A few months ago, standing at a gas station in Kahama, Tanzania a man wearing a white robe approached me selling peanuts and other little trinkets. As I was sampling the peanuts, I quickly realized this man was Muslim. He was accompanied by some friends and I could tell he was somewhat busy trying to make some money.
After getting to know him a little bit I bought some peanuts and quickly invited him to the gospel crusade I was directing. As he was about to walk away, I asked him if he knew Jesus.
He paused.
At this moment he became a bit nervous as he didn’t want his Muslims friends seeing him talk to me about the Lord but he continued to listen. As time went on I started to share my personal testimony about how Christ ripped me out of bondage and set me on a path I could’ve NEVER dreamed of.
He started to ask many theological questions and at this point he’s getting really nervous while simultaneously listening more intently. I began to proclaim the good news to him with boldness and as he heard about the cross and how Jesus paid it all, I could tell the Lord was drawing him. It was as if the Holy Spirit had pierced through his mind and gotten into a deeper place. It was as if his heart was pounding out of his chest. Now, truth be told this could’ve been because of fear of his family which I’d soon learn was true.
Eventually he allowed me to open the Word. I took him to several passages and he even read some himself out loud. I like to do this because when a lost person reads the actual words from the Word the Holy Spirit begins to work in powerful ways. Now he’s pacing back and forth with confusion and chaos running through his mind. Long story short, as a Muslim, he rejected me out of fear and confusion. He left a lost man full of religion yet empty of joy and I began to pray for him daily after that. He had taken my number down at that gas station but he never reached out to me. Over time this became a huge burden in my heart as I couldn’t get him off my mind.
Several months went by and I hadn’t heard from him, but I believed the Lord was drawing him. I prayed God would convict his heart in such a way that he couldn’t sleep at night. I believed the seed was planted that day at the gas station and it was growing week after week. I knew the Holy Spirit was working in this man’s life and all I wanted to see was him run to Jesus with arms wide open.
Well, God answered these prayers.
In the photo you see above, this same man found me several months later right next to the field where the gospel crusade I was directing was going to take place. He walked right up to me and said “I’ve been looking for you for a while now! I’m ready to give my life to Jesus but if I do, my father will disown me.” Just moments after this photo was taken this man was born again!
Hallelujah. Only Jesus can do this.
Many hours went by and I received a text message from someone who knows him. They told me his father had in fact cursed him and told him he is not his son anymore. While he has in fact lost his family and his home, this story doesn’t end there.
The very next day he attended the church I was preaching at with that same white robe on looking very nervous and feeling out of place. I can’t tell you the joy I felt seeing him walk through those doors. It was truly breathtaking. Only Jesus can do this. This next photo which you can see below is a photo I will cherish for the rest of my life.
I ask that you pray for him as he’s made a decision that has cost him his own family. I ask that you pray for his family as I believe God will work through him to see them set free. He may have lost relationship with his earthly father but he gained a Heavenly Father who will never let him go. Welcome this man into the family!!
P.S. This same man told me after this church service that he now wants to preach the gospel to bring others out of bondage. After spending some time with him we shared a prayer together that one day he would be my interpreter in Africa on a crusade stage preaching the gospel to thousands. Pray for him as he begins the greatest journey of his life.
Consider joining Jacob Ebersole and his team by clicking here with a minimum gift of $32 per month as a reminder that approximately 3.2 billion people remain unreached with the gospel. $32 per month can support the delivery of the Word of God on a national scale to the lost all over the world. Their next gospel campaign will be taking place in the Middle East.
By: Jacob Ebersole
