The Night Abraham Listened

This article was written using content taken from the Reach Beyond website.

In the gospels, Jesus used his voice to connect with the hearts of the people he met. When he spoke to the crowds, he announced that the Kingdom of God was near, he told stories, he asked questions, he challenged individuals to follow him.

For over 90 years Reach Beyond has been proclaiming the good news of Jesus through technology.

In the twenty first century, radio remains a powerful means of reaching unreached people groups where they are. They now help to plant local FM community radio stations with partners in Africa, Latin America and the Asia Pacific region. They continue to use shortwave radio as an effective way of reaching great distances into countries such as India, Pakistan and Nepal. New technologies allow them to use the Internet to connect with those who might not hear the voice of Jesus any other way. For example, reaching them on their smartphone through a mobile radio app in one of the ‘stan’ countries of Central Asia.

The story below is an example of how God opened the heart of an Imam through listening to Christian radio programmes made by Reach Beyond media partners:

Abraham* was furious when he discovered his oldest son listening to Christian radio programmes on a small MP3 player being shared in their community.

Each time he heard the name of Jesus, his anger burned hotter. As an Imam and respected religious leader, his entire life revolved around his religion and its traditions.

In frustration, Abraham seized the MP3 player and forbade his family from ever using it again. But that night, as the village slept, a quiet, insistent voice stirred within him: Listen.

Hesitantly, Abraham pressed play. In the darkness, one sentence broke through everything he believed: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Those words of Jesus struck deep into his heart. The next morning, Abraham stood before his congregation for the 5:00 AM prayer, but he couldn’t speak. His certainties had been shaken.

Over the next two weeks, Abraham secretly listened to the programmes and the audio Bible. The more he heard, the more he longed to know the truth.

Finally, he arranged to meet the evangelist who had left the MP3 player in the village. For two hours, they talked. Abraham’s questions were many, but his heart was open. That day, he chose to follow Jesus.

A week later, he stepped down as Imam. His community assumed it was because of his age, but Abraham knew it was because of a new faith taking root in his heart.

Today, he meets regularly with the evangelist, studying the Bible and learning more about the One who gave His life so that Abraham could be free.

Global Connections network member Reach Beyond go beyond borders to reach the unreached with the hope of the gospel.
“…my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It shall accomplish all I want it to and prosper everywhere I send it.” (Isaiah 55:11, The Living Bible).

* name has been changed