“If the news about Jesus is so good, who needs to hear about it?” Matt asked Rashad. “Who might God have you share it with?”
Rashad thought of his co-workers. He decided to invite them to study the Bible with him. But then fear crept in. He grew apprehensive, and for the next several months he avoided Matt, a Frontiers worker who had been discipling this young follower of Jesus.
Recently, Rashad came back to Matt, “God will not let me go,” he said. “I have to start this Bible study. Would you help me?”
They met and prayed. Rashad still had fear, but his passion for Jesus and his desire to follow Him was twice as strong as before.
Rashad got permission to host the Bible study at his workplace after hours. He invited several colleagues to join him the following Friday night.
That Friday, only two people showed up, his boss and another colleague, both of whom came from Christian backgrounds. From the start of the study they argued with Rashad. His boss sidetracked the reading of the passage and they both grilled Rashad about the value of trying to reach the lost.
Rashad could have easily folded under the pressure. But their arguments had the opposite effect, galvanizing his conviction. “God calls us to reach the lost,” he declared passionately, “so that’s what I must do.”
Rashad was not disheartened after the study. More than ever, he was determined to get others into God’s word.
A couple days later, his boss confronted him and forbade him from using the workplace for Bible study meetings. Someone else offered Rashad a space, but his boss intervened to ensure that the offer was withdrawn.
Matt and Rashad spent the following weeks searching for a café or other space to accommodate the study. Matt worried that Rashad would end up discouraged. Instead, the struggle strengthened his determination. He found joy and excitement in persevering to do the will of God in spite of opposition.
“Here is a local guy who is hungry for discipleship and is eager to start a Bible study group,” Matt reflected. “But the problem is that he can’t find a good place to gather.” It’s a great problem to have: a local believer driven to seek God’s solution for getting the Word into people’s hands.
Rashad has since found a café to host weekly Bible studies, and he has been helping a group of several people discover God’s word for themselves.
Matt thanks God for how Rashad is growing in trust and spiritual maturity. “I’m really proud of him and how he’s letting God use him!” It’s encouraging to see that even in the face of hostility, there is hope for the faithful.
**This account comes from a field worker. Names have been changed for security.**
Original article: www.frontiersusa.org/blog/article/the-hope-in-hostility
