BEYOND BB

At 16, Alim from Central Asia left his home for college. Most of his roommates were Muslims and prayed 5 times a day. Alim did not join them. His roommates asked why he didn’t pray the Muslim prayers. Alim saw this as an opportunity to share about Jesus. They asked Alim lots of questions about his faith and everything seemed fine... Until the summons came: The director wants to see you.

The director’s questions were aggressive, ‘Why are you sharing about Jesus and the Gospel? Why do you reject the Quran and Islam? Who sent you here to turn the students to your religion? Did your parents give you religious books to distribute here?’

From that day, teachers kept him under watch. Friends vanished. Extra chores piled up. Alone, stressed and exhausted, Alim wondered how much more he could take. Yet, some teachers came to Alim in secret, sharing their difficulties and asking how God could help them.

The director’s anger boiled over. He called Alim’s parents saying, ‘I will write a complaint about you to the city administration. You raised Alim as a strong leader, he can convince anybody, if I would speak to him longer, I would believe too! He should be isolated from people! Take him away from here!’

Alim was expelled and enrolled in a new college. He is now more careful of who he shares his faith with but still has the same passion for sharing the Gospel. He says, ‘I can’t stop talking about Him to others. I see that they need Him.’

There are 380 million Christians, just like Alim, who face persecuted for their faith in Jesus. Many of them, like Alim, are young men- just like you, who choose to follow Jesus, even when it costs everything.

In Matthew 16:24, Jesus says ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.’

For Jesus audience in Matthew 16, the cross wasn’t a symbol of hope like it is today, it was a symbol of death. Not just any death, the worst death imaginable. Jesus couldn’t be any clearer. Following him means giving everything, even our lives to him. No turning back.  Alim took this call seriously, taking up his cross and sharing the love of Jesus, even when it cost him everything.

If you are heading back into school this term, maybe you could follow in Alim’s footsteps and share your faith with some of your classmates at school. It may feel like a huge sacrifice, a real ‘taking up your cross’ moment. It may feel scary but it’s totally worth it because you may see some of your friends’ lives transformed by the Gospel. You won’t be going alone. Jesus is with you, carrying his own cross alongside you every step of the way.

Head to youth.opendoorsuk.org to hear more stories of brave Christians like Alim, who follow Jesus in the most dangerous places!

Written by Andrew McCartney

Youth Development Manager (Ireland and Scotland), Open Doors UK & Ireland