For each of our 12 days of Christmas, we are profiling one of our leaders overseas. Please join us in praying for this leader today.
04
MahirBangladesh
One speculation regarding “The 12 Days of Christmas” song is that each verse represents a tenet of the Christian faith. However, there is no substantive evidence to support this theory.
Mahir was born into a Muslim family and became an Imam in the local mosque. While studying the Koran, he discovered that Jesus, not Mohammed, was going to be his mediator before God on judgment day. He met other followers of Jesus and was baptized.
Mahir stopped wearing his Muslim cap and started sharing about Jesus. But people in his community threatened to kill him. He was forced to flee for his life. While he was gone, a group of men came to his house and killed his younger brother. As a result of great persecution and lack of pastoral support, many new believers turned back to Islam, which broke Mahir’s heart.
Mahir stopped wearing his Muslim cap and started sharing about Jesus. But people in his community threatened to kill him. He was forced to flee for his life. While he was gone, a group of men came to his house and killed his younger brother. As a result of great persecution and lack of pastoral support, many new believers turned back to Islam, which broke Mahir’s heart.
After lots of prayer, Mahir decided to start pastoring a network of housechurches that stays within the culture of Islam as Christians. This enables them to befriend Muslims and show them they care about them. They point out what the Koran says about Jesus. When the time is right, they show them what the Bible says about Jesus. In this way, they’re able to have close contact with the lost in the Islamic culture. This mission strategy is often referred to as an insider movement.
Praise God for how he is working through Mahir and the insider movement. Pray that more Muslims in Bangladesh will turn to Jesus, as Mahir and his network befriend them and share the truth from the Bible.