Ismayil,* a disciple-maker and graduate of the REACH Caucasus discipleship programme, lives in western Azerbaijan. One day, while fishing, he met a young man named Hasan,* who comes from a strict Shia Muslim background. His family practises rituals such as self-beating during certain months to honour Islamic saints. Although Hasan’s family is opposed to Jesus, Hasan decided to follow Jesus through Ismayil’s guidance.
For several weeks, Ismayil encouraged Hasan to share his new faith with his friends and family, reminding him of the promise in Acts 16:31: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household” (NIV). This verse led Hasan to bravely share the good news with his mother.
Hasan’s mother, who, like many older ladies in Azerbaijan, does not read well, had never had the opportunity to engage with the Bible on her own. To help her understand, Ismayil and Hasan showed her a video of a Bible story. The video told the story from Matthew chapter 2 of Jesus and his parents’ flight to Egypt to escape Herod’s cruelty.
After watching, Ismayil and Hasan asked her some simple but meaningful questions: “What did you learn about God? What did you learn about people? What stood out to you in the story? How would you like to obey Jesus today? Who needs to hear this story?”
Much to their surprise, Hasan’s mother became excited. She found the story fascinating and asked: “Why did Jesus have to suffer so much? Wouldn’t God protect Him?” Her curiosity showed that the message had touched her heart and that she wanted to learn more about Jesus. Even more encouraging, she said she would share the video with her upstairs neighbour.
Although Hasan’s mother has not yet decided to follow Jesus, she is open to the gospel and is happy to host Hasan and Ismayil in her home. Hasan continues to share his faith boldly. He regularly goes prayer walking in his city to reach new seekers of Jesus, and he recently started a new Bible study group there.
It is inspiring to see people like Hasan and his mother — ordinary individuals — being moved by the good news and sharing it with others. Through simple tools, like a video, God is working in incredible ways.
*name changed
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