"I'll fleece you and turn your skin into shoes," Rahim told the pastor.
Thirty years later, the two reunited as brothers in Christ. Rahim is one of a rapidly growing number of believers from Muslim backgrounds in Bangladesh.
From a baptism in Bangladesh.
Originally written by Ingvar Isene.
“I’m very inspired by Paul. If I die for my service for the gospel, I will be saved. Not matter what happens, it will be a good thing,” says Mehedi.
Through the Christian network he leads in Bangladesh, Mehedi is one of Stefanus Alliance International’s close partners.
Mehedi had already paid a high price to follow Jesus. When he came to faith, his village turned on him and he had to flee. He had the support of his family, but they too were exposed due to Mehedi’s faith. The people in the village threatened to attack and burn down the house his family lived in. To shield them, Mehedi left.
At university, he studied literature. Despite the persecution he had experienced, Mehedi was unafraid, and boldly continued to preach the gospel on campus. One of those to whom he witnessed was Rahim, who was not at all receptive to what he heard.
"Stop! Stop talking about this nonsense, you idiotic Christian. If you ever come here again, I will rip the skin off your back and make shoes from it. Don't you dare forget!"
Most people would probably steer clear after that type of interaction. But not Mehedi.
He continued to pray for Rahim, telling him about his faith and doing kind things for him. Before the year was up, Rahim came to Mehedi, asked him for forgiveness for his conduct, and said he wanted to accept Jesus as his personal Savior.
This happened in 1990. In the years to follow, Mehedi and Rahim lost contact with one another. Mehedi was commissioned to go from district to district to preach the gospel, and was too poor to travel back to visit those he had left behind.
In 2006, he finally returned to the village where he met Rahim, and tried to find him. But Rahim had been persecuted and forced to leave his village. He was gone without a trace.
Many more years passed. Suddenly, a friend request appeared on Facebook: it was Rahim.
After nearly 30 years, the men reestablished contact, with great joy. This summer, the two men finally were reunited, a moment Rahim had awaited for many, many years.
They met in the early morning, and spent the entire day together, praying and sharing the ways God had faithfully stood by each of them.
Rahim comes from a poor and simple background. But that was no obstacle for God. Through all these years, since he first came to know Christ, he has steadfastly witnessed and told others about his faith in Jesus. While much of his energy has been spent simply providing for his family, he has personally led approximately 65 people to Jesus.
At the time of writing this, Rahim leads a group of 22 candidates who are in preparation for baptism.
Rahim has mostly been alone in his ministry. After reuniting with Mehedi, he gained a Christian fellowship and a real network. Now, the people he has faithfully shepherded will join Alor Jatree, the network of congregations that Stefanus Alliance International’s partner Mehedi directs. (For security reasons, Mehedi is not his real name.)
As Mehedi and I chat over a mediocre phone connection, I feel challenged. I know that I would have pulled away from Rahim. I would have thought, “if you don’t want to hear from me, then so be it”. But not Mehedi. He reminds me of Jesus’ words, “love your enemy”.
The Spirit of God empowered Mehedi to do exactly that, to love his enemy. His choice, to put faith and forgiveness over his own fear, was what led Rahim to faith – along with his family and the 65 other people that he shepherds today.