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My friend Kofi, now becomes a Muslim
by Stephen Boakye-Ansah The reason for my commitment to the course of Jesus Christ stems from various convictions. Among them is a childhood memory of how I lost a dear friend to the Islam world view due to our inability to give an accurate defense to the faith of Jesus Christ, which we held so dear to (a Sunday-church going kind of a faith). When I was a kid, I lived in a community where several Muslim homes were present, and my friend Kofi Mensah, now Abdul Aziz Mensah lived at a stones throw from my residence. The sound of the minaret will sound every dawn, whether you wished to hear it or not, the voice of the Imam greeted you each morning. As you sipped your tea, the butter to your bread was the rumbling prayers from the mosque. Soon I could recite the Fajr prayers of Islam (This prayer starts off the day with the remembrance of God; it is performed before sunrise). Until now, when you ask me I can recite some of the tunes from their melodic prayers. The area I lived in at Lagos town (a suburb in Takoradi, Ghana) was all surrounded by Muslims and their Hausa koko (a kind of porridge prepared with millet) and waakye (bran rice mixed with red beans) weaned us. Their meals were a delicacy notwithstanding their pious way of living. I almost had a crush on a young and beautiful Muslim girl. I had a Muslim friend, Aminu Mamoud who was some years older than I and he often confronted me with controversial issues on Islam and the Christian faith. There are contradictions in your Bible, Kofi, and he would open to some verses of scripture that didnt come clear with its explanation to me at that time. Prominent among his arguments was his stance on the death of Judas Iscariot. He will ask me: How did Judas die? He will open to Matthew 27:5 and read: After he threw the money into the temple he went away and hanged himself. Then he will open to Acts 1:18 and show me that: After he bought the field with the price of his evil deed he fell headlong and burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out (Acts 1:8) He will confront the both of us, myself and my friend, Kofi that our Bible is full of lies and contradictions. We couldnt find any tangible answers for him then and my friend, Kofis knees gradually buckled under the load of this Muslim apologist. He will show to us some of the omissions in the bible and point out some errors present in some translations. For example: The absence of Matthew17:21 in the NIV translation and several others. Anytime a verse of scripture came to my memory to give a defense for my argument, he would quote it for me and even continued through to the later verses. I was bewildered at his extent of knowledge in the Bible, not withstanding he being a Muslim. This childhood friend of mine with the same name, Kofi, as of then, was gradually shredded off his faith in the Christian Bible. Obviously, our knowledge was limited and the Muslim guy debunked all our claims with his evidence from extensive reading and comprehensive reasoning. Soon, my friend Kofi gave in to the Islamic faith and he joined them in their daily prayers and started going to the mosque too. I thought this was a joke but later, his commitment was obvious – My friend Kofi, now becomes a Muslim and still is. Wounded? Of course I was because I would be the only one to stand on the side Christ to argue my faith with the rest of them. Another Christian friend of mine, Michael Asamoah Amankwah would come to my aid, but rather sparsely. There was once a meeting at Kwesimintsim (a suburb in Takoradi, Western Region of Ghana) on the topic, Is Jesus the Son of God? A Christian Pastor was invited and another learned Muslim Sheikh represented. The gathering was fully represented by the Muslim community in Takoradi with only a few Christians scattered here and there. I was very young then but my passion to hear my Jesus win this debate was strong. The debate lasted till 1 am the next dawn, and it seemed the Christian Pastor lost the debate. The Muslim masses echoed their joy and excitement of victory over the faith I so held dear to. As I walked home that night, I reasoned: Is there a way, I could mature to have extensive knowledge to defend my faith in Jesus Christ and to give a good answer to some of the questions confronting humanity with the Gospel as a framework? Years passed and I entered the university as an undergraduate student where I came into contact with several teachers who helped me to grasp well the fundamentals of the faith in Jesus Christ. Apostle Dr. George Winfred Arthur of the World Harvest Church contributed significantly to my growth in the knowledge of God and I am forever grateful to this Great Vessel of God. I thank God for my Father in the Lord, Pastor Obed Obeng Addae who taught me extensively on The Jesus of the Quran; a comprehensive teaching on how to effectively discuss the faith of Jesus Christ with the Islamic world view. I read Josh McDowells Evidence that Demands a Verdict and listened to some of the debates this Christian apologetic held with a famed Islamic scholar, Ahmed Deedat. Notable among them was the debate held in Durban, South Africa, on the topic: Was Jesus Christ Crucified? I read More than a Carpenter (a comprehensive explanation on the purpose of Jesus Christ on earth) and other apologetic materials to brim my knowledge. Sometimes I will print with my own money some of my findings from Ravi Zacharias (a famed Christian apologetic) on The Problem of Suffering, The root of evil and the Goodness of God and share it with my friends: and now, here I am, being given the opportunity to study Christian apologetics at the Ravi Zacharias International Ministries Academy. I hope to access enough information on how to effectively communicate my faith and answer diverse questions on Islam, Atheism, Science & Religion. I am very confident of this that God who has began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 It is my prayer to have the opportunity to witness the faith of Jesus Christ, once again to my childhood friend, Kofi, and Aminu Mamoud and lead them unto the path of salvation in Jesus Christ - unless otherwise, it is a story of everlasting flames for my dear friends. I hope my story will motivate you to reach out to the lost with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Rescue the perishing, Care for the Dying. Stephen has unwavering passion to reach the lost and communicate the faith of Jesus Christ to unbelievers. He is a Christian apologetics student at the RZIM Academy and the author of "The Christ-Driven Life." He has written several articles on issues of faith and religion. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |