Rifqa Bary was raised in a strict Muslim family from Sri Lanka. She came to know about Christianity but she keep it in secret in her family. At age 16, Bary took a brave step after her Muslim parents found out she had renounced Islam and had become a Christian. She ran away from home in Ohio and took refuge with Christians in Florida she had met on Facebook.
Rifqa Bary, 22-year-old college student tells her remarkable story in a new book, Hiding in the Light: Why I Risked Everything to Leave Islam and Follow Jesus. (Photo Credit: CBN.com)
In her short interview with CBN, Bary shares the threat of so-called honor killings for those who renounce Islam. Back then, she feared that if she return home, her father would try to kill her. She said it was just not a threat but it’s a reality.
Jeremy Lin is undoubtedly one of the hottest rising stars of the NBA. He plays for the New York Knicks. His story is similar to American National Football League Superstar Tim Tebow as they both speak openly about their Christian faith in a well publicized television or social media coverage. Despite his rising popularity, Jeremy Lin maintains his humility.
Wikipedia reports that Jeremy Lin is actually an evangelical Christian who was a leader in Harvard’s Asian American Christian Fellowship during his time there. Lin would one day like to be a pastor who can head up non-profit organizations, either home or abroad. He has also talked of working in inner-city communities to help with underprivileged children.
“God’s fingerprint are all over the place where there’s been a lot of things that had to happen that I just couldn’t control. You can try to call it coincide but at the end of the day, there are 20 or 30 things. When you combine a lot had to happen at the right time in order for me to be here. That’s why I call it a miracle.– Jeremy Lin Quote “
WATCH THE MOST VIEWED JEREMY LIN WINNING SHOT AGAINST THE TORONTO RAPTORS
Listening, watching, or hearing testimonies of people on how they found Jesus are simply too precious. Testimonies strengthen one’s faith. In the Book of Romans, Chapter 10 verse 17 it says: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Like in a court of law, the testimonies of witnesses are very useful and crucial to determine the guilt or innocent of the person accused of a crime. And therefore, as followers of Christ, we need to bring our stories or testimonies out. Let us continue to pray for opportunities to share them. There is power in testifying about our faith in Jesus Christ because it’s personal, relevant, and anointed.
Here is the testimony of Shawn McDonald. “Shawn is a Contemporary Christian music (CCM) singer, songwriter and guitarist. As a child, McDonald lived with his grandparents because his parents could not take care of him. Not really understanding the situation, he became rebellious. He would sneak out of the house, drink alcohol, get intoxicated, and later use drugs.He ended up living on the streets where he grew up and sold drugs for money.” (source: Wikipedia)
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Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Luke 13:23-24
Read and watch the testimony of James.
My conversion from a practising Catholic to a Bible Believing Christian is primarily down to the change that I witnessed in my father’s life. One day I heard him listening to an old time American preacher. I remember saying to him: “Why are you listening to this? You’re a Catholic and we’re good people.” He responded by saying to me: “It isn’t enough for me now. I need something else. And I am not a good person.” Now, I must say that for a person who went to church every day, was on most church committees and had even penned a book about our church (which sold very well), this amazed me. This was to be a major turning point for my father and little did I know, for me too.
During this period, I was a singer with my own big band orchestra. We were at the level of semi-professional (I even worked with a trombonist who played with Frank Sinatra) and I absolutely worshipped this musical world that I was a part ofAll my energy and spare time after work went into making music my future. I would record 3 CDs and spend a small fortune producing these to float around to prospective agents. However, with the drastic change in my father’s life, I couldn’t ignore it and we would spend hours talking about the Bible, morals and the Catholic church. It took me 3 years to fully realise that I too needed to be Born Again.
I can remember very well, my father giving me a copy of an old 1880 King James Bible, which I still have. I read this and found its content totally amazing. All the years of being in the Catholic Church, with its many rituals and its repetitiveness, and yet the Bible was so fresh. Later I would seek out other translations and versions, but the King James has and will remain my Bible.
As band leader it was my responsibility to not only hire and fire musicians but also to find adequate venues to rehearse the orchestra, sometimes twice weekly. On numerous occasions I was able to secure two different church halls. I distinctly remember one being a Methodist church and one of the elders of that church, for a period of perhaps 18 months or so, never once witnessed to me or my musicians.
All I recall him stressing was that “no smoking or alcohol was permitted on the premises.” Also intriguing was how our keyboard player was their Sunday organist and he too never shared the Gospel with me or the 17 other guys. One can be “religious” yet not saved. Needless to say, when I got saved, Gospel tracts were sent to both parties and other “religious” people I had long known, prior to my new birth.
This is a very inspiring video of people whose lives have been completely transformed by their faith in Jesus Christ. Their past have gone and the new lives have come. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, God’s word, the Bible says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new!” That’s the power of God at work. These are the greatest miracles that are happening in our world, in our families, and in ourselves. Praise the Lord!
Watch this video entitled Cardboard Testimonies at Calvary Chapel Chino Valley on Good Friday 2011. This is a powerful display of what Jesus Christ has done in the lives of these people. He can change anyone… and He can change you. Visit their website http://www.calvaryccv.org
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then,
and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
– Galatians 5:1 NIV
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