AWR News

by Dowell Chow
AWR President

Brother Yousef* grew up in his African country as a faithful Muslim. From an early age, he had a keen interest in the teachings of Islam, his ancestral faith.

Eventually, Yousef became a successful businessman. After spending time living in North Africa, Europe, and the United States, he settled down in his homeland, and over time, his business grew to where he currently owns a number of prime pieces of real estate in his community. When I visited with him, he showed me some of his properties, which he is willing to donate for a future church congregation. But that’s jumping ahead in the story … .

Despite Yousef’s success in life, there was one important thing missing: he and his wife did not have children. His wife was acquainted with someone who knew several people from a local evangelical group. These people assured her that they would pray for her and her husband to have a child, and that God would certainly perform a miracle. Although Yousef and his wife were strict Muslims, they were willing to try anything that might work. After all, they had pretty much exhausted all their options through doctors, treatments, and so on.

So Yousef went to the minister of the evangelical church and explained their ardent desire to have a child of their own. He described how he had heard that if the church members prayed for them, God would certainly answer the prayers on their behalf. The minister assured him that that would be the case, but that there was one more thing he needed to tell Yousef.

The minister explained that before the church members could offer their prayers, Yousef would need to show his humility before God by gladly giving of his wealth to the church. Confused and amazed, Yousef heard the minister say that he had to turn over his brand-new luxury car to the church! Furthermore, he must also give a substantial amount of money to the minister before he could be prayed for.

Greatly discouraged and disappointed, Yousef returned home to tell his wife of his experience with the evangelical leader. Together, they agreed that was not what they had expected and that it did not sound right, either. They did not return to see the minister.

After some time had passed, Yousef’s wife talked to her husband about “another church downtown” where they might go to seek help. Needless to say, Yousef was skeptical. He could not understand why he and his wife had to give their possessions to a church as a condition for receiving prayers. However, his wife said that she had watched these people, and they did not seem to be that way. They even operated a school beside the church and seemed friendly, doing a lot of good in the community.

Yes, it was the Seventh-day Adventist Church!

Yousef decided it was worth a try, and he volunteered to speak with the Adventist pastor about their desperate desire. He explained to the pastor their request for prayer, but he did not know what to expect, given his previous experience.

The pastor listened with deep sympathy to Yousef’s petition. He assured Yousef that God was deeply interested in his and his wife’s situation, but that although he and the church would earnestly seek God on their behalf, we must always be willing to accept what God sees best for us.

The most shocking thing for Yousef was that the pastor did not ask for his car or for his money. Yousef asked the pastor how much it would cost him – he was even willing to pay if the price was reasonable. But the pastor politely declined any personal contribution or money for the church. 

Yousef was intrigued and greatly satisfied. During his further conversations with the pastor, Yousef learned more and more about the church and what Adventists believed. The compassionate spirit of the pastor and the members began to make a dent in Yousef and his wife’s attitude toward Christians.

Over time, the pressing desire to have a child began to take second place in Yousef’s life, and the thirst to know more about Jesus became his stronger interest. The beauty of the gospel and the plan of salvation drew his attention tremendously.

Yousef was a scholar of Islamic studies, but after careful study of the Bible, he concluded he had to make a decision: it was clear he had to choose between God and His word or his ancestral traditions. Yousef chose God!

When I met him, Yousef had been an Adventist for two years and was still in his “first love” for Jesus. He introduced me to another man whom he had shared his newfound faith with and who was now a recently-baptized member of the church as well. Both men are on fire for God.

After the Sabbath service, Yousef invited me to his home to meet his wife. After driving through the city in his luxury car, we finally arrived in a section with very nice dwellings. Yousef pulled into the driveway, where seven servants sprang into action as we approached the front gate! Yousef led us to the main living room is his home – a beautifully-appointed place with plush cushions, finely- carved chairs, and multiple pieces of superb West African artwork.

After introducing his lovely wife, Yousef showed us around the house, and then opened the cover to a concealed bookcase where he keeps his prized collection of the finest bound copies of the Koran I have ever seen. Together, we browsed through the colorful pages of one of the leather-bound editions, as Yousef briefly explained some key points of that specific version of the Muslims’ sacred book. He also explained a number of similarities between the Koran and the Bible.

Before Yousef closed the door to the bookcase, I asked him to give me a nutshell answer to one question I had. He was curious to find out what that was.

Seeing as Yousef was such a knowledgeable scholar of the teachings of the Koran, I asked him, “What is the principal difference between the Koran and the Bible?”

Without hesitation Yousef said, “Oh, that is easy: the Bible is consistent.”

This is a powerful testimony to the authenticity of the Holy Bible, which was written by scores of writers over more than a thousand years. As Christians, we firmly believe in the inspiration of the Bible, knowing that the writers were guided by the Holy Spirit. Thank God for the inspiration of His Word!

Adventist World Radio prepares and airs programs in two main languages that are widely spoken in this part of Africa. Thanks to these broadcasts, many are hearing the message of God’s love for the first time in their own language.
Today, Yousef and his friend continue to witness for Christ in their circles. Yousef is well known and highly respected in the community. He has passion to share his faith with his Muslims brothers and sisters, and God is using him to do just that. Please pray for the continued guidance of the Holy Spirit in the lives of these men in a country where people are in desperate need to know more about the love of Jesus.

* Name disguised for security.