Dreaming of Jesus

When most of us tell about our conversion to Christ, the story is usually pretty basic.  We grew up in a Christian home, we heard the gospel from our parents or church, we made a decision sometime in our early teens to give our lives to Christ, and we were baptized.  There are plenty of exceptions in American culture, but that’s probably the way most of us became Christians.

So it’s pretty fascinating to read story after story of Muslim converts who had visions or dreams of Jesus that led them to Christ.  I first heard of these through a woman at church who keeps up with foreign missions and persecuted Christians.  I was surprised and a little skeptical.  Then Christianity Today started reporting on the same phenomenon a few years ago.  Their reporter speculated that maybe God works in this way when countries are closed to missionaries.  But it seems to be broader than that.  

The most recent issue of The Christian Chronicle covers the story of the continued immigrant flow coming through Greece and how the Churches of Christ there are ministering to these refugees.  And once again, the same theme recurs.  Muslim after Muslim shows up at a church asking about Christianity because they have seen visions of Jesus.  They know it’s Jesus, and this Jesus in the vision is beckoning to them or calling out to them, pursuing them.  

These are not some sensational missionary stories created to raise support for teaching Muslims.  These stories are coming straight from the Muslims themselves, who are pictured and telling their stories in the articles.  And the missionaries and Americans often have had trouble accepting the legitimacy of the stories at first.  But there are so many that the missionaries and Americans now know they are true.

God moves in a mysterious way, because secular Europe is being inundated by believing Christians who have left Islam.  Who would have ever thought that this is how God would evangelize the Muslims OR the Europeans?  This is the God who redeems ALL things, even war and displacement and immigrant invasions.  

I’m learning that when there’s a disaster or tragedy, just pray and then stay around to see what God does.  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  Romans 8:28.