| Muslims find Christ through dreams and visions |
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"In the last days," says God, "I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions." (Joel 2:28)
 Throughout the Muslim world men and women without knowledge of the gospel or contact among Christians have experienced dreams and visions of Jesus Christ. The reports of these supernatural occurrences often come from 'closed countries' where there is no preaching of the good news and where converting to Christianity can invoke the death sentence. But these are more than just dreams. Setting them apart is the intense reality of the experience and the surrender of one's heart and mind to Christ in the wake of the dream. A common denominator appears to be that the dreams come to those who are seeking - as best they can - to know and please God.
FIVE IMPACTING STORIES
Khalil, a radical Egyptian terrorist, changed from a murderous 'Saul' to a forgiving 'Paul'. He set out to discredit the Bible but could not; and although he despised Christians and Jews, his heart was changed forever when the Savior appeared to him in a dream that penetrated his soul.
Khosrow, a teenager in Iran, despaired of life itself. That is, until he experienced a vision of Jesus Christ. In the vision, Christ extended his hand toward Khosrow, inviting him to take hold and promising him that his "life would change forever." Khosrow took Jesus' hand and, as he describes it, "waves of electricity flowed through my body over and over again. I wept for the first time since I was a child and joy filled my heart."
Dini also came to faith in Christ as a teenager in her native Indonesia. Feeling let down by family, friends and society and drifting into rebellion, Dini nonetheless yearned to know God and please him. On the night of Lailatur Qodar, when Muslims around the world make individualized prayers to Allah, Dini experienced a vision of Jesus Christ, who appeared before her and told her to follow him. Dini was hesitant. As a Muslim, she realized that following Christ would make her a Christian. But she overcame her fear and committed her life to Christ that same night. Peace filled her heart, even as persecution began.
Mohammed of northern Nigeria did not have just one dream of Jesus Christ - he had seven! Son of a prominent Fulani herdsman, Mohammed had studied the Qur'an in depth at several Muslim schools and was preparing to leave for advanced studies in Saudi Arabia when he experienced the series of dreams that convinced him of the deep love and lordship of Jesus Christ. Although his father tried to kill him in the wake of his conversion, Mohammed survived the various attempts on his life and persevered in his Christian walk, eventually leading his father to faith in Christ.
Ali grew up in an area of Turkey heavily influenced by communist ideology. As a boy, he talked to a god he surmised must be there, as evidenced by the beauty of the natural world around him. Married at a young age, he became an alcoholic. Desperate for a solution to his addiction, Ali went to Saudi Arabia to work in construction, reasoning that he would have to quit drinking because alcohol was forbidden there. To his dismay, friends showed him where to buy liquor on the night of his arrival. Not willing to give up easily, Ali made the pilgrimage to Mecca in hopes that God would free him of his addiction to alcohol and lead him in the way of a true and better Muslim. While sleeping a stone's throw from the Ka'aba, Ali experienced a dream of Jesus Christ that changed him forever.
MORE THAN DREAMS PROJECT
Beginning in 2002, a group of people interested in this phenomenon took initial steps in bringing it to the attention of a worldwide audience through a series of video programs. Numerous on-site interviews were conducted with former Muslims who had experienced a dream or vision of Jesus resulting in their conversion to Christianity. The project's goal was to create versions of these stories in multiple languages, and, in league with ministry partners around the world, disseminate the product globally both to evangelize unbelievers and encourage those who have already experienced a dream or vision of Jesus that they are not alone.
To date, the entire series has aired several times in Arabic on satellite TV across the Middle East and North Africa. It is also currently airing in Farsi on a satellite channel broadcasting to Iran and the Iranian Diaspora in Europe. Broadcasts are planned for other language versions as they are completed. However, due to the nature of 'More Than Dreams', the producers are putting more emphasis on physical distribution in DVD and VCD format than on broadcast of the series. In fact, they have set a goal of distributing ten million copies directly and through partnerships in the next three to five years.
Source: Lausanne movement
Video website: www.morethandreams.tv
C O L O P H O N
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 10 August 2010 14:21 |
