*Heath is like so many men and women living throughout the western Black Sea region – little pockets of people who are actively participating in the Bible Correspondence Course (BCC) classes and still waiting for a visit from someone who can explain the basics of the Christian faith. A co-worker and I traveled up to a village to meet with Heath on the 2nd Friday of Ramadan to do a face-to-face meeting and to assess his spiritual interests. We were pleasantly surprised to find a man who daily takes care of orphans and handicapped children at the state-run orphanage.

Heath had completed 8 BCC courses and had yet to receive a Bible! He seemed to be genuinely interested in Jesus, but simply had no idea of what the Bible says about God’s Son. Over a glass of tea, I asked, “Heath, how did you become interested in Christianity?” He answered, “I watched that film The Passion of the Christ. Does the Bible actually say that Jesus died on the cross and then rose from the dead?” I reassured him that indeed the Bible discusses, in detail, Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection from the dead. I then asked Heath, “Who is Jesus to you?” to which he replied, “Jesus is one of Allah’s prophets. He is in heaven as the Savior.” I was flabbergasted! He was giving me the classic Islamic teaching about Jesus and the cross and then saying that Jesus is the Savior!

Pray with us that Heath will read the Bible that we gave him that day. Ask that our conversation that afternoon will sink deep into his heart and that the Truth will set Heath free to worship the Savior who truly died on the cross for sins and was raised to eternal life!

This was posted on October 2nd, 2009 and is filed under Turkey: Asia Minor Alliance.