“…We saw Him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is Jesus Christ, the Word of Life…..He was with the Father, and then he was shown to us." Parts of I John 1:1-2
Ayaan has moved away now. Her departure brought a sadness to me because we had grown close to each other. For two years we spent weekly times together developing a sweet friendship which led to her receiving Bible teaching. Ayaan observed my words, character and behavior as one claiming to be a Christ follower. Finally she accepted Christ as her Savior. Our prayer and Bible study times were exciting. We looked into each other’s eyes, hugged each other, cried and laughed with each other. We ate together. There were good days and bad days, highs and lows. We encountered sadness, grief, anger, joy, and mystery together. It’s not been the same since she moved away. We are still united in spirits as sisters in Christ. We have Bible studies and prayer over the phone now but it’s not the same as in person. She is accessing Christian websites and satellite Christian programs on TV in her language which I am thankful for but they don’t provide the human touch. She would love to go to church but so far her husband has not made it easy for her to attend.
I am convinced there is no better witness to Muslims than the incarnate one. Digital witness or discipling cannot give the human touch. It is a convenient way to witness and sometimes proves to be the only possible way for some Muslims to get information or be discipled. However, it troubles me that we who are ministering among Muslims are moving beyond a convincing belief that an incarnate witness in the flesh is really necessary. We are so quickly settling for websites, skyping, virtual church etc. which are all good in themselves and God is using them but, as we use these to reach Muslims far away we may not connect face to face with Muslims living in our vicinity. It seems that the incarnate way is disappearing. It’s too slow, some would say, and doesn’t reach the masses. The world, too, has quickly gone digital and even robotic in many amazing ways. They have a dehumanizing effect. It’s the new normal.
Having had both an incarnate and non-incarnate relationship with Ayaan I have clearly seen that there is really no comparison between the two. For sure all the digital resources are helpful and sometimes necessary but you can’t eat together or love each other in the same way. Even praying together is not the same. When we lose the human touch we lose something very precious. Last night a Canadian lady tried to figure out how I do ministry. I told her I do a lot of home visitation. She could not comprehend that at all. Wow, we are quickly forgetting how to even visit people face to face. So….as I watch everything rapidly changing I am resolved more than ever to not abandon being an incarnate witness. It may go slow and not be far reaching to a wide audience but I am convinced it goes deeper.
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for the incarnate witness of Jesus!
