17 July, 2006

A Brother in Bangladesh








Testimony: Abdul and Joina R.

I don't know how to read but I know Psalm 23. My wife also cannot read but our son and daughter read the Bible to us. We have a one-room house with grass walls and a grass roof. We have been isolated since becoming Christians. For the last year, our neighbors have not allowed visitors to cross their land to come and see us. Visitors would have to go a long way around. We also cannot get agricultural loans for our rice field.

I was in bed one month from beatings. My wife brought me bread and rice. The doctor was not happy with me and asked me why I became a Christian. One day at noon I returned from the market walking down a dirt path to my house. The Imam (Muslim leader), was standing beside the mosque. He wore a robe, had a beard and glasses, and held a big stick. His name is Gafur.
Gafur called me over and asked why I became a Christian; he accused me of loving Jesus. He began beating me on the head and back with the stick. A doctor ran up and stopped him but no one went to the police. The police would do nothing. The leader of the village said, "You have become a Christian so you destroy our Muslim religion."

My ten-year-old son says that he will become a preacher and give the gospel to those who beat us, to bring them to Jesus.

"Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you!...Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you" (Luke 6:26,27).

This brother lives with persecution every day just because he believes in Jesus Christ. Please pray for the persecuted church.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this solemn reminder of how deep is the love of Christ for us. How deep is our love for Him?

Lindon said...

I can't for the life of me remember who wrote this but one puritan writer wrote (I am paraphrasing) that if he had his wife and children about him hanging on for dear life and Jesus Christ walked through the door, he would fling them off and run to Him.

Sounds cruel, doesn't it? But we forget that Peter was married.