CBN Reports Visions of Jesus Prompting Muslim Conversions Amid Middle East Conflict
Pastor Nihad lay in a Syrian prison cell less than a meter wide, his hands numb and his body racked with pain from the cramped space. He had read about Jesus healing the lame, so he asked for help if Jesus was real. In a vision a figure in white entered carrying a bowl of olive oil, poured it over him, and eased the pain while saying he was beloved. Nihad had received a book by Billy Graham before his arrest and had read the prayer of salvation at the end. That simple act seemed to open something in him. Six months after the vision he was released from prison. He now travels to churches to tell what happened and how those words still comfort him. Nihad is one of several former Kurdish Muslims who gathered with Pastor Georges Houssney in Seoul, South Korea, to share their stories. Houssney has worked with Muslim communities for more than fifty years, especially Kurds. In 1973 he helped translate the Bible into the Kurdish language so people could read it for themselves. Today he sees growing openness among nearly forty million Kurds living across several countries. During the 2011 Syrian refugee crisis, two million people crossed into Lebanon with no work or money. Houssney’s teams set up tables with Scriptures in the streets and invited people to centers. What began with twenty people grew into thousands who chose to follow Christ. Houssney notes that every major conflict brings fresh movement toward Jesus. People become disillusioned with leaders and teachings that produce destruction, and they look elsewhere for hope. He points to the influence of figures such as Khamenei and Bin Laden as factors that pushed many to ask why they followed a path of war. After the interview with CBN News, Fox News also spoke with Houssney at a gathering of Middle East Christian broadcasters. Those broadcasters reported that more than five million Muslims in Iran have turned to Christianity in recent years, with numbers rising again this year because of the fighting. Houssney’s prayer is that enough workers will be sent to help new believers grow strong in their faith.