Parviz found a place to sit in the small apartment full of unfamiliar faces. The room smelled of foreign food instead of the aromatic spices he was used to, and the scent made him feel even more out of place.

His younger brother, Karim, had been coming to this group to study the Injil since meeting Aaron, a Jesus follower and long-term Frontiers field worker, a few months before. The group had connected him with several local believers who also helped him learn how to live out his new faith.

At first, Parviz thought Karim’s interest in a new religion showed weakness of mind and conscience. He considered it yet another reason to criticize Karim, who often wasted time on fruitless pursuits then quickly lost interest. Parviz, on the other hand, worked hard on his career and saved his money to make sure he set himself up for success.

But as he watched his younger brother spend time reading about Jesus, Parviz saw a new maturity in Karim. He no longer spent hours browsing online and stopped wasting money on his whims and revolving door of acquaintances. 

Because of the changes he saw in his brother, Parviz had finally accepted Karim’s invitation to study the Injil with his friends.

“You must be Parviz! So glad you could make it. I’m Aaron.” A tall man smiled and held out his hand, and Parviz shook it.

The welcome put him at ease, and he returned Aaron’s smile. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m so thankful for the kindness you’ve shown my brother.”

“Of course.” Aaron grinned. “I’m glad you decided to come with him today.”

Parviz nodded. “Although our family likes to read and learn new things, we are not devoutly religious. But since Karim met you, I’ve seen him reading the Injil day after day. It has changed his life and his attitude in a very good way.” He looked across the room at his little brother, who laughed with another man over a cup of tea. “He’s been telling me about what he learns here. I want to hear more for myself.”

Parviz was intrigued by what he heard from the Injil that night. Every day after, he joined Karim in studying the scriptures and was eager to get to Aaron’s house to discuss new insights with the group each week.

Eventually, he decided to commit his life to Jesus. He was excited to break the news to Aaron. “I thought I was strong enough to handle anything on my own,” he admitted. “Anything I wanted, I would work hard until I accomplished it. But the more I found success, the more stressed I felt. The anxiety of trying to control everything was terrible. But now I see that without Jesus, I was actually weak.” He smiled. “Because I trust Jesus, I no longer feel so much pressure and fear.”

A few weeks later, Parviz and Karim were baptized. Together, they continue to study the Injil with Aaron and other believers and grow in their faith in Jesus.

Pray:

• Praise God for Karim’s boldness in sharing the good news of Jesus with his family.
• Pray that Karim and Parviz will mature in their faith and share the Good News with others in their community.
• Ask that Aaron and his team would see great fruit come from their ministry to Muslims in their community.

**This account comes from a long-term worker. Names and places have been changed for security.**

Main photo on iStock

Original article: https://frontiersusa.org/blog/brought-his-brother/