Two months ago, my teammate and I sat with our Muslim friend Shafiq in the waiting room. The doctor had told Shafiq that his infected finger needed to be amputated. But we knew there was another option. We prayed in Jesus’ name, and God miraculously healed him!

Shortly afterward, Shafiq asked me for a Bible. He’s employed as the night guard on our street, and he wanted to read it during his shifts in front of our house. “I want to learn more about having an intimate relationship with God,” he explained.

So, I brought him a Bible in his language one evening while he and his teenage nephew were sitting outside our front gate. Shafiq took it and began reading Genesis out loud. He didn’t seem to mind that people were walking up and down our busy street. He finished the first chapter, then handed the book to his nephew who read two more chapters.

“Now we will discuss the meaning,” Shafiq announced once his nephew had finished. For half an hour, the three of us talked about what the chapters teach us about God and how we can live differently in response. Then Shafiq bookmarked Genesis 4 and said, “We will think about this, and then we’ll start here next time.”

Since then, we’ve been watching Shafiq grow in his confidence in God’s goodness. He reads the Word every night and has not stopped sharing Bible stories. He often invites others to join him in reading God’s Word. Two of our neighbors have started studying it with him. They put prayer caps on their heads and sit in front of our house to read and discuss the Bible.

The other night, I found the shopkeeper from across the street sitting in our driveway, listening as Shafiq passionately shared about God’s fatherly love.

“A father doesn’t give a stone to his child when he asks for bread,” he explained to the shopkeeper. “We are sinful people, but how much more is God’s love for us!”

Shafiq has even been making audio recordings of himself reading the Psalms and stories of Jesus. “It’s so I can listen to it on repeat throughout the day and let others listen, too,” he explained.

Sunday nights, Shafiq and I meet to pray together and encourage each other. It’s a joy to add a little more each time to what God has started in my friend. He hasn’t yet fully given his life to Jesus, but the Lord is doing remarkable things in his life.

“God has done so much for me through Jesus Christ,” Shafiq recently shared as tears rolled down his face. “I could never pay back even one percent of what He’s done!”

• Pray for Shafiq as he grows in faith and learns from the Word.
• Ask God to draw many Muslims to the truth as Shafiq tells them about what he’s learning from the Bible.
• Pray that Frontiers workers would have daily opportunities to share Jesus Christ with Muslims who have never heard about Him.

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

Original article: https://www.frontiersusa.org/blog/article/streetside-bible-studies