Abdul* a middle-class Muslim living in the Near East was curious. A few weeks prior he had received a New Testament, had been reading it and wanted some help studying and understanding it.
Abdul called John* who had given him the book and asked if he could come over and study the Bible with him. When John got there, he realized that Abdul was not entirely literate; he could pick up bits and pieces but could not read enough to understand. As they studied the Bible together, Abdul became more interested, and John realized that he needed better resources for his next visit.
When John returned a few weeks later he was surprised to find that Abdul had invited four of his friends over, all with their wives, in order to study the Bible. What John had expected to be a one-on-one Bible study was now a group of 10!
John supplied the group with an MP3 player with an audio Bible on it in Arabic. From his training with OM, John suggested the model of a “discovery group,” in which the group listens to the passage and then each person in turn re-tells the story a few times to the others in order to get a firm grasp of the passage. They then would sit and discuss the passage, usually starting with a simple question such as, “What was your favouite part from the passage?”
Abdul was so enthusiastic that he began to lead the group. Therefore, the group continued when John was away. Every week the group of 10 friends met together, and over time Abdul’s heart softened to the Lord. He committed his life to Jesus.
As Abdul continued to lead the Bible study, he became more and more courageous. He now asks challenging questions like, “Would the Prophet Muhammad do things like this?”
John still meets with Abdul and disciples him, but the group is now self-sustained. Now, a year and half after the group started, it continues to meet in Abdul’s house and listen to the MP3 player every week. Abdul will soon be baptized.
Please pray that Abdul and his friends remain faithful and begin to reach out to the community around them. Praise God for the work He has done in and through Abdul and John.
*Name changed
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