We Will Proclaim The Gospel To Everyone, Everywhere In Order To Make Disciples

The initial stages of our friendship involved cultural and spiritual conversations. Since Sharif is from a small town in one of the world’s most conservative Muslim cultures, the city of Kuala Lumpur exposed him to many different thoughts, experiences, and people for the first time.

In the beginning, Sharif asked a lot of questions about what I was sharing with him, but adamantly opposed any answer with the preformulated rebuttals he had heard his entire life. Over the course of 12 months, however, Sharif became more open and interested in learning from the Bible.

We studied the gospel accounts consistently for a year. Sharif would often bring friends to join the study and hear what he was learning. To be honest, many weeks it seemed like Sharif’s friends were more interested than he was. My teammates and I often considered if spending time with Sharif was the best use of our time. 

Last fall, I saw Sharif for the first time in 2 months at a game night with other friends in the city. He briefly mentioned that he had something he wanted to share with us and asked if we could meet early the next week. So, we did.

Sharif explained that he had been thinking a lot about the gospel stories and everything we had discussed throughout the previous months. He knew that following Jesus could potentially cost him everything. In fact, it was the cost of hurting and shaming his family that prevented him from following sooner.

He went on to explain that others had made decisions for him his entire life. The clothes he wore, the subject he studied, and the truths he believed were all predetermined. He realized that no one, including me, was able to make the decision to follow for him. He had to do this himself. 

After counting the cost, he decided it was time to make a decision and did so a few days prior to our meeting. Suspecting this would be the discussion, I brought a copy of the Bible in his native language to give him as a gift. Since Sharif traveled on the train and did not carry a bag with him, I told him that I could give it to him another time for concern of his safety.

He responded, “Please give it to me now. I don’t care if anyone sees me. This is what I believe now.”

So, shamefully confronted with my own fear of man, I gave it to him. Later in the week, we met together to study baptism from the book of Acts and Sharif was baptized before a group of close friends. Since then, I have been deeply encouraged and strengthened by the Holy Spirit’s work in Sharif’s heart. He speaks candidly of his hunger for the Word of God and conviction of sin in such raw lingo. He walks in repentance and faith. He boldly shares his hope and joy with his classmates and friends. 

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The name of the author of this story cannot be identified due to security concerns. But you know him. Resources from the Global Offering were used this year to support and sustain his family in Kuala Lumpur, one of the most strategic cities on the planet, in order to proclaim the gospel among the least reached peoples. Because of your giving to the Global Offering, Sharif had access to the gospel.

Pray

Pray for Sharif as he navigates relationships with his family and reaches out to others in his community. Ask that the Lord would give him peace, joy, and hope.

• Pray for God to use Sharif to strengthen other believers and the local church as he grows in his faith.
• Pray for God to move more members from Brook Hills to live and work among least reached peoples and places so the gospel can be made known to those who have never heard. 
• Pray for God to bless the Global Offering and stir our hearts to sacrificially give this year so we can send and sustain Brook Hills missionaries on the field.

Give

The Global Offering allows Brook Hills to send and sustain equipped missionaries to healthy teams all over the world to proclaim the gospel, make disciples, and plant churches.

Brook Hills currently has 32 Long-Term Missionaries on the field and 14 Mid-Term Missionaries. While some are fully funded by the International Mission Board, the majority of our workers are not. In 2020, the Global Offering allowed us to support 26 of these workers and their families on the field and to send out five new Mid-Termers this fall.

There are many individuals and families currently being assessed and equipped by our Global Team to be sent out in 2021. Your giving to the Global Offering will allow Brook Hills to continue to send and sustain these workers among the nations. 

Click here to give to the Global Offering.