Saturday, August 14, 2010

Prayer Needed ASAP!

Conclusion of the conversation in Istanbul: 
I think the conversation went well.  It is at the point where God needs to open his eyes to see the lie that Islam is and the truth that Jesus is God and that we need Him to be our savior.  I learned a lot about Islam in the process as well, and I believe God also used it to equip me more for next time and to give me a deeper love for those enslaved to their sin in the false religion of Islam. The most interesting thing was that he acknowledged our conflicting beliefs but refused to say I was wrong.  We could not both be right and that was a big deal, but he refused to acknowledge such a thing.  He lives in San Diego with his Jewish wife and (I think) two year old daughter.  I am praying more laborers would enter his family's life in Turkey and in the states.  His name is Mashala.
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Well, I'm in Istanbul, and it has been hard and great (also hot). Here's what's been up: I think I cam here desiring to have ministry and evangelism opportunities but did not come with God's armor on and equipped. This is a hard place. I was bold in one conversation last night, and I felt that God wanted me to stand up and preach the gospel to the whole hostel terrace hang out place. I was terrified, and I eventually just went to bed. Humility and repentance...I need to remember that "there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love" (1 John 4:18).


Well, that being said, I was led through the Blue Mosque by a man who sells carpet and brought me to his store. There they pressured me to buy a carpet, but I didn't cave. Here's where it hits the fan though. They serve me coffee and tea, and His nephew (about 30 years old) and I begin to talk about Islam and Christianity. He goes on for a while, and I push back with truth.

Long story short: this is Ramadan right now, and Muslims fast between sunrise and sunset. He invited me back to his store/home at 8:30 to essentially debate Christianity vs. Islam and to join him and his family for the breaking of their fast. PLEASE PRAY FOR ME AND THIS CONVERSATION AND MEETING TONIGHT.

"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete" (2 Corinthians 10:3-6 ESV).

Thank you all.  I will be spending the next hour praying and preparing.  The time here is eight hours ahead of the Central Time in the U.S.  This means it is 7:00 p.m. here and 11:00 a.m. in Texas or Chicago, etc.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Praying for God to speak through you to these people. Praying for hearts to be open and lives to be changed! Take Care!

Anonymous said...

Praying for God to speak through you to these people. Praying that hearts are open and lives are changed! Take Care!

Unknown said...

Hey Jonathan! I just discovered your blog and I hope your conversations went well! I will praying for you! How long are you in Istanbul???

Unknown said...

ok, so I realized after reading more of your blog posts that you are actually in the Czech and just on a visa visit to Istanbul! Well what are you doing there??? (Czech) How long will you be there? I know you are probably really busy and your internet time is short, so if u get the chance, fill me in! Ill be praying for you :) -Monica

Jonathan Rosen said...

I'm on a 7 month "discovery" internship with Josiah Venture. Just finished a summer of English camps co-leading an intern team, and I am about to embark on the fall ministry of living on my own, doing a lot of contact ministry (hanging out with students on the cas) and beginning scheduled ministry like teaching English and helping with youth group camp follow up events and retreats. What have you been up to since graduation?