As events unfold in Afghanistan and we continue to pray for our suffering brothers and sisters, we also remember the powerful ways God has worked to strengthen His people in the region before difficulties come. One such testimony is below:
Read these words from M. E. Shahid, [1] a Christian man in the Middle East:
“Since [TMAI’s] training ministry started at our church, I personally have seen and experienced its impact on some church members. I’ve seen young men growing in faith, more serious in ministry, and drastic change in lives, attitudes, and tempers. Their love and respect to God’s word was very apparent in their lives. Over and above all, I’ve seen young people dedicating their time, resources, and efforts to study the word, marching forward with amazing determination to serve God and preach His word.
Honestly, by looking in their eyes and watching their lives I could feel and see the changes that training made in their lives. All this was the push that led me to join [TMAI]; now I am also experiencing the blessings of better understanding God’s word.”
Honestly, by looking in their eyes and watching their lives, I could feel and see the changes that training made in their lives. All this was the push that led me to join [TMAI]; now I am also experiencing the blessings of better understanding God’s word. Shahid isn’t surrounded by sound Christian materials in the Middle East, but notice how God caught his attention. In his case, God didn’t use Christian books or Christian broadcasts. Instead, He used Christian brothers—He changed lives in the local church.
The men in Shahid’s midst—his own brothers—were so transformed from their training at TMAI that Shahid could clearly read in their lives what God wrote in their hearts (Hebrews 8:10). The grace in their demeanors, the focus in their eyes, and the love in their lives all combined like the lines of a letter. As Paul said of the Corinthian saints, “You are our letter… known and read by all men…you are a letter of Christ…written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God” (2 Corinthians 3:2–3). And as Shahid read his brothers like books, it drew him deeper into the Bible than he’d ever been.
Since joining TMAI’s program, Shahid writes:
“Studying and training with [TMAI] made a huge difference in my life. It rejuvenated my spiritual life, and I have a more serious commitment to the Lord and His church. Reading and discussing the word of God led me to live with a very deep conviction in God’s sovereignty—the Almighty God chose me for His kingdom and leads me daily by His grace.”
The depth of Shahid’s God-given conviction has proven itself in recent months, as one missionary wrote:
“In the last year, Shahid’s wife has been diagnosed with cancer, he lost most of his savings as the economy collapsed, and he’s had to leave his job. Yet, amidst these hardships, he continues to come to class, prepare sermons, and is a joy to be around.”
Amidst great loss, Shahid’s enduring service and joy in Christ has become its own letter and witness to the world.
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Thank You for Supporting Christians in the Middle East
Shahid is currently enrolled at TMAI’s only training center in the Arab world. While the school’s two locations have only been operating for a few years, the gospel impact is already tangible. In God’s grace, your support has helped to shape Shahid’s life forever—along with many around him. Even now, thanks to your support, plans are in motion to strengthen this school’s second location. All of this contributes to the expansion of the gospel across the region. Thank you for your many prayers and provisions for Christians in the Middle East.
To learn more about this new training location, please click HERE.
[1] Individual and institutional names have been altered for security considerations.
