“Come with me to the dargha,” said the man in the café.
Alex and his teammate Nathan had only just met the man. But in the hospitality characteristic of the culture, the near stranger didn’t hesitate to invite the Frontiers workers into his life.
The three men left the café and walked to the dargha, a shrine that served as the spiritual heart of the Muslim neighborhood.
In the center of the large, white-tiled courtyard of the dargha stood a small structure—a tomb of a saint who was believed to be especially close to God. Muslims come and pray at the shrine, asking the saint to be their mediator before God. Sitting close to the tomb, men and women pray for deliverance from infertility, curses, financial debt, illness, relationship woes, and all sorts of other problems.
Alex and Nathan sat nearby while their new friend prayed. After he completed his prayers, he introduced the two men to other worshiper, several who wore white robes and caps. They invited Alex and Nathan to join them for a cup of tea in a corner of the large courtyard.
“You believe the saint in this tomb is one of many mediators between us and God,” Alex said as he sipped a second cup of tea. The men nodded and agreed that people need a mediator to go before God on their behalves.
“But you’re missing one important truth,” Alex offered. “Jesus Christ is the only mediator who can come before God.” He shared from 1 Timothy 2:4-6, explaining how
[God our Savior] desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time
One man responded, “What we believe is that Jesus was a messenger.”
“It is good that you believe He was a messenger,” Alex affirmed. “And we have His message.”
Alex began to share the message of Jesus Christ, the only one who intervenes between God and men. The men listened intently, eager to hear about a mediator who could offer true hope.
- Praise God for Alex and Nathan’s opportunity to share the wonderful truth of Jesus Christ and His message.
- Pray that the Word will take root in the lives of Muslim men’s and bear eternal fruit.
- Pray for wisdom for field workers as they share the Gospel, and ask God to lead them to men and women who hunger for the truth.
**This account comes from a long-term worker. Names and places have been changed for security.**
Original article: https://www.frontiersusa.org/blog/article/the-message-and-the-mediator
Main photo by Arian Zwegers