Ex-Muslim leads church of 80 converts

Ismoil was a radical Muslim in a Central Asian country, who attended the mosque every day. For 12 years he rebelled against his family, who were Christian believers.

He regarded it as unclean to eat with them, one of the reasons he spent much of his time in the mosque. His sister faithfully witnessed to him and told him about God’s salvation, but his reaction was fierce, almost violent in opposition. Then God stepped in and the ‘impossible’ happened! Ismoil suddenly felt a deep need to repent and to come to Jesus for forgiveness. It was clearly a powerful divine intervention, creating in him a desire to tell everyone of his new allegiance. Soon his wife was converted and together they began missionary work.

Eighty converts

Ismoil and his wife are Slavic Gospel Association-sponsored missionaries in this Central Asian country, which we are not naming for security reasons. God has blessed their labours! Today in his church there are 80 converted Muslims. Their effective and fruitful ministry has attracted the unwelcome interest of the special police who attempt to intimidate him. Recently he warned his congregation that they need to be prepared for arrests for their faith in Jesus. The presence of threatening opposition has not curbed Ismoil’s zeal. He shared about an unevangelised Arab group which he had contacted two years ago. They had been totally ignorant of the gospel and had not heard anything like this before. However, God began to work by His Spirit and a breakthrough came with the conversion of two brothers and their wives. Recently the four new converts were baptised. These new believers have already experienced some persecution on account of their faith in Jesus.

Others are working alongside Ismoil, sharing the gospel in similarly ‘impossible’ circumstances. Jashad is serving God 50 kilometres from the border of a gospel-resistant country. He has a sports ministry reaching out to teenagers and children. A one-hour Bible study precedes the sports activity. Up to 100 Muslim young people come to the sports events on Tuesdays and Fridays. As many as 35 teenagers and young people come to a Sunday morning worship service. Their parents are fully aware that they come to a Christian group. Over the past five years, some have been converted to Christ and have been baptised.