The Everyday Club

9/15/11 Abraham, about 22
Nick and I were in IIT's student center looking for a conversation when I stopped a student as he walked by, requesting permission to ask him a few questions. He - Abraham - didn't really say yes or no so I went ahead, asking about his beliefs. "I'm a Muslim" he declared, very seriously, in a way that seemed to settle the issue. I appealed to some common ground that we as Christians have with Muslims, that we believe God is holy and has infinite worth and glory, and that He is also a God of justice. Abraham agreed, though still unsmiling and really doing nothing to encourage the conversation, so I plowed on. "If justice is to be served, then nothing less than a sacrifice of infinite value would satisfy God's demand for justice when we break His laws" was my point. "Yes, but Allah has infinite mercy" Abraham stated. At this point I acknowledged that there are differences between the Christian and Muslim beliefs, and asked Abraham if I could explain Christianity without any expectation that he concede to any points I would make. He agreed, and I had the wonderful opportunity to present the Gospel to Abraham, though he remained unsmiling the whole time. He listened very intensely and I had no way to know what he was thinking until the very end, when he suddenly broke into a broad grin and said "Thanks! That really makes things a lot more clear!" and gladly took the additional material I gave him. Nick and I laughed about this later when we both confessed our nervousness about Abraham's serious demeanor, and then we agreed in prayer together for the Gospel seed that has been planted in his life.