We Plant Seeds
UPDATES | NORTH AMERICA
June 2022
By a member of SEND’s Diaspora | North America
team
As I knocked on the door of the refugee family, I prayed for an opportunity to share about Jesus with them during our visit. And the courage to do it. I have found that sometimes when there is an opportunity in a conversation to share a story of Jesus, I sometimes let it slip away, and the conversation moves on. I wonder to myself, why do I ever let those brief moments pass by and miss out on an opportunity to gently steer the conversation to share the gospel with someone? Has that ever happened to you? I prayed with new resolve that this time, I would not just have pleasant chatter about current events, but I would indeed bring Jesus into the conversation, and also pray with the individual I was meeting.
As it happened, I did bring Jesus into the conversation and it wasn’t that hard. Especially among Muslims, there is great respect for Jesus, as they consider him a great prophet. Interestingly, there are amazing things said about Jesus in the Quran. Things that are not said about Mohammed. Jesus is called the Word of God. Jesus is said to be born of a virgin. Jesus is said to be sinless. Jesus is especially noted for his miracles. These same things are never said about Mohammed. These are open topics that we can talk about, usually without opposition. Jesus had compassion for men, women, and children. The gospel abounds with stories of his tenderness and love. That is something that everyone needs to hear and people usually respond to it well.
It is a small step to then mention God’s position regarding sin and the seriousness of understanding our own sin and how it separates us from God. And yet, because of God’s great love and compassion towards us, he sent Jesus, who was sinless, to pay the penalty. It is at this point that many times Muslims will object. It happened during my visit too. “There is no way that God would allow Jesus to suffer for my sin, or anyone else’s. Jesus was a great prophet and God would not allow it to happen,” was the strong response from the family I was visiting. I said this is what is written in the Bible, so I have to believe it. We then moved on to other topics such as finding car insurance and getting a car registered and plated. I have continued to tell them stories about Jesus in subsequent visits. They are always polite in listening to them.
We are planting seeds. Hopefully, though this family did not accept the good news this time, they have heard it. We pray for the Holy Spirit to eventually, in his timing, do a work in their hearts.
In our discussions of Jesus, we don’t want to argue or force our opinion. We don’t want to win an argument, lose a friend, and the opportunity to talk about these things another day. We are called to bear witness. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict and change hearts. May God give us courage and strength to be his faithful witnesses.
Additional Posts
When God First Widened My World: Remembering Urbana 1996 I still remember the winter air. It was December 1996, and I was a junior at Oakland University in Rochester Michigan, serving as a small group leader with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship—the ministry that had profoundly shaped my faith since my freshman year. I was growing spiritually, serving faithfully in my local church, and stepping into leadership on campus. Attending Urbana felt like the natural next step. Urbana only happened every three years, and I knew that once I graduated, I might miss the chance altogether. My church believed in that moment enough to cover the cost. They entrusted me—and my campus minister—with a van full of college students, driving from Detroit to Champaign-Urbana during the quiet days between Christmas and New Year’s. I had heard the stories: thousands of students, passionate worship, a clear call to live fully for Jesus. What I encountered exceeded every expectation. A Campus Taken Over by the Kingdom Buses poured in from every direction, unloading students onto a snow- covered campus. Dorm rooms filled. Cafeterias buzzed. The entire university seemed overtaken—not by noise or spectacle, but by a quiet, collective hunger for God. For the first time in my life, I met students from places far beyond Michigan— Harvard, Loyola, Wheaton. My world was expanding in real time. I don’t remember every speaker or session. What I do remember is the unmistakable clarity of the invitation. God was bigger than I had ever imagined. Not just personal. Not just local. He was King of the nations. And there were people—millions of them—who had never heard His name. The question was simple, but it felt weighty: Would I commit my life, in whatever way God asked, to the Great Commission? Explore God’s leading toward the nations with a SEND missions coach.
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