Dear Muslim friend,
Allow me to introduce myself to you. My name is Joseph Abraham. Having come to the truth after many years of searching, I believe God is leading me
to share with others what He has done for me through His holy Word --
the Bible. Pleas be patient in reading my letter.
I am Egyptian by birth, born in a Muslim home. My father was a Muslim priest (sheikh)
and a teacher of Islam in Cairo, Egypt until his death. My family took
pride in their Islamic heritage, for almost all my ancestors were Muslim
clergy. In the early years of my life I was looked upon as a future
Muslim priest. Therefore my family sent me to a Quranic school from the
age of six or seven.
When I was still very young, I started asking questions about God, His judgment, His truth, man's eternal
destiny, etc. Since I was only a child, my questions brought mockery
from others. Such treatment did not help, but only discouraged me. I
lived in despair and hopelessness because my soul was seeking something
Islam did not provide.
My Islamic background was rather shallow and superficial. My father, as a sheikh, memorized almost all the Quran,
and encouraged me to do the same, whether I understood it or not. Thus I
became a mechanically religious young boy, while my heart was dry, like
a desert that seemed endless and hopeless.
Like most Muslims, I lived in a traditional Muslim neighborhood, where I heard the thundering
voice of the calls to worship Allah, five times a day. We celebrated
the Islamic holidays religiously.
I was taught that Islam was the final religion, which cancelled Judaism and Christianity, and that
Christians worship three gods. I was taught also that Christians had
corrupted the "original" Bible, which -- supposedly -- once contained
references to the prophet of Islam. Islam also denies the death, burial,
and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But there was never any serious
attempt to explain the ground of such claims.
When I reached my teens the desire to know which religion is true grew in me. Because
questioning Islam is not tolerated in a Muslim nation, my questions and
investigations became rather on a private basis. But later many found
out about my curiosity. They threw harsh accusations at me: I was called
"mentally unstable" and "idiot". Still others claimed that I was under
the influence of an anti-Islam organization. Muslims made my life so
intolerable that I wished to die. All I wanted to know is the truth.
In my early twenties I started searching again. Among the questions that
concerned me were: Where will I go after I die? Don't I have the right
to know my eternal destiny? Why do Muslims so strongly reject discussing
their own religion? Does God want people to be blind to their destiny?
How can I know that Islam is the only true religion?
Having no help from anyone, I began to read books about philosophy and psychology,
some of which promoted atheism. But denying God never silenced the
inward seeking to know the truth. I was encouraged to hold to fatalism
and apathy, but that made things worse. My soul still desperately sought
the ultimate reality of our spiritual destiny and God's eternal truth.
It bothered me to realize that I was considered a Muslim just because I
was born to Muslim parents and lived in a Muslim nation. No choice was
given me: no chance was offered me to examine and find the truth. Worst
of all, many Muslims I knew (including my own family) were Muslims
simply by heritage. I hardly saw any Muslim making a serious and
diligent attempt to investigate their religion with hearts opened to the
truth.
In 1968, while I was reading a certain book, I ran into some verses from the Bible which greatly attracted me. These verses
spoke with authority about a Man whose name was Jesus Christ. This Man
said to the world, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh
unto the Father but by me." John 14:6
Dozens of questions jammed my head: Then what about the prophet of Islam? Why do Muslims never
speak of Jesus Christ in this manner? They always speak of the prophet
of Islam. Who is the "Father"? How can God be called "Father"? Who is
His wife? What about Islam, which claims to be the ultimate truth? After
all how can I trust the Bible, which Muslims claim is "corrupted"? And
many more.
While reading more of the same book I came to other statements by this same Man, Jesus Christ, who said, "Come unto me all
ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew
11:28 I had sought rest for many years, and this Jesus claimed to be the
source of rest, and invited others to come to Him.
At that time I had never had a Bible; I had never seen one. Then secretly I asked a
professing Christian to lend me a Bible so I could read more about this
Man who claims such authority.
About the same time I had heard about an American evangelist who was visiting Egypt. With great
eagerness I sneaked secretly into a Protestant church to hear his
messages from the Bible. Because he knew no Arabic, he spoke through an
interpreter. I heard things I had never heard before. I had never
realized that the Bible is the source of God's eternal truth.
In the past I had read and memorized passages from the Quran. I learned
Islam for years, but God never spoke to me through its teachings. In
contrast, when I read verses or heard messages from the Bible there was a
different voice speaking a different message with a different
authority.
I gathered the courage to go forward to the preacher to tell me more about Christ and the Bible. I asked him if a Muslim
could also have access to the Bible and the heavenly Father. Could I
too, know for sure about eternal life, forgiveness of sin, escape from
hell, and becoming a child of God?
The preacher shared with me John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life." This verse alone has the answer to all religions. God
sent His Son to die in our behalf because of the sin of all mankind. It
takes only believing this truth to escape eternal hell. God did that
out of love and the goodness of His heart; but also because He is a
righteous judge. The judgment of God requires a penalty for sin. "The
wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23a But God is also merciful; that is
why he gives us the alternative: "but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23b
The simple truth was too good to be true -- but it is true, because it is God's Word. I
could not ignore God's call to me -- "Come, come, come." "Today, if you
hear His voice, harden not your heart." Hebrews 3:7-8 And the more I
read and heard the quotations from the Bible, the more I became
convinced that God was speaking to me personally.
God's Word continued addressing my heart. "How shall we escape if we neglect so
great salvation?" Hebrews 2:3 There is no escape from God's eternal
judgment on sinful man unless they come to acknowledge Who Jesus Christ
is, and what He did for them. God gave a warning in case I hesitated to
believe His Word: "Behold, now is the accepted time, behold now is the
day of salvation." II Corinthians 6:2 That simply means that tomorrow
can be too late. To reject Christ as Savior of the whole world brings
the judgment of God, who provided His Son to take our place on the cross
of Calvary. Does it matter what all other religions teach? No. Why?
Because God's eternal truth does not change.
Finally, after years of agony I was led to the truth, the Lord -- my Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ. He is God; He is the truth; He is the giver of life; He is the
only way of salvation.
Dear Muslim friend, remember, you will stand some day before the throne of God, just by yourself. Would you be
able to stand God's judgment?
Christians -- those who believe Christ as their Savior -- are no longer under God's judgment, because
God already judged them in the Person of Christ. He died for them. Well,
He died for you too.
Now, may I ask you, what would stop you from telling God right now that you are a sinner and that you want
Christ to save you? Trust Him as your Savior right now. Then there would
be joy in heaven for the salvation of your precious soul.
I searched for truth for years, until God reached out of heaven and sent
His servant the preacher to lead me to Christ. God is doing that now.
You too can know the truth and enjoy the same spiritual freedom I have.
"...and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."
John 8:32
Dear Muslim friend, come join us in the spiritual freedom we have in Christ our Lord, and let us hear from you so we can
rejoice with you.
Sincerely,
Joseph Abraham
Posted By: DAVID JOHNSON
Thursday, September 9th 2010 at 10:04AM
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