More Than Just ‘Prophet-Isa’
Standing on the pavement at rush hour. The hustle and bustle. I was seeking and searching for those showing any hint of stopping. With faces rushing by, it was difficult to deduce who were the type receptive enough to have a discussion without making any prejudiced assumptions. They obviously were not aware that I wasn’t the type trying to sell them PPI or an old iPhone for a fiver. But rather, I wanted to have a slightly more intense type of conversation; I wanted to help people discover who Jesus is and what the gospel means for young millennials in this day and age. I was that type.
I was fully aware of the challenges that come with evangelism. But I also knew, from reading in Scripture (Luke 9 and 10, Matthew 10, Mark 6, and Acts 16), that there are “people of peace” in various affinities and people groups. They are like gold dug out of a cave; a lot of rock and dirt needs to be sieved and refined before you get to the hidden treasure. When I look at a large group of people, I know Kingdom potential is waiting. And my job is to find those whom the Spirit has prepared and move them closer to Jesus.
Waves of people passed by at different times of day. I learned to be assertive and take authority over the tide at any given moment. At best, I had a short window to share a message of hope that would captivate someone’s attention to the point that they would be willing to stop and not just hear but listen.
Throughout the day, I was humbled to experience people stopping and listening, sharing and discussing, and even letting me bless them in prayer.
But I will never forget the one encounter I had with Mohammed*, a Muslim who was walking home after studying for the day. He said, “I have always found the subject of Jesus interesting . . . because we see him as a prophet.”
I thought to myself for a minute. Then I said, “The thing is, I think we have three options. Either he was a crazy man who claimed to have done a lot of good, or he was only one of many prophets, or he is who I believe He is – God. In case he is the latter, would you mind if I pray for you so you can experience Jesus for yourself now?”
With a genuine smile and curiosity, Mohammed gave me permission to pray a blessing over him.
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
“Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.”
Not by me, but through the spiritual authority that Jesus has delegated us, and by God’s grace, Jesus moved in such a way that Mohammed just looked at me with amazement. He said, “I really felt something there!”
We met later that afternoon for four hours, reading the Bible together and discovering who Jesus is.
When we activate prayer, we allow God to move in supernatural ways. As 1 Corinthians 1:5-6 says, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power”.
Might God be asking you to pray over someone in your life today?
* Name has been changed to maintain confidentiality.
