see violence done in the name of Islam by radical groups like Al-Shabaab. On November 25, for instance, Al-Shabaab bombed Somalia’s capital, killing 8 and injuring 17.

Jacob says Somali people want to hear a message of peace. “The young people are especially confused. Because they are seeing the killings, the slaughtering, and the bombings. They hear about a whole university being attacked, and then [radical groups claim responsibility]. So people are thirsty and they are searching.”

“They are searching every day and every night. And that’s why the Christians need to love these people.”

Violence against Christians doesn’t even make sense within the teachings of Islam, Jacob says. Muslims believe Jesus was a great prophet, and that He will return to judge the world. “You cannot be confessing these things about Jesus and still slaughter the ones who are following Him. It is contradictory. And many people right now are reading a lot about Christianity.”

Pray the Somali church would grow. Ask God to comfort Somali Christians, many of whom suffer illness from the trauma of being cut off from their communities.

Header photo courtesy of Kaufdex on Pixabay.