Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada and welcome to Joni and Friends.
Ethiopia is a most unusual country. It is a sub-Sahara country tucked up under the belt of Islamic nations that stretch all across the north part of Africa. Ethiopia is the only Christian country in that region – unlike its neighbors Sudan and Egypt, it holds a proud connection to the Bible. Ethiopia is the ancient land of Sheba. It’s where the Queen of Sheba came from, also the Ethiopian eunuch whom Phillip had led to Christ in the book of Acts. He was the one who took the Gospel back to his country and, to this day, the nation considers itself to be truly an ancient Christian land. And this is what makes its Muslim neighbors very unhappy. In fact, the Islamic countries surrounding this ancient, biblical land have targeted Ethiopia to turn it into a Muslim country.
One evangelical Ethiopian pastor explained it this way. He told me that recently a mosque had been built in his community. When this pastor encountered the mutallah – the spiritual leader at the mosque – when the pastor saw him one day in town, he asked him, “Why did you build this mosque here? Nobody will come to it… nobody will attend prayer services. This is a Christian community,” to which the mutallah slowly replied, “Ah, yes, I realize no one yet attends our mosque. But your children will grow up seeing this mosque, they will grow up in its shadow – and their children will attend our mosque.”
The pastor said it gave him shivers. And it struck within him the same ominous note of warning that it probably strikes in you. You don’t have to look far to see that other religions – especially the religion of Islam – are fully and completely committed to changing the thinking, the culture, the hearts and minds and souls of people in non-Islamic nations. And actually, it really is all about that word “culture.” It is the culture of Christianity, which can include individual freedoms and liberties… plus it is the culture of the West, and all the not-so-good-things which often go with that! It’s the culture that Islam hopes to change…
But there is a positive note to this story. You see, this evangelical pastor from Ethiopia has now been energized – as many pastors which have seen the influx of Islam into Ethiopia – these pastors are passionate about going out into the streets and alleys, the highways and byways… they have been reignited by Jesus’ words in Matthew 28 where he says, “Go and make disciples of all nations…” Friends, we can never rest, we cannot become lax. The clarion call is loud and clear. We’ve got to take the Gospel… go and make disciples and spread the Good News.Not only in Ethiopia, but here in the United States. For all it takes for our adversary to win the hearts and minds of people is for good men and women to do nothing. That’s a lesson I learned while in Ethiopia. But it’s a lesson for us all.
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