Muslim, but open to the gospel
by Jon Konnerup
Rina’s dad was near death and almost in a coma. His time was short. While her Muslim family was reading the Quran to him during his last moments, Rina was whispering in his ear, “Don’t listen to them, dad. Remember what I told you. All you have to do is believe in Jesus.” She kept whispering louder and louder as the readings by her family continued. It was not long until Rina’s dad passed on into eternity. Where he is today, Rina is not sure — she can only hope.
This is what it’s like for many Christians who live in the country of Indonesia, the fourth largest populated nation with 240.3 million people. Although it’s home to the world’s largest Muslim population, it is open to the gospel. Since the mid ‘70s, it has been illegal to pass out Christian tracts or visit people house to house. However, there are still limitless opportunities to present the gospel in a country many have considered to be closed.
Today there are two BBFI missionary families serving in Indonesia. Tom and Janice Crawford were the first to enter in 1973. Larry and Nancy Quinlan arrived 22 years ago.
Considering the large population of Indonesia, it’s amazing how few independent Baptist missionaries have served there throughout the years. In January 2010, BBFI President Mark Hodges and I had the opportunity to visit Indonesia and to speak at a pastors’ conference attended by over 175 pastors, missionaries, and Christian workers. Their zeal and commitment was heart stirring, to say the least, as they often face enormous hostility.
Satan is not happy that the light of Jesus is shining in one of his long-time strongholds. Sometimes church buildings are closed down; however, the church (the people) just moves to another location and continues following their Savior. The churches I attended all shared a strong desire for more missionaries, more training of national pastors and leaders, and a deep commitment to reach their country for Christ.
The world’s third largest mosque is located in Jakarta, the capitol city of Indonesia. Every day, five times a day, one can hear the calls to prayer coming from numerous mosques all over the city. Every time I heard these calls to prayer I was reminded of Jesus’ call to prayer in Matthew 9:37-38, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” I wonder if we are as faithful in our prayers to the only true and living God as they are to a false god.
During my entire visit, my prayer was for more laborers to go to this seemingly “closed” country that, in reality, is a wide-open country. Indonesia has more than 300 ethnic groups and over 17,000 islands, one of which is the world’s most-populated island. Their language is believed to be one of the easier languages to learn since it uses the Latin alphabet. God is as compassionate toward the Indonesian held captive for centuries as He is toward anyone else in the world. I believe He is calling someone to share the wonderful story of His love with these millions to ultimately set them free from captivity and bondage to sin.
Will we be moved with the same compassion that Jesus had for those He saw as lost without a shepherd? We know the time is short and the believers in Indonesia are calling for help — help to reach their friends and families so they won’t feel the hopelessness when they pass on into eternity.