A woman who reads my blog recently sent me the link to the testimony of a Muslim woman who had an encounter with Jesus Christ. It is one of the most moving testimonies I have ever heard. Jesus began to reveal Himself to this woman in dreams and visions—something that apparently is happening frequently in the Islamic world. She went through the inevitable rejection and beatings by her family, and then she was in church one Sunday when a bomb went off. Many were killed. Then a second bomb exploded. This time she herself was hit. I’ll let you listen to what happened then.
The woman gives as the lodestar of her Christian journey this verse:
They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives so much as to shrink from death (Rev. 12.11 NIV).
I want to listen to this testimony again, for this woman said some very penetrating and challenging things. But last night after listening to her testimony, I was left with this thought, also from The Revelation. Christ exhorted the Christians of Philadelphia to hold fast what they had, lest someone else take their crown (Rev. 3.11). As I thought about that, in my mind’s eye (it was not a vision) I saw as it were a field of discarded crowns. For, these days there are a lot of crosses lying around on the ground that western Christians have not picked up. Perhaps they are blind as to what they are really neglecting. Their crowns. That’s what that field of crosses is—a field of crowns. The thing is, there are others out there in Islamic lands and other places who are grabbing up those crowns—those crosses.
And one day there will be none left.
I encourage you to take the time (you’ll need about an hour) to listen to this incredible testimony. The link is below.
I realize that some will raise an eyebrow when they discover this comes out of Bethel Church in Redding, California, but I promise you that your raised eyebrow will be humbled (as mine was) by listening to this.
At the same time, this is not an endorsement of the other messages on the same link, which I have not yet listened to.
A Mending Feast 
Glad you appreciated that as much as I had, Allan … don’t think I’ve ever been so whacked by a message. The continuing impact of it we’ll never know this side of heaven. How it fits so astoundingly into an ongoing story with some Muslim friends I’ve been in contact with since meeting them (OVER & OVER in one of God’s multiplication miracles) in Egypt last year is, well, part of the wonder (my own wee blog post on the Egyptian encounters here: http://somebody-elses-story.blogspot.ca/2012/06/miracle-at-temple-gate.html).
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Thanks again, Susanna. I’ll be listening to that message once again. By the way, do you know what country this woman was from?
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As I understand it, they’re keeping that all confidential. Some of her family are still there and radically Muslim, and she likely does her martial arts evangelism there and elsewhere in the Middle East. I’ve done several re-listens and continue to be gobsmacked. Could I also ask you to be keeping the young Muslim couple referred to above in your prayers. Egypt and Syria both seem to be where her country was then & desperately need our storming heaven for them……
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Yes, I felt she might have been keeping that confidential. And yes, I’ll keep that young couple in my prayers. It’s truly awesome what is unfolding in the Middle East. Generally we view it all from an earthly perspective, and so don’t really grasp what is happening– and is yet going to happen. “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them…”
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Thank you, Allan, for passing on this link. Tears were flowing as I listened to this precious daughter of God. There is a holy boldness that rises in us as we plumb more deeply the lavish love of Christ, Can anything good come out of Bethel Church in Redding? Well I have been blessed and stretched by some of Bill Johnson’s books
Many blessings, brother!
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Hi Paul, yes, I had tears on my cheeks as well. As to Bethel church, I do have my guard up about certain things, but have not checked out any of Bill Johnson’s books or messages. I will likely do that in the next while. In any case, I hope that controversy over that church will not tarnish this woman’s precious (and challenging) testimony.
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